The Great St. Pete Homeless Tent Raid

The Great St. Pete Homeless Tent Raid
By HOWARD TROXLER, Times Columnist
Published January 22, 2007


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Watch the St. Petersburg Police raid a tent encampment, slicing up and carting away the tents belonging to the homeless.
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He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

- Luke 3:11

Oh, sure, that's the kind of place I want my city to be - a city where, when kind-hearted people donate tents to the homeless, the city stages a raid and cuts them up.

Good grief!

Did they give each other high fives at City Hall afterward Friday? Did they throw each other a party? Bake a cake? Put up a "Mission Accomplished" banner?

Mayor Rick Baker told a St. Petersburg Times reporter on Monday that he didn't know about the raid in advance.

Ah. So that means someone down the chain of command took the initiative and said:

"Hey, I know! Let's go over and roust the homeless and cut up their tents and make unflattering national news, right after two homeless guys got murdered in our city, and after we forced a charity to shut down an earlier tent city! And, furthermore, let's don't tell the boss!"

(Note: The police officers I have seen on the scene have been professional, patient and compassionate. But this decision was not made by them.)

As for the people who had been living in those tents, here is good news.

They all magically disappeared as soon as St. Petersburg sliced and diced their sleeping quarters.

In fact, I heard one of them say:

"I foolishly believed that I, a worthless bum, could just sponge off you suckers in St. Petersburg, but your firm resolve has thwarted me! Now I and all my friends will be leaving your town."

Not.

The people living in the tents didn't magically disappear afterward, and few if any of them left town, because ...

Because they are, for the most part, us.

Everybody seems to have their own stereotype about "the homeless." And it's usually one size fits all.

To the mayor, the homeless seem to be uncooperative folks who won't take advantage of all the Wonderful Services the government and the private sector offer. What else do Those People want?

To some of the angry citizens I hear from, the homeless are lazy bums. They are the reason we can't walk through a park, or get off an exit ramp without being harassed.

But quite a few of the people in those tents work at minimum-wage jobs, or day labor, trying to afford a place to live. It was a small comfort for them to have a tent to sleep in, a place where other people might watch their stuff.

Some are families. About a fifth of the total homeless population is under 18.

Without a doubt, some of the homeless have problems. Some aren't getting treated for mental illness. Our society's answer for that one is to throw them in jail for a while.

And, yes indeed, for those of us looking to feel smug, if you look hard enough, you can find addicts, or burglars, or even just plain old bums.

But there is no one "homeless" population, and so there is no one solution.

But even if there were, it would not be just rushing over and cutting up tents - good grief! What kind of people are we?

There's a countywide task force and various advocacy groups. Here's one place to start: the Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless, 5180 62nd Ave. N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781, (727) 528-5762.

[Last modified January 22, 2007, 21:03:50]

Winter turbulence at the Gatehouse

There was a corker of a brawl at the Gatehouse the other night! The cavalry arrived, in the form of about six big coppers! As far as I know, no-one got nicked, and no-one seriously hurt, so a great time was had by all!

The uninitiated might expect more stroppiness in the summer when the temperature is high. However I think this winter turbulence may be more of a 'street' phenomenon. It's getting cold, people are perhaps a bit sad that they're not involved in the normal festivities, being away from their families. The hostels are full, drop-in centres can get pretty packed, people probably drink to cope with the cold; less daylight means seasonal affective disorder takes hold. There's generally increased activity in town, dealers may be getting nicked and it can (sometimes) be harder to score with increased police on the street. On the otherhand there's more money to be made over Xmas/New New year for beggars and Big Issue sellers (therefore more drink and drugs!) Although it can be frustrating when you're cold, miserable and wet and people aren't giving you money (as they often don't). It's also a time for deaths, illness and imprisonment of street-people etc.,etc. These factors and more can contribute to a general low mood on 'da street'.

The other thing to expect is an increase in Police operations, including undercover stuff, to target drug dealers, thieves and the like - winter seems to be hunting season for Old Bill. So a few people can expect an Xmas gift of free accommodation at Her Majesty's Pleasure. Still, at least it's warm and you get three square meals and a TV!


From our own correspondant
The author is someone who has spent
a number of years on the street.
Why not leave some feedback on your own experiences

A Load of Bull! by Kemlyn

Taken from his Myspace Blog


Recently (Jan '07) another poor child has lost their life at the jaws of a so-called 'devil-dog'. The animal was judged to be a pit-bull type banned under the Dangerous Dogs act in 1991.

This type of dog is one that has served man faithfully for thousands of years yet has often been maligned for the very traits which we have harnessed for our own benefit. Artwork for many ancient civilizations shows images of large headed, well muscled and athletic dogs. These animals were used for hunting, guarding, for war and unfortunately also to fight other dogs, other creatures and even men in 'sporting' contests.

This last activity reflects the darker side of man's nature, and it is indeed these very failings that have caused the problems we see with these loyal, courageous creatures. The process of selecting, breeding and training fearless, powerful and aggressive killers is one that has always had to go hand-in-hand with certain safety measures.

Nobody would want a beast that bit the hand that fed it, particularly one which would take that hand clean off! The handlers themselves often change, what with the dogs being sold on to new owners, and the animals have to be able to settle into their new environment. Dogs had to be safe enough to be physically removed by the handler from an animal they could still be fighting, without danger of biting the human handler.

Anyone who has responisbly cared for any of these amazing creatures will no doubt validate their trustworthiness. But trust can be broken and this is where irresponsible and ill-suited owners can produce a situation qwhere these dogs will attact out of place.

Like any working animal the relationship between man and beast is the key. In 99.999% of cases these dogs are the best companions their human pals could hope for. The problem occurs when people try to turn man's best friend into man's worst nightmare.

The pattern is always the same - the dogs are teased, abused and enouraged to show aggression for all living things. They are allowed to establish dominance over all but the actual owner, who will usually enforce his position with menace. The poor creatures learn to trust no-one, fear everyone and endup being aggresive when they don't get the attention they need.

The situation becomes like a bomb waiting to go off, and go off it often does. The bottom line is that in the wrong hands, practically anything can be dangerous. It's the people who use dogs, cars, knives, guns and anything else to menace society, that are the problem, not the tools they use. I see that stringent licensing of dog owners, particularly of large breeds, should come into force. These animals were bred to save life, not to take it.

Oxford Homeless Killed in Fire

By Emma-Kate Lidbury


DETECTIVES investigating the Oxford house fire in which two people died today appealed for help in discovering precisely when the fire started.

Officers believe the blaze may have started two hours before firefighters were called.

It is thought the fire - at Redbridge Cottage in Old Abingdon Road - may have been smouldering for some time before the emergency services were alerted at about 4.40am on Tuesday. Fire investigators think the fire may have started between 2.30am and 3am.

A motorist passing the house spotted smoke and called 999, but when the four fire crews arrived minutes later there was nothing they could do to save the man and woman they had pulled from the burning building.

The two victims were yesterday named as Howard Blake, 51, and Sian Sanchez, 36, both of no fixed abode.

Police believe the house, which had been unoccupied for about a month, was being used by squatters and the pair had been staying there. Post mortems showed they died of smoke inhalation.

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Old Abingdon Road was closed yesterday between 9.30am and 4.30pm while officers continued to work at the scene.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated but fire officers have said it was not accidental.

Police say they have spoken to a number of witnesses and are also studying CCTV images from the nearby Go Outdoors shop.

Det Chief Insp Rob Mason said: "I am keen to hear from anyone who saw smoke coming from the house to help us narrow down when the fire started.

"The fire created a lot of smoke and could have been seen or smelt by passing motorists or people walking nearby. Any information members of the public have could help us to determine the exact timing of the fire and help to establish what happened."

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