Is it now a crime to be poor?

A recent article in the NY Times discussed a growing national trend of attacks on the homeless by men and teenagers who are not. They are making sport of attacking and killing homeless people simply because they can get away with it. It has become such a national crisis that Congress is considering making attacks on the homeless a hate crime. This is part of the abandonment of civility and neighborliness that permeates our entire society. From the top down we are becoming a wantonly cruel society. Yet we can hide it behind a thin veneer of prosperity. It has been said that the true test of a government's integrity is how it treats it poorest citizens. Notice how the poor are never mentioned by politicians nowadays?

"But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power;" - 2 Timothy 3:1-4

Heartless bstds, imagine making homelessness a crime all they will do now is house these poor souls in a jail. absolutely horrid .

Maybe with all the "new" homeless and people looking for food and shelter, from the recession/depression, people will begin to see how it is to be treated badly by the govt. and the powers that be and indeed the people who have money to spare.

I did not see the NY Times article, but people who attack others just because they can should be charged with a hate crime.  I would be interested in the demographic of the attackers in addition to being men and teenagers.  People who are struggling economically or socially look for outlets for venting dissatisfaction with their lives through aggression.  Homeless people are incredibly vulnerable simply by the fact that they are visible and on the streets 24/7.  

The criminals can be prosecuted if they are caught, but the best way to solve this problem is to address homeless.  In a civilized society no one should be homeless.  Many of the homeless are mentally ill; therefore, providing appropriate facilities for them is a start.  Family shelters for those who have lost their homes and their jobs should be taken care of and provided assistance in seeking employment and affordable housing.  Runaway teens and young children should have alternatives that provide them with a safe haven free of drugs and alcohol where their specific problems can be addressed.    Veterens' administration should have a counseling mechanism for homeless vets. They might already have this; therefore, doing veterens' outreach in depressed areas would be a good idea.  Additionally, faith based outreach should be welcomed and encouraged.  

The ailing middle class has taken precedence over the poor in this economy.  When people are losing their jobs and their homes, its next to impossible to expect them to reach out to the poor.  The abandonment of civility, in my opinion, increases with the disconnect between the "haves" and "have nots" in our society.  Each strata of society focuses on their own sense of entitlement for which they believe they have been denied.  Whoever is the most vocal or who can pay for lobbyists have their issues brought to the floor.  The poor, for the most part, have few advocates.   

Bullies  growing up and grown up.  Then you have the addicts who will harm anyone on a high.  It is kinda pecking order...kick the dog...no one to scapegoat?   They  are criminals however you spin it and mentally ill period.  The ones most likely to be recidivists withou really deep therapy.  Alice Miller can also explain the reasons for abusing others.

Population Bomb =  More horrid social problems.  We will be witnessing much worse in the next few years 

The poor do have spiritual advocates in every town there are places to go.  All churches contribute huge  dollars and services.

Why do you expect to control this when we cannot control our crime or the bullies in theschools? 

No one should be homeless ?  This has existed since the beginning of time.  The question is what does ones' circle do...One person at a time.

This is full of shoulds.  Who would not agree?

It is easy to be appalled at things at a distance.  Everything begins at home.  Help those in need in our neighborhood.  The government cannot possibly play God. 

I support two families on welfare.  I employed the Mother then her daughter then her son in law  I send them anything I can and gather anything from others with children for them.  The most important thing I can do is send them literature on the level they can understand...very basic..I send the children rewards for good grades and bonuses for awards.  They know someone ...somewhere else loves them and knows them.Maybe I can help a child not become a bully.  Gifts without a knowing connection usually have little effect. Now that I move I have to work harder to connect with them but five years of a kind of intimacy that they never knew has helped.

Look at the addiction for Anti Americanism.  We send a lot of care out and educate a lot of families who then go home and turn around and throw ugly words...there is no love..no  connection..no personalization.. Many social workers make a huge difference.  ..teachers..preachers, nuns, churches..schools etc.

The ultimate cure is to get to the pain that is in the body and heart and mind thru deep therapy.. bioenergetics then cognitve after the body.  That is their parent they beat up on.

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If you do not believe we are more than our bodies you will despair.   I believe in Christ and his plan of redemption.  Pain can cause transformation but the one in pain must receive a human being with a heart of gnosis...love ...if not the ones that contributed will receive their rewards for causing these to stumble.  Do not think prayer works for this kind either.  It takes

a human>...DOING LOVE...NOT TALKING ABOUT IT

Taking on the responsibility of two welfare families is incredibly noble and praiseworthy.  Your efforts can be a model for us all. 

However, I still maintain the homelessness should not exist, and before the 1960s and 1970s, seeing a homeless person was rare.   What happened?  In the 70s in California Govenor Reagan closed almost all the mental hospitals with the promise that community outreach and clinics would replace them.  It did not happen.  The result here is that half of the homeless are mentally ill. 

Below are some statistics.  The love can begin with supporting mental health agendas at the state and federal level.  Vote for senators, representatives, and legislation that support clinical interventions in communities and provide housing and oversight for the mentally ill.  Confront mental illness stigma when we see it in the media and among our families and friends.  The love can begin with decriminalizing drug addiction and support rehabilitation clinics and education programs in schools to prevent the use of drugs.

An estimated 40 to 45 percent of homeless persons suffer from Axis I mental disorders in a given year, which include Anxiety Disorders, bipolar disorder, clinical depression, and schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders, and severe personality disorders. Between 150,000 and 200,000 of the homeless have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. This is the equivalent to the population of any of these cities:

• Dayton, Ohio
• Des Moines, Iowa
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Providence, Rhode Island
• Richmond, Virginia
• Salt Lake City, Utah

At any given time, there are many more people with untreated severe psychiatric illnesses living on America’s streets than are receiving care in hospitals. Approximately 90,000 individuals with schizophrenia or manic-depressive illness are in all hospitals receiving treatment for their disease.

Substance use is also prevalent among homeless populations. In a 1996 survey, 46 percent of the homeless respondents had an alcohol use problem during the past year, and 62 percent had an alcohol use problem at some point in their lifetime. Thirty-eight percent had a problem with drug use during the past year, and 58 percent had a drug use problem during their lifetime.

I don't care if you are rich or poor.  I don't want you loitering, sleeping, drinking alcohol, using drugs, urinating, deficating or robbing anywhere near my family home.  That is not new.  Those behavious have never been tolerated, whether by the poor or by frat brothers.  Stop confusing poverty with ill/illegal behaviour.

It is bad enough that our societies cause homelessness, worth is that we criminalize them and disrespect them as human beings.