A group of about fifteen protesters from the Asheville Homeless Network, led by Occupy Asheville activist John Penley and accompanied by their lawyer, gathered today at city hall to demonstrate against what they say is the Asheville’s criminalization of the homeless. Forgoing their earlier plans to March from city hall to President Obama’s campaign headquarters via Malaprops bookstore—a business they say is particularly likely to enforce ordinances against panhandling—the group instead visited the office of Mayor Terry Bellamy en masse.
The mayor was not in her office, but the group’s concerns, along with a poster-board sized letter, were received by her office manager.
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Criminalizing homelessness is a natural reaction by the owners of a corrupt political and economic system to the backlash created by the very principles employed by that system. They systematically create widespread poverty, and then punish the victims as if their fate was self-imposed. This is the sickness that is American culture.
I had a debate with a an upper level member of the Asheville police Department about the arrests of homeless people for panhandling and tresspassing. In the end he had to admit that arresting homeless people and putting them overnight in the county jail did not change anything except getting homeless people off the street for a short period of time. This costs the taxpayers of Asheville lots of money every year which would be better spent on treatment and housing. With the economy like it is today many of you are just a paycheck away from the street. The Asheville Homeless Network is trying to help and is a good thing and anyone can attend meetings every Thursday at 2pm at the Firestorm Cafe. Once again jailing homeless people for very short periods of time costs you money and is not humane or a solution. To you Christians… What would Jesus say about this ?
You know, back in the day they would have been drafted or shipped off to a work farm. Has the city considered that?
Congrats to you bill smith…their are sooo many jobs that they could fill, and save the City thousands. Oh, and I’m sure you will join me in congratulating Penley on his atheistic and vitriolic comment on Christians.
agreed, Eleanor, those comments about helping the homeless are about as atheistic as one can get.