Hey Joe,
I didn't want to post this in comments because my computer automatically posts with my name on comments. When I was a kid, my mom got into a marriage with a bad person and as a result, we ended up leaving him with absolutely no notice or money. She changed jobs, and we basically went into hiding. We were literally homeless for awhile, and we were one of those people who live in motels. My mom is an honest and good person, and she worked her ass off to better our place in life and to get her feet back on solid ground.
The reason I mention that is that you're right--these people who are getting "flushed out" are humans and they do have rights and needs. However, I would imagine that if we went back into that time and place where it was me and my mom sleeping in a motel room, if there were a "raid" in an effort to flush out the druggies and prostitutes from where we were staying, I'd imagine that she would be grateful that the city was making an effort to get those types of people away from me.
And as for those long-term residents that "can't" get a place to live otherwise, I just don't believe it. A good and honest person who wants a better life for themselves and their family has got to know that there is a way to live better than a motel room. My mom did it just driving a cab. That's it. Within a few months of losing her footing in life, we were back in a nicer, permanent place to live, and we never had a problem after that.
There are also so many programs out there to help people have a home. There's section 8 housing, affordable housing, temporary cash assistance, food stamps, amongst other things to make it possible to survive. All of these things are easy to apply for. If someone wants a better life than a motel room, they can get it. The help is there and quite easily attainable.
So when I don't have sympathy for those who were inconvenienced by the "raid" last night, my lack of sympathy comes from the point of view of the child that lives in one of those rooms with their single, working mom trying to make a better life for both of them. That child deserves to not have a meth lab or a prostitute right next door making money in dishonest and disgusting ways that put the safety of people around them in danger.
I applaud the city in their efforts to help clean up the streets and the motels that line them. I think we would all find a warmer, fuzzier feeling in our stomachs about it if we could know what will happen next. How about instead of tossing these "professionals" and junkies in jail and then back on the street, we try to rehabilitate them. Get them jobs, put them in programs to detox them, and help them find their way to a better life. Some people will do well in a program like that, some wont.....but at least we can say we tried everything before we turn our backs on them.
Just my thoughts!
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
8 comments:
dont spend my tax dollars on them. weve all had tough times, some harder than others, but we didnt quit.
education is key, it leads to self-worth, that leads to self-respect,and that can take you as far as you want it to with hard work. we have failed to educate the last couple of generations of people. theres a line in the sand, one side is people who have access to skills that can build a stable life, the other side are the forgotten ones. this includes woman, children, families as well as junkies and thieves. hell alot of the kids getting out of colledge arent any more prepared for a carrer and the future eighter. hell even our armed services are filled with kids that probably have no other venue to obtain a colledge education. this was the choice they had to make in order to get it. think about this; in the coming years the economy will most likely still be a mess, even worse i think, if this keeps up how close are you and yours to the line in the sand, some closer than others for sure, but some closer than they ever believed was possible. is the american middle class heading toward the forgotten ones? scary as hell isnt it.
f them they can work just like me i have a 9th grade education but have a good job so they need to get off their lazy ass and work bums
This, coming from an asshole at work on his computer being paid to do a job and NOT doing it. What an Idiot!
Joe what was the ratio of homeless and say aliens??
This is one hell of a great post, and I couldn't agree more with this kind-hearted soul.
"education is key,"
Just what we need, hookers, reading instead of doing their job.
Now this can-O-worms is open the county will need to start inspecting some of these "No Tell Motel's" out of the city limits. Quite a few as well, I saw one on the right going north on RT.13 just before Line RD., yup they too are operating the same kind of business as those here in the city.
Post a Comment