The Security Threat That is the Homeless

[newGuy12]

Oh how these threads make me giggle.

I'm just glad that my first impression (by reading the title of the thread) was faulty.

I thought to myself, "Oh no, here it comes! George Bush is claiming War on the Homeless!"

Yet another in the "War on" series!

Whew! What a relief that its just some pdf file penned by a regular citizen!

 

[Grenadier]

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[terryl965]

Oh how these threads make me giggle.

Me to Chewy me to.

 

[The Master]

Such a delightful read, as always Mr. Elmore. I wonder, given your affection for statistics, what you would make of these?

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, an estimated 195,000 veterans are homeless on any given night, while nearly 400,000 experience homelessness during the course of a year.

Forty-seven percent of them served during the Vietnam era. More than 67 percent served for at least three years, and 33 percent were stationed in a war zone, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

By the Numbers

America's homeless veterans

400,000: Approximate amount of estimated homeless veterans in America, or 23 percent of the nation's homeless population

89: Percentage who received an honorable discharge

67: Percentage who served three or more years

47: Percentage who served during the Vietnam era

46: Percentage who are age 45 or older

17: Percentage who are post-Vietnam veterans

15: Percentage who are pre-Vietnam veterans

Source: National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm


I would also ask, what have you done for these brave lads who in many cases went to war to defend your right to write, and have been cast aside by a government that sees them as numbers and not human beings? Have you worked in a soup kitchen? Donated to Amvets? Helped out at a veterans hospital?

Have you truly considered what it is that you fear when you come across these roving packs of violent beings there in the Arctic wasteland of Syracuse NY? That 1% chance of crime there must truly be something to fear.
http://syracuse.areaconnect.com/crime1.htm

Have you, Mr. Elmore, ever actually been homeless?

Have you ever spent any time living on the street, even if only for the "feel good, warm and fuzzy" nature of the well meaning but misguided college student perspective?


Your writings, as I stated, are entertaining. They are also however inaccurate, biased, long winded and incomplete. More research, and a less "right wing" approach is suggested.

Good Day.

 

[Cryozombie]

I too was homeless for a while. I didnt rob anyone or occost people for cash. I wasn't mentally ill, (well moreso than I am on any given day of the week) or a raging alcoholic.

What I was was motivated to get up and get out, which I did. Truth be told, some days when the rat race has me down, I contemplate throwing my hands in the air and doing it again... Does that make me a security risk?

 

[Doc_Jude]

I've been mugged twice by homeless people (or at least they smelled homeless/showerless). & the muggings weren't successful. Yes, they got NINJA'D!!!! Girl, you know it's true!

 

[thardey]

90% of the homeless people I've talked to have a Bible that has been written in, marked up, and in short, read and studied.

Just thought I'd throw in a relatively useless fact about homeless people from a security standpoint.

I feel better now.

 

[Doc_Jude]

90% of the homeless people I've talked to have a Bible that has been written in, marked up, and in short, read and studied.

Just thought I'd throw in a relatively useless fact about homeless people from a security standpoint.

I feel better now.

Many homeless people I know think that bibles make great rolling papers...

 

[Doc_Jude]

I too was homeless for a while. I didnt rob anyone or occost people for cash. I wasn't mentally ill, (well moreso than I am on any given day of the week) or a raging alcoholic.

What I was was motivated to get up and get out, which I did. Truth be told, some days when the rat race has me down, I contemplate throwing my hands in the air and doing it again... Does that make me a security risk?

Yes :cheers:

 

[Kacey]

When I initially began to respond to this thread, I went looking for statistics on the homeless; then I realized that, no matter what source I used, what the statistics said, someone will always be able to find a different set of statistics... so I decided, instead, to tell you some stories about homeless children I know.

Travis is 12 years old; he is in 7th grade. He is homeless - not because his parents are shiftless deadbeats, but because while his mother works full-time, his father has cancer, and has spent the last several years in treatment, never in remission long enough to get a job. All of their money goes to his treatment; there is none left over for housing. Because Travis is still in school, special programs are available to Travis and his family; they currently live in a run down motel, all 3 of them in one room, with a microwave from a thrift store, a dorm-size refrigerator, and a 2-burner hot plate as their kitchen. Periodically, the motel they live in decides they no longer want semi-permanent residents, and Travis and his family move to a different motel. Since his father got sick several years ago, the longest Travis has lived in one place is 7 months. All of their belongs must fit in their one working vehicle, as they never know when a motel will tell them to move. At this point in time, Travis lives outside our district; however, as his last permanent address was in our attendance area (when he was in 4th grade), he is allowed to continue to attend school in our building.

In addition to dealing with his family's homelessness, Travis must deal with his father's on-going illness. His mother works as many hours as she can, so that they can pay for something - anything - besides his father's medical bills. His father is often ill and unable to do much but lay there - but he has to get up to take Travis to and from school; given that Travis lives outside our attendance area, there is no school bus that goes to his home.

Still, Travis is one of the lucky ones - his parents asked the school for help when they were first evicted, and were given the information they needed to access the programs that help Travis to stay in school. He has a place to live, a place with power and running water, a place he can consider, however temporarily, home. Other students in my school are not so lucky.

Several years ago, I had another homeless student. His name was Daniel. Daniel lived with his grandmother until she was evicted when he was in 6th grade - so rather than be on the streets with an 11 year-old, Daniel's grandmother sent him to live with an aunt in another state. That lasted until February of the next year, when then aunt began to experience financial problems of her own and sent him back to his grandmother. She found a place to live (sort of) in a friend's garage. There was no heat except a space heater (and this is Colorado, remember); they had no phone, although the friend who owned the garage would take messages. The friend also let them use the bathroom and kitchen. Still, they lived in a garage, and that's where they stayed most of the time; except for the bathroom and kitchen, they weren't really welcome in the friend's house, because his family needed the room.

And yet another child - David. David's mother lost her job in a massive lay-off, and had no savings. David and his mother ended up living in her car - their only belongings those that would fit in the car. His mother didn't want anyone to know - but it became apparent fairly quickly that David wasn't bathing. His mother refused aid from any of the resources the school referred her to, but did allow David to come to school early so he could shower in the locker room, and wash his clothes in the Home Economics room. Generally, his only meals were the breakfast and lunch provided by the school; it's impossible to cook in a car, and while fast food is cheap, it's not cheap if you have to eat it several meals a day.

And yet another - one of my TKD students (former, at the moment - although every so often he comes back). Josh has a psychiatric diagnosis, including paranoia and an anxiety disorder. Josh is 14 years old. He has been placed in residential treatment facilities for juvenile psychiatric patients more times than he can remember - but puberty is playing havoc with his medications, and every so often his life overwhelms him, and he runs away from home. His mother reports him missing, leaves the doors unlocked, notifies the family, and prays. Eventually, he gets tired of being homeless (last time, he lived under a bridge underpass in downtown Denver, for a couple of weeks, until he got hungry enough to call his uncle), and he finds a way to get home. But while he's out, he is as homeless as the rest - and yes, he is emotionally disabled, due to hormonal imbalances in his brain - but he's not violent, and he doesn't steal; in fact, the most common event that causes him to come home is some other homeless teen beating him up for his food, his shoes, his cardboard box.

These are the homeless people I know. They are not criminals; they are not deadbeats; they are not alcoholics; they are not drug addicts. They are people who have met with misfortune in their lives, and have yet to find a way to rise above it. They are people who do not have the support system than many of us take for granted, who have nothing to fall back on when things go wrong. They are the face of homelessness as much - in many ways more than - the stereotypical street person, panhandling down the street in filthy clothes, carrying an open bottle in a crumpled paper bag. They are ordinary, everyday people who have less good luck than the rest of us. They are not groups, they are not stereotypes - they are people, and they deserve our compassion, our assistance, and our help - not condemnation.

Certainly, some homeless people do fit the stereotype referenced in the article - but attempting to force all people into the stereotype of "homeless" is like trying to fit all members of an ethnic and/or racial group into the stereotype of that group. It is meaningless, and it is prejudicial - and it often prevents the majority, who are not representative of the stereotype, from receiving assistance from society, because they are lumped in with the minority that does fit the stereotype, and similarly, thrown away by those who do not look beyond the stereotype.

 

[Edmund BlackAdder]

You all make the same sad fluffy mistake. You want to look at these pathetic creatures as human beings. You seek to put a name, and a face to these pitiful wretches, and that is your failing. Putting a name, a face, the spark of dignity to them means you can't pull the trigger and send them to bum hell like they deserve. No, by looking upon them with pity and that greatest of failings, compassion, you risk allowing them to get into your heart. Once there, it's hard to fight back against the writhing bum mobs that will come up from the sewers, and out of dark allies, and down rusting and crumbling fire escapes to beat you and rob you and rape you and kill you, unless you fight back by beating them to the punch. The only way you can do that is to be a Martialist and cut them down at 50 paces. Show these scum no mercy. Shoot them like the dogs they are, cut off their begging cups and chop off their blocks! Phil details in his articles how to do it, why you should fear them, and which colour trench coat goes best with a short sword optimised for inner city bum twackery. I for one am greatly appreciative of his wit, his insight, and his ideas so that I can wino proof my vino once and for all. I even wear my AOL survival tin between my bum cheeks to ward off the possibility of an attack from the rear.

Remember, the homeless are the enemy! Wade into them. Spill their blood. Shoot them in the belly. When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do.


Wibble.

 

[MJS]

Hmmm...well, I haven't read the entire link that was posted. I did skim thru some of it. IMHO, street people are no more of a threat than some punk looking to mug me to get some cash for a quick fix. When I'm out and about, I always do my best to be aware of my surroundings. I go to NYC once a year around holiday time and I see a huge number of homeless people. Do they bother me? I could count on one hand, the number of times that I've been approached by someone asking for money or a light. Actually, I'm approached more by regular people trying to hand me a flyer or promotional paper. I usually don't make eye contact with these people and if I do and they ask if I'm interested in what they have, I say no and keep walking. I don't give them a chance to get me to stop.

Are homeless people bad? IMO, I don't think they are. I really do feel bad for these people. Just this past Dec. when I was in NYC, my wife, sister, brother in law and I were sitting at a table taking a quick break and I saw a woman digging thru the trash, pulling out a cup, half filled with some drink and a container with a half eaten sandwich. I was so disgusted at the thought of this woman eating that, that I actually stood up and was getting ready to walk over to her and offer to buy her something fresh, but she ran off before I had the chance. We left the table and I tried looking for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

There are shelters out there that offer a warm place to sleep and a hot meal, but sadly they're not permanent fixes. Of course, while these services are available, the person has to want to take advantage of them.

So, to wrap this rant up here...I really didn't need a long file to tell me how to act or what to do if I'm approached, because I've already learned that and then some, from my current training. I don't think that they are all bad people. Unfortunately, they're people who've run into some very bad luck. I think that if someone was really bothered by this issue, instead of looking at ways to defend yourself against these supposed 'bad people' time would be better spent finding ways to help them.

Mike

 

[Empty Hands]

Wibble.

*wipes a tear* Very nice sir, very nice. I wonder if the point will be lost on our dear Martialist?

 

[MA-Caver]

We have met the enemy and they are the homeless... and they are ... US

 

[Xue Sheng]

Why is it I am now thinking about the Winston Churchill Speech the one with "We shall fight them on the beaches"

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Oh.



My.



God.

 

[Archangel M]

You all make the same sad fluffy mistake. You want to look at these pathetic creatures as human beings. You seek to put a name, and a face to these pitiful wretches, and that is your failing. Putting a name, a face, the spark of dignity to them means you can't pull the trigger and send them to bum hell like they deserve. No, by looking upon them with pity and that greatest of failings, compassion, you risk allowing them to get into your heart. Once there, it's hard to fight back against the writhing bum mobs that will come up from the sewers, and out of dark allies, and down rusting and crumbling fire escapes to beat you and rob you and rape you and kill you, unless you fight back by beating them to the punch. The only way you can do that is to be a Martialist and cut them down at 50 paces. Show these scum no mercy. Shoot them like the dogs they are, cut off their begging cups and chop off their blocks! Phil details in his articles how to do it, why you should fear them, and which colour trench coat goes best with a short sword optimised for inner city bum twackery. I for one am greatly appreciative of his wit, his insight, and his ideas so that I can wino proof my vino once and for all. I even wear my AOL survival tin between my bum cheeks to ward off the possibility of an attack from the rear.

Remember, the homeless are the enemy! Wade into them. Spill their blood. Shoot them in the belly. When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do.


Wibble.

Nomination for post of the year. Thats ****ing great!

 

[SageGhost83]

Yargh! Even Adolf Hitler is blushing after reading this dreck. So, BlackAdder, if you lose your job and happen to end up out on the street, does that mean that we should not show you any compassion whatsoever and shoot you like the dog that you are? How about your homeless wife and kids, too? Should we cut off their begging cups and chop off their blocks, too? Maybe you would want me to cut down your homeless wife or daughter at 50 paces? The funny thing about such diatribes as yours is that such people often end up among the very people that they despise so dearly. It's fate's/god's little way of teaching us that we are all equal irregardless of race, class, or any other social division that man has created for himself. Wibble...I've got to remember that one :lol:! (This post was tongue n' cheek, of course)

 

[SageGhost83]

.....Ok, I so spoiled Blackadder's joke :lol:. I wasn't being serious with that post people :asian:!

 

[SageGhost83]

BlackAdder, please do not become one of those oh-so-dangerous homeless people that the OP was talking about and attack me while I walk down the street :jaws:. Joking aside, I don't think that the homeless are any more dangerous than any other segment of society. Some people get desperate and act on that desperation, but the same can be said for any segment of society. I don't think that they should be singled out on the basis of a few "statisitics" and what seems like someone's own personal vendetta against them.