By Virginia Wickett
When I see homeless people on the streets of our city, it makes me feel bad. Why do they have to make me feel like this? Do they know how selfish they are? They walk around and they’re dirty and their clothes are torn and they smell. These things are starting to keep me up at night and I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t even know these people. I wish they would just go away. I think it’s very mean of all these homeless to come to Santa Monica and torment the nice people who live here.
A friend recently told me that some of these people actually sleep all night out on the streets and eat out of garbage cans and that some of them even have mental problems. I wish he hadn’t told me this because now I feel worse. This is intolerable. I would like to ask all the homeless in Santa Monica and the vicinity to please leave. This would make me feel so much better. Thank you ever so much in advance.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 1, 2003. Read the original PDF.