By Lori Emerson Santa Monica
In response to Charles Springer’s delusional response to Mr. Jankowski’s truthful letter (SMDP, July 15, page 4), it is clear that Charles Springer is still using something, be it the “homeless” support system in this city, or drugs. He has and continues to profit from and extort value and services from the homeless industry that our city leaders continue to fund with an open checkbook.
First of all, as some readers may remember, Charles Springer has been sponging off of our enabling city for around a decade. Some three years ago, he was a regular SMDP columnist writing “From the Streets.” He had been “homeless” for many years before that, freeloading in Santa Monica, degrading our streets, properties, beaches, tourism and lives.
He complained about the quality of the new shower facility, not being able to get a date, his wife deserting him, society not helping with his grieving processes, his friend getting killed in a bum fight, having to wait in long lines for free stuff, etc. Nothing has ever been right in his world of “everything for nothing.”
First of all, Springer has been eating at the OPCC since it opened. He has supposedly been attending Santa Monica College for nearly a decade, as close as I can tell. As far as rent control goes, he has rent control. He hasn’t paid a penny in rent in Santa Monica. Not everyone in the world can afford to buy or rent a residence at the beach and he continues to complain about everything he gets for doing absolutely nothing, all the while living here for free at the expense of hard working residents.
Regarding federal taxes and how they are spent, what concern is federal spending to him? He contributes absolutely nothing positive to society. He doesn’t pay taxes, rent, utilities, child support, medial bills, or even his own lunch tab.
Rather than thanking me and Mr. Jankowski for paying his and his children’s way forever, he ignorantly chooses to attack us “working stiffs” for harassing him. I don’t want to harass him, I want him gone. I am sick of paying for him while he trashes my neighborhood and literally pisses on everything I have worked for.
As far as constitutional rights, Springer does not have the right to erode my property values, scare my children, make my city a toilet, and steal my tax dollars by his refusal to pay his own way. Mr. Springer has apparently counted the homeless in Santa Monica. Two percent homeless out of 88,000 residents shows that there are only 1,760 vagrants in Santa Monica? Last year’s election would reflect that far more freeloading losers are casting their votes for the enabling council members that have been re-elected. The count is off.
As far as his mind goes, it is not open — it is gone. As I free fall along the path of my life, while working full time and paying taxes, I do not deserve to have to deal with the stench of urine, or people passed out in every park and on every sidewalk in this city. I do not deserve to have to listen to his ad nauseam articles of how the world has done him wrong. He has paid for nothing, contributed nothing, and continues to take everything. He thinks he’s entitled to live here.
Springer is the poster child for the support system that Santa Monica continues to offer, fund and increase to “help” these people live at the beach for free. Nothing will ever change until Charles Springer and his friends get out of town for good.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 21, 2005. Read the original PDF.