By Kenneth McCrae Santa Monica
In the May 3 edition (page 4), I see yet another letter (“More furniture coming for homeless”) ranting against Santa Monica’s homeless.
Yes, many of Santa Monica’s homeless population have been in town for years. They consider it their home. They’re not about to leave, regardless of anti-homeless city ordinances and hypocritical venom. Adding new “furniture” will not of itself draw additional homeless to our city though it may look that way because more current homeless will be able to take advantage of it.
Personally, I expect to see a concerted effort by the Bayside District Corporation to move the homeless currently using the Promenade to Second and Fourth streets once this “furniture” is installed!
If the business community, the City Council and the general public really wanted the homeless off the streets, they long ago would have provided them a drop-in center to stay at during the day. If the business community, the City Council and the general public really wanted cleaner streets, they long ago would have provided restrooms for the city’s homeless — but then they’d have no defenseless scapegoats to blame for problems caused by, for example, the new smoking ban which will cause prospective tourists to decide to visit more friendly locations, or the recent anti-business emphasis on signage.
And, of course, some people probably believe it’s the homeless who have caused Santa Monica Place and the Promenade to lose business, not the fact that both have become chainstore-ladden “cookie cutter” copies of every local mall in the country. Some people probably even condemn the homeless for the constant traffic jams and street closures (actually caused by the traffic malls or the construction of new “luxury” apartment complexes), which cause people to avoid coming to town to shop in the first place.
To everyone who wants to see Santa Monica rid itself of its homeless population, I suggest they come up with serious, positive ways to do so, not simply (as usual) using them as scapegoats to excuse the city’s real problems.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 5, 2004. Read the original PDF.