By Randy Walburger Santa Monica
Regarding Carole Orlin’s commentary (SMDP, Nov. 21, page 5), Ms. Orlin and all the other homeless haters who refer to poor homeless people as vagrants. I would remind them that this is not how they are referred to in the Bible and any other religious texts for that matter. When you homeless haters use this demeaning slur it always seems to denote further criminalization or worse as your “solution” to the poor who must be in public because they are poor (duh).
I am sorry for you Carole and all the other selfish homeless haters who delude themselves that they are anything more than selfish and heartless. I would be interested in what you homeless haters want the City Council to do. Strip away the Bill of Rights of the poor and treat them as less than worthy of these rights? The SMDP has inferred as much in its recent editorial entitled “Make the homeless uncomfortable.”
Do people really believe the homeless are having a wonderful time? The rhetoric would suggest that the city should turn up the heat of criminalization on the poor as a selfish and brutal means to “rid” this city of the poor.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 30, 2005. Read the original PDF.