St Petersburg Police Slash Tents of the Homeless

Tampa Tribune ^ | Jan 20, 2007 | Steve Thompsom & Rod Challenger

[GOP Poet]

A cat-and-mouse game between the city and its burgeoning homeless population took on a confrontational tone Friday as about two dozen officers swooped down on 15th Street North and either confiscated or destroyed a dozen tents in which homeless people had been living.

If it is not legal to camp, the police can do whatever they need to to chase the people out. Especially when they are knowingly violating the law.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

"the man, who gave only a first name of Mo(pbuh),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[GOP Poet]

I hope they are taxed like the rest of us, especially for their housing/land.

[Old Professer]

"Another spot for the displaced tent dwellers was beside busy Martin Luther King Jr. Street."

Marked on every tourist map from Albany to Zanesville...

[Dog Gone]

We could also grind the meat and eat it that way or make sausage.

Why not? I'm pretty sure sausage is currently made from homeless pigs.

[spunkets]

" If it is not legal to camp, the police can do whatever they need to to chase the people out. "

They can not confiscate, or destroy private property w/o specific statutory authority. They did not have that, so what they did is a crime. It was theft and destruction of property.

[Star Traveler]

You said -- "I hope they are taxed like the rest of us, especially for their housing/land."

You know..., property taxes in Oregon are on the high side. But, there is no sales tax. I'd rather keep the sales tax out of Oregon, myself. And the voters have voted against it over the years.

But, even with property taxes being what they are in Oregon, I mean -- how much is property tax going to be on a place that has no "real value"? I mean, tax a shelter that is worth $50 and will cost $100 to tear down and carry away (if need be). Well, yes then, maybe tax them. Okay, let's see one nickel a year in property taxes, maybe a dime -- I don't know (at the going rate).

All right -- let's see if we can find one or two bottles on the street to pay my property taxes per year. That should do it.

Oh..., of course, you do know that Oregon was the beginning of the "Bottle Bill" -- where you have to charge deposit on pop bottles (anything with carbonation). They figured, when they began that law that the "bums" would be the ones who "cleaned up" the different areas of the state by picking up the bottles for deposit (and they do!).

Well, so much for property taxes...

Regards,
Star Traveler

[dawn53]

This whole homeless tent city is the brainchild of a Rev. Bruce Wright.

He got people to donate the tents, in an attempt to set up a tent city and confront the city on the situation of the homeless.

The homeless in downtown St. Pete has been a huge problem because they flock to the city in the winter and disrupt downtown businesses. The are sanitation issues and property rights issues as they congregate downtown.

So this Rev. decided he was going to make a name for himself by "standing up" for the homeless. He's basically the instigator behind all the trouble. They even have picket lines of homeless demanding more "rights" in downtown St. Pete at the main entertainment complexes.

Here's the blog about the organization behind all the hub bub and organization of the homeless.

http://stpeteforpeace.org/tentcity.html

From the Rev.'s Bio: the groups he is affiliated with

He is a member in the following organizations: NAADAC, Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign, Critical Resistance, Every Church a Peace Church, League of Revolutionaries for a New America, St. Pete. For Peace, Food Not Bombs, Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless, Homeless Legal Defense Fund, Pinellas County Juvenile Justice Council, St. Pete. Task Force on Homelessness, and the St. Petersburg Ministerial Association

http://www.pcpf.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=220&Itemid=46

[Lady Jag]

Are you too young to remember where many of these poor souls came from?

Nixon increased the street population by many thousands when he closed all the public mental institutions.

Most if not all homeless today are mentally disturbed and many fear actually fear the indoors. When I talk to them, some of them even make sense (for the moment).

I have no idea how to deal with the situation, but it would benefit the city to have them out of sight, so, til there's a solution, put them in a covert place to tent where they still get to a place to access their usual resources.

[Lady Jag]

The article mentions efforts to get them to move. I could have predicted they wouldn't work.

Given that these people are generally mentally ill, they can't be dealt with in normal ways.

[hermgem]

How long does it take that most liberal paper, the
St. Pewtersburg Times to open the doors and grant these people shelter to protect them from cops destroying tents.

[ApplegateRanch]

I hope they are taxed like the rest of us, especially for their housing/land.

Bwaaahahahahahaaha!

The "village" is on public property.

The group living there is essentially organized as an HOA, with bylaws the residents/'members' must sign & agree to abide by.

The whole thing is registered as a 501-c-3 nonprofit organization.

Taxes? We only need YOUR stinkin' taxes!

[ApplegateRanch]

From the Rev.'s Bio: the groups he is affiliated with

He is a member in the following organizations: NAADAC, Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign, Critical Resistance, Every Church a Peace Church, League of Revolutionaries for a New America, St. Pete. For Peace, Food Not Bombs, Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless, Homeless Legal Defense Fund, Pinellas County Juvenile Justice Council, St. Pete. Task Force on Homelessness, and the St. Petersburg Ministerial Association

When does he have time to preach to, and pastor, his congregation? LOL...I know the answer.

Al Sharptongue & Jesse Jackass share the same "pulpit".

[tioga]

There will be no homeless again when Hillary takes over. ;^)

[ballplayer]

Great for the enviornment

[tenthirteen]

Your reply begs a question....how do you know there was no specific statutory authority?

[mc5cents]

We should eat the homeless.

P.J. thinks otherwise. :))

[spunkets]

"how do you know there was no specific statutory authority?"

The stolen and destroyed property is tents. Notice there were no drug arrests and no claims that the tents were confiscated as fruits of the drug trade. What was claimed was, they did it to get rid of the homeless men.

[Jaysun]

I would have thought it was already pretty well marinated and seasoned. Although I have heard if it's not drinking wine, then you shouldn't use it in cooking.

Some say that, but I believe in using a good vinegar soak to remove some of that wild game taste and rancid urine odor.

[Jaysun]

The Rev. Bruce Wright sounds like he was ordained by the same folks that gave us Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson.