[Gen.Blather]

When I was a kid in the ‘60’s there were no homeless. You could go anywhere downtown and not be bothered. Then, the ACLU sued during the Carter administration and forced all people being held in mental institutions without their consent to be released; instant homeless problem. The vast majority of the homeless have mental issues that prevent them from being productive members of society. But they can’t be institutionalized unless they’re a danger to themselves or others. Now, the mandated costs of institutionalization make it unlikely anybody will be institutionalized even for the 2 week detox period officials used from the Reagan administration until the present. It just cost too many taxpayer dollars. So, people who are incredibly dangerous simply do damage until they get put into the prison system; where they remain dangerous but temporarily out of action.

The main public library downtown has a full-time armed police guard who patrols every corner of all four floors continuously. There have been rapes, muggings and all manner of assaults. They can’t kick the homeless out until the library closes. The librarians told me they won’t go into some areas without the cop. The homeless pee and poop in the corners. This problem mostly exists because there’s a homeless shelter a block away.

[Steely Tom]

But they can’t be institutionalized unless they’re a danger to themselves or others.

In practice, this statement becomes "but they can't be institutionalized until they kill at least one person."

[Stonewall Jackson]

About two years ago, there was a homeless guy here in E-Town with some mental issues who set fire to a historic log cabin that Thomas Lincoln had helped build, almost gutting it. He was released from jail a few months later after being ruled incompetent to stand trial. Two days later, he attacked a woman in Freeman Lake Park and attempted to rape her right in front of her two young children. Fortunately there were some joggers nearby who came to her rescue.

The guy ended up pleading to the attempted rape charges and got 7-10. If they'd locked him up after he burned down the cabin, this wouldn't have happened.

[sheana]

Well when I was a kid there were homeless, they were called hobos or bums. We lived by a large field that train tracks ran through. They used to camp out in the field at night. Our parents told us ‘stay away’ but when they were not looking we would go out there. They were all very nice to us and would even offer us beans from their pot.
Couldn’t do that today.

[ansel12]

When I was a kid in the ‘60’s there were no homeless. You could go anywhere downtown and not be bothered. Then, the ACLU sued during the Carter administration and forced all people being held in mental institutions without their consent to be released; instant homeless problem.

The law the ACLU was using was a John F. Kennedy law emptying the mental institutions.

[Conservaliberty]

Good heavens, where do you live????
They relieve themselves in the corners? Does the library not have bathrooms?
I don’t understand.

[max americana]

>The main public library downtown has a full-time armed police guard who patrols every corner of all four floors continuously. There have been rapes, muggings and all manner of assaults. They can’t kick the homeless out until the library closes. The librarians told me they won’t go into some areas without the cop. The homeless pee and poop in the corners. This problem mostly exists because there’s a homeless shelter a block away.<

Which library? Our Central library in L.A. is like that. The architecture is comparable to NY’s. When it opens at 10 am, you will find the security guards walking to each of the 9 floors and waking up the bums at 11 am. They take over the couches, the cubicles etc..

It’s a couple of blocks away from Skid Row but located in the financial district. And people will think of me as racist when I say this, they’re all black. Not even mexican..