Homeless for a night: Berkeley mayor sleeps with city's down-and-out

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 4/24/03 | Charles Burress

[MikalM]

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates' night with the homeless Tuesday was an eye- opener -- in more ways than one.

He not only saw the suffering of those without a home, but he also had his eyes opened by a police officer.

[MikalM]

[Sir Gawain]

There shouldn't be any poor people in a socialist utopia.

[Psycho_Bunny]

....This is.....so....incredibly shallow.

Liberals are pathetic.

[quark]

Who's the guy wearing the silk tie? Not bad for a bum, err...hobo, err...homeless person, err...downtrodden victim of capitalism.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Did he eat out of a dumpster or sell a pint of blood?

[TRY ONE]

...Another Liberal trying to spread misery around.

..Now that he knows what it feels like to be homeless,the people should let him know what it feels like to lose one's job....come next election.....

[MikalM]

Who's the guy wearing the silk tie?

Probably a reporter. This stunt attracted a lot of local media attention.

[MikalM]

Personally, I think that he should next pick a homeless person at random, and let him/her serve one day as Mayor or Berkeley, complete with all the power and perks.

[octobersky]

I wonder if he will use his experiences as ammunition to raise taxes (as if they aren't high enough).

[VA_Gentleman]

If he really cared about the homeless, he would have invited them all to stay in his house.

[onedoug]

This bum, uh...mayor...in fact everyone, should read Alexis de Toqueville's Memoir On Pauperism, circa 1840.

[i_dont_chat]

He's wearing a silk tie AND a pager on his belt.

Not a homeless person, I'd beat that. Just someone who happened up on the scene. NOT

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Read the article - these people are homeless by choice. They include a "former" carperter and "former" nurse.

So their significant other or loved one died - DEAL WITH IT AND MOVE ON LIKE FRICKING EVERYONE ELSE

[NEWwoman]

I'm sure the Mayor feels real good about himself for doing this. But the real question is - How has this stunt really helped the homeless?

Another thing. I noticed that the people that really helped the homeless in the article where Christian churches - free breakfast at Berkeley's Trinity Methodist Church, lunch at McGee Avenue Baptist Church, etc.

Hmmm...

[ClearCase_guy]

I sure look back fondly at that wonderful period Jan 1993 to Jan 2001 when the US had no homeless at all and the media had to find other things to write about.

[NEWwoman]

Alexis de Toqueville's Memoir On Pauperism

Thanks for the literary tip.

[Taft in '52]

"I ain't got no home..."

--Clarence "Frogman" Henry