Heartless, intolerant rightleft-wing enclave orders crackdown on homeless
posted at 4:02 pm on June 14, 2007 by Allahpundit
This is the “good” kind of homeless crackdown, done for altruistic purposes like forcing them to get help for their dependencies and/or mental illness. Not the “bad” kind of homeless crackdown routinely carried out by wingnuts who’d rather not confront the reality of poverty when they’re out and about during the day.
They just happen to look exactly the same in practice.
Berkeley’s City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to pass most of a sweeping plan to clear the streets of aggressive and disruptive behavior…
“This is a tolerant and caring community, but we do have our boundaries,” said Mayor Tom Bates, the legislation’s sponsor. “As a small city, we can never solve the drug and alcohol problems that play out on our streets, but this is one thing we can do.”…
The initiative cracks down on a wide range of behavior that some say make Berkeley’s streets inhospitable to residents and visitors alike. Among the activities that will be banned are smoking near buildings in commercial areas, lying on the sidewalk, public urination and defecation, drinking in public, possessing a shopping cart and shouting in public…
Homeless advocates have fought passionately to stop the initiative, which they say victimizes the city’s most vulnerable residents. The program’s cost, about $2 million a year, would be better spent on housing, they argue.
Blowback
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Well there goes my afternoon!
RightWinged on June 14, 2007 at 4:09 PM
It’s hobo persecution!
RushBaby on June 14, 2007 at 4:10 PM
Oh by the way.. public urination and defecation wasn’t already banned in Berkeley? I’m definitely on board with that ban, but I draw the line when they start trying to take away our shopping carts!
RightWinged on June 14, 2007 at 4:10 PM
Does Goggle Maps show all the public pee pots in Berkley, in case I want to visit there. Wait…I am checking
Why yes Goggle maps does show where you can pee AND poop. Anywhere in the city limits as the city is a shithole.
Wade on June 14, 2007 at 4:13 PM
They
spentwasted $10,000 on a resolution and vote last year to impeach President Bush and look at the progress they’ve made on that!Brat on June 14, 2007 at 4:13 PM
Don’t they mean “residents”. Because…you know…
StoutRepublican on June 14, 2007 at 4:13 PM
Tolerance cannot be limited without being lost. It’s their culture!
Coyote D. on June 14, 2007 at 4:14 PM
Well there goes all those ‘cigarette or a pint’ votes!
Limerick on June 14, 2007 at 4:15 PM
So, no more protests against
the ZionazisIsrael?Laura on June 14, 2007 at 4:15 PM
Trailers for sale or rent
Rooms to let…fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain’t got no cigarettes
Ah, but, two hours of pushin’ broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I’m a man of means by no means
King of the road.
Some things never change….
soulsirkus on June 14, 2007 at 4:16 PM
Yeah, it’s really no different whatsoever. They’re making it illegal to be homeless without living in a shelter.
They can try to spin it though.
Esthier on June 14, 2007 at 4:17 PM
Hypocrisy thy name is Liberal.
TheBigOldDog on June 14, 2007 at 4:18 PM
Possessing a shopping cart is now a crime? Will the city prosecute itself?
rw on June 14, 2007 at 4:19 PM
Hmm … something tells me that they’re going to be giving up an essential element – that je ne sais quoi – of what gives a place like Berkeley its “character.”
Not that the place was ever in danger of making my “A” List of tourist destinations in any event.
Curiously lacking in the story is any indication of where they’ll be sending the hobos …
“Soylent Green is people!”
Spurius Ligustinus on June 14, 2007 at 4:19 PM
Why would homelessness advocates spend months of their own time defending people’s right to urinate and defecate in commercial areas? Talk about misdirected resources.
pedestrian on June 14, 2007 at 4:22 PM
If can’t take a dump on the sidewalk in Berkeley, then the terrorists have won.
Tman on June 14, 2007 at 4:26 PM
That’s because there Hobophobic.
ronsfi on June 14, 2007 at 4:28 PM
they’re…… scuzme
ronsfi on June 14, 2007 at 4:28 PM
Didn’t I just read something about the old hippies at Hate-Ashbury complaining about the new dirty hippies recently too? LOL! Payback. These people are finding they can’t live with the results of their policies.
TheBigOldDog on June 14, 2007 at 4:29 PM
lol
Spirit of 1776 on June 14, 2007 at 4:30 PM
Esthier, couldn’t help myself. Look what you started!
RushBaby on June 14, 2007 at 4:32 PM
hippie = hypocrite
JustTruth101 on June 14, 2007 at 4:33 PM
One thing to understand about Berkeley is that, in contrast to San Francisco, its government is actually less liberal than its citizens. Thus a local news report was accompanied by a man-on-the-street interview in which the interviewee claimed that people visit Berkeley looking for the very “atmosphere” the city government is cracking down on. And, yes, that joke does make itself, so don’t even try to bother….
calbear on June 14, 2007 at 4:34 PM
Allah, can you spare a dime?
Kini on June 14, 2007 at 4:36 PM
Why don’t they let Ace and Goldstein hunt them for fur, food, and fun.
Seems more humane to me.
natesnake on June 14, 2007 at 4:36 PM
Haw! I was waiting for that. Only a heartless, right wing extremist would state such a cruel thing.
Notice they say “commercial” area, not personal. Commercial means business, means corruption, they deserve to be dumped on. Sheesh, what a mean spirited person you are.
/sarc/
BTW, Berkely attracts the brightest of the brightest, with the most liberal and caring professors in the world…can’t they find a solution to their homelessness problem? They aren’t smart enough to resolve this problem? They can’t find work for these vagrants? But this is Berkely, the smartest of the smartest. Where art thou brains?
right2bright on June 14, 2007 at 4:37 PM
So, where is one to grow a tail in public anymore? *Sigh*
Kid from Brooklyn on June 14, 2007 at 4:38 PM
Give them all one-way tickets to Martin Sheen’s house. He’ll know what to do.
Dusty on June 14, 2007 at 4:38 PM
Problem is, 75% of homeless people are either mentally ill or so consumed with addiction, that they’ll never pay attention to these new ordinances.
I hope they have plenty of room in the local jails. They’ll need it.
natesnake on June 14, 2007 at 4:40 PM
Now if only Santa Monica would follow.
Alex K on June 14, 2007 at 4:44 PM
That was my first thought, too. You’re telling me that last week, I could have dropped trou in downtown Berkeley and taken a dump without even getting a ticket?
I may have to look into this whole liberalism thing. You’ve got to admit, it could be fun once in a while. Sort of like preschool, but for adults. No rules at all, and just shit where you like.
Professor Blather on June 14, 2007 at 4:46 PM
As always, we out-lefty California’s most left… Our STATE legislature passed an impeachment resolution! I don’t know what the cost was, but it happened.
RightWinged on June 14, 2007 at 4:46 PM
They voted to impeach the President BEFORE they voted to maybe get people to stop pooping on their sidewalks?
Liberals just live to amuse me, don’t they?
Professor Blather on June 14, 2007 at 4:47 PM
Studies have shown that only about 25% of the homeless population can break the cycle thru rehabilitation and temporary housing. The other 75% are so bad off, that even if you give them their own apartment and food (no cost to them), they will return to live on the streets. Sad really.
natesnake on June 14, 2007 at 4:49 PM
Who would have thought that it would be the City of Berkley to first start using those Halliburton built concentration camps.
BohicaTwentyTwo on June 14, 2007 at 4:52 PM
Personally, I don’t find it any more heartbreaking the news of people with schizophrenia.
The truth is, many people who are homeless choose to be homeless, and much of this is because of mental illness.
Esthier on June 14, 2007 at 5:00 PM
You know, despite the moonbattery, I really like San Francisco. It’s a beautiful city, and lots of fun to visit.
Berkeley? Not so much.
Farmer_Joe on June 14, 2007 at 5:03 PM
Yeah, I got a chuckle out of this one, and posted this on another blog:
Berkeley would be a much nicer little city without homeless people pissing in the stairwells, sleeping in the shop doorways, and puttering around pestering people for spare change. It’s really quite lovely aside from that, although I would not want to live there.
Bob's Kid on June 14, 2007 at 5:09 PM
Don’t use the term Hobo. Hobo is someone who is out of work and looking for it while traveling (traditionally by railroads). On the other hand a tramp is just a lazy homeless jerk.
Tim Burton on June 14, 2007 at 5:13 PM
I thought a tramp was like someone living in
Hollywoodthe LA county jail and suffering a dreadful shortage of panties …Professor Blather on June 14, 2007 at 5:16 PM
Well, yes, liberalism can sometimes be an entertaining mental disorder to observe from afar.
I can just imagine a Taranto-style headline, probably not too far-fetched:
“Bush Still in Office; Homeless Hit Hardest”
Brat on June 14, 2007 at 5:16 PM
Amen to that!
Most likely the lib-lawyers in Berkeley will manage to kill this new set of ordinances.
If they don’t, Santa Monica is where all of these people will be migrating to next. Especially since SM has begun ‘rahabbing’ the homeless by providing some of them with 1-bedroom apartments in nice locations. Sheesh! How long do my roommate and I have to camp in Lincoln Park before the city will upgrade us from our cramped studio to a nice 1-bedroom?
JadeNYU on June 14, 2007 at 5:20 PM
So, this guy will be locked up soon, right?
Gregor on June 14, 2007 at 5:23 PM
Oh, and I wonder if the homeless advocates and Berkeley police are ready for the nuts and bolts of enforcing this new ordinance–what to do with the shopping carts, how to get them there, where to take the people when they get arrested, etc. It’s going to be a mess. I guess they could follow the university’s lead, as they have a zero-tolerance policy on homeless people on campus…you seldom see them within the confines of Bancroft, Oxford, Hearst, and Piedmont.
Except for the loonies guarding the oak grove up by the Greek, that is…they’re still there. It’s like stepping back in time to the 70s.
Bob's Kid on June 14, 2007 at 5:23 PM
So, what did anyone expect from the NIMBY crowd?
They support the homeless… but maybe they could be homeless somewhere else.
NIMBY
gekkobear on June 14, 2007 at 5:27 PM
Anyone who’s ever lived in an urban enviroment in a big city loses compassion for the homeless real fast. They’re extremely aggressive in their pan-handling, and will curse you out if you don’t give them money.
bmac on June 14, 2007 at 5:37 PM
Damn. No more defecating IN shopping carts for me. Check Berkely off the list. Crap.
robblefarian on June 14, 2007 at 5:37 PM
These aren’t bums defecating and urinating on the streets of Bezerkely, they’re the advanced guard of Multiculturalism.
Defecating on the sidewalk, in some cultures, is considered the ultimate compliment.
And urination is sssssssimplytheir way of saying “This spot is truly golden“.
(And, from the artistic point of view, could be considered as a liquid hommage to the Golden Gate Bridge, in the tradition of “P*ss Christ”, etc..)
Berkeley should actually be setting up freewheeling, no-credit Cross-Cultural Studies programs to learn how to understand these puzzling plein air behaviors, not supressing them with their Jackbirkenstocked Thug laws!
profitsbeard on June 14, 2007 at 5:51 PM
Oh, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find a D-Cal course offered along those lines. My son signed up for one a couple of years ago but couldn’t stomach it and dropped it.
Bob's Kid on June 14, 2007 at 5:57 PM
pedestrian: “Why would homelessness advocates spend months of their own time defending people’s right to urinate and defecate in commercial areas?”
To defend freedom of speech! Sheesh, pedestrian. Do I have to explain EVERYTHING to you? Taking a crap on the sidewalk in front of a place of business sends a vital message to The Man about capitalism and its degrading effects on the human soul. You might say that a Berkeley hypocrite is an ex-hippie who stepped in somebody’s free speech.
Esthier: “The truth is, many people who are homeless choose to be homeless, and much of this is because of mental illness.”
Only a small fraction of the homeless are mentally ill. Most of the street people, ie bums, are alcoholics, while a very large percentage are drug addicts. That’s why they’re on the street while so many homeless shelters have empty beds. The shelters don’t let them drink and do drugs, which is the raison d’etre for bums. They are so dedicated to their addictions that the police have to arrest them during cold snaps lest they freeze to death in their inebriated or narcotized state.
You’ll never see that mentioned on the news though, because that would imply that street bums are responsible for their own predicament, not Bush. Periodically, you’ll see a news story about the latest push to get people off the street, with the reporter standing in front of a mission. They’ll dance around the issue of why the street drunks and addicts don’t voluntarily come into the shelters to get out of the weather.
The truth is that it can be freezing outside and a street drunk will trade his coat and gloves, donated by some well-meaning church, for a bottle of liquor and not give a damn if it kills him.
Tantor on June 14, 2007 at 6:04 PM
Tantor-
In wino veritas.
profitsbeard on June 14, 2007 at 6:13 PM
Cruel heartless thugs! This is injustice!
Good Lt on June 14, 2007 at 6:19 PM
I was flipping through the channels a while back and a particular episode of Oprah caught my attention. Note, that I am usually at work during the day and do NOT normally watch this show:) . Anyway, it was about this great experiment of taking a street bum and giving him $100,000 so that he could better his life. Anyone wanna guess how well that worked? My husband and I were laughing our butts off at the idea that someone thought throwing money at a lazy bum would inspire him to get a job and place to live. Yeah, right.
wytammic on June 14, 2007 at 6:28 PM
My vote for post of the day
That’s because there Hobophobic.
ronsfi on June 14, 2007 at 4:28 PM
Buzzy on June 14, 2007 at 6:28 PM
You can’t make this stuff up! Liberals are always good for a laugh if nothing else.
SouthernGent on June 14, 2007 at 6:42 PM
Er, well, for starters, could you please point-out which ones are Cal’s professors and which ones are the insane, homeless bums. They pretty much all look alike to me.
My collie says:
CyberCipher on June 14, 2007 at 6:49 PM
When are they going to make it illegal for wrinkly old anarchist dudes to show off their inflated scrotums (or other disgusting body parts)?
(See zombietime.com’s Berkeley pics – site doesn’t seem to be responding right now).
John from WuzzaDem on June 14, 2007 at 8:07 PM
wow. outlawin’ poopin’ onna sidewalk. Radical, man.
Claire on June 14, 2007 at 8:24 PM
I thought it was the radical liberalism that made the city inhospitable. And how dare they use such an humiliating term as “homeless”. These people are simply residence-challenged.
thedecider on June 14, 2007 at 9:25 PM
Hobos? Homeless? Whatever happened to “alternative lifestyles”?
JimC on June 14, 2007 at 10:17 PM
change…. spare any change….. any change….. alright, God Bless…
reaganaut on June 14, 2007 at 11:35 PM
What kind of fascist business is this? No pooing on sidewalks, no peeing on buildings??
hollygolightly on June 14, 2007 at 11:38 PM
HAHAHAHA!!!! Yeah…
I loved when he got to go to DC to see the signing of the Pork reform bill, and he asked us morons to go light with the hobo killing jokes.
Bad Candy on June 14, 2007 at 11:39 PM
Referring to Ace at 1139.
Bad Candy on June 14, 2007 at 11:39 PM
Why don’t they send them to Mexico to do the jobs Mexicans don’t want to do?
pedestrian on June 15, 2007 at 12:37 AM
Hey – bums, hobos, tramps, or whatever you pedestrian poopers prefer to be called. I’ve got a helpful hint for you.
So you like crapping on the sidewalk, huh? But you’re concerned about this new fascist liberal attempt to criminalize your outdoor public potty habits?
There’s one guaranteed way around the law. It’ll work every time. Ready for it?
All you have to do … is make sure you’re aiming for an American flag. Keep it in your cart, take out when its time do your business.
Rest assured that nobody in Berkeley will bother you. I promise.
You’re welcome, homeless hippies!**
** Please note: while the management is happy to provide 100% guarantee that if you follow our patented crapping on the flag strategy, you won’t be arrested, fined, or harassed by law enforcement in Berkeley. HOWEVER, the management is not responsible for the consequences should any sailor, soldier, airman, or By God United States Marine happens to observe you taking advantage of our helpful hints. Consider yourself warned. Have a nice freaking day.
Professor Blather on June 15, 2007 at 1:18 AM
The politically correct homosexually oriented People’s Republic of Berkley shows more of it’s true colors with this initiative. Stalin would be right at home in that neighborhood.
If we are really lucky Berkley will continue to lean further and further to left until it finally falls into the ocean off the left coast.
omegaram on June 15, 2007 at 2:32 AM
They could tell the Berkeley police they are just into scat, and that arresting them is sexual oppression …
Kristopher on June 15, 2007 at 11:35 AM