SF Examiner's anti-homeless bias

For anyone who might still harbor doubts about the Examiner's anti-homeless bias, here's an object lesson. As an editor, I can understand editing letters for 'brevity and clarity', but this little piece of work shows pretty clearly the Examiner's rather transparent practice of including letters from opposing viewpoints, but editing out anything that might serve to actually educate the public.

That's because the Examiner is in the entertainment/public relations business, and what passes for news in their pages generally has any truth massaged out of it before it hits print. The real story is how arrogant their editorial staff must be to post this sort of stuff online.

peace,

chance martin
COH-SF


http://www.examiner.com/opinion/default.jsp?story=OPletters051302w

Publication date: 05/13/2002
Letters and E-mail

Reform homeless assistance

    I was disappointed to read that Supervisor Newsom has withdrawn his proposal to reform San Francisco's homeless assistance program because of opposition from Supervisor Chris Daly ("Tough day for Supes," The Examiner, April 30).

    Contrary to the mistruths put out about Newsom's plan by the "homeless advocates" here are the facts:

    1) Supervisor Newsom proposes that San Francisco provide most of its assistance to the homeless in the form of in-kind services, not cash -- the current practice in 56 of California's 58 counties.

    2) A study done by the New England Journal of Medicine found that such a system of providing services instead of cash reduces the number of homeless deaths.

    3) On the first and 15th of every month when general assistance checks are disbursed, the drug overdose emergency room visits in San Francisco increase.

    I urge Supervisor Newsom to take his proposal to the ballot and let the voters decide.

E.F. Sullivan
The City


Here is where I reply to try to refute this disinformation point by point (oh yeah, and I kept it within their stated word limit):

Dear Editors,

In the lack of any critical dialogue, someone might read E.F. Sullivan's letter and believe it actually has something to say. If I might respond point by point...

1) Anyone with a working understanding of our local homeless scene can tell you that all of the services Newsom plans to offer in lieu of cash payments don't actually exist yet. Given the City's track record of bloated management, I'm highly skeptical that very much of the savings from cutting single adult welfare payments to $50 monthly will ever actually be applied to creating sufficient capacity in our homeless programs. In fact, one common theme in all of Newsom's proposed legislation is increasing the bureaucratic layer that gobbles most homeless assistance dollars before they can make a difference for any homeless person.

2) Access to services with sufficient capacity for all who need them is what prevents homeless deaths, NOT services instead of cash.

3) I also get paid on the first and the fifteenth of the month. In fact, I'd be willing to wager that MOST working folks get paid on the first and the fifteenth. Citing increased Emergency Room drug mentions for those days and holding homeless people responsible for them is, at best, rather specious.

I urge E.F. Sullivan not to act as such an obvious tool of the local political machine. The real story in Newsom's recent moves against homeless people is Mayor Brown's machine consolidating power before it unravels entirely.

Sincerely,

chance martin
COH-SF


...and here's the letter as it ran. Could the Examiner's editors possibly be more biased in the edit?

http://www.examiner.com/opinion/default.jsp?story=op.letters.0524w
Publication date: 05/24/2002
Letters and E-mail

Don't snag the line
    ON the chance someone might read E.F. Sullivan's letter and believe it, I'd like to make a point. ("Reform homeless assistance," May 13).

    Anyone with a working understanding of our local homeless scene can tell you that all of the services Supervisor Gavin Newsom plans to offer in lieu of cash payments don't exist yet. Given The City's track record of bloated management, I'm highly skeptical that very much of the savings from cutting single adult welfare payments to $50 monthly will ever actually be applied to creating sufficient capacity in our homeless programs.

    Access to services with sufficient capacity for all who need them is what prevents homeless deaths, not services instead of cash.

Chance Martin
The City

--
chance martin, editor
STREET SHEET
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