Religious Leaders Denounce Crackdown on Homeless

The Police, they argued, should focus their attention on homicides and other violent crimes – while the $7.8 million could have been used on more effective homeless outreach and social services. While the Newsom Administration has provided supportive housing for thousands of homeless people, they said, it has also cracked down on offenses like camping, sleeping, public urination and panhandling. This does nothing to solve homelessness other than move the “problem” to a different neighborhood.

“I want to emphasize,” said Sister Bernie Galvin of Religious Witness, “that any person – homeless or otherwise – whose behavior poses a genuine threat to the health or safety of other individuals should be dealt with appropriately.” But, she added, the vast majority of homeless people are not a threat – they just have nowhere to sleep. As Richmond Police Officer John Andrews recently told the Chronicle, “90 percent of the homeless don’t cause any problems – 10 percent terrorize the neighborhood.”

Efforts to expand permanent supportive housing are worthy of praise, but that’s only half the story. “We are pursuing two policies simultaneously in opposite directions,” said Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan. “The City is trying to provide housing and care, while simultaneously criminalizing homelessness.” In the past four years, the City has issued 46,684 “quality-of-life” tickets – at a cost of $7.8 million to the City’s taxpayers. This does not get people off the streets and solves homelessness, said Galvin. It just moves the problem to different neighborhoods.

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