• asteriskeverything@lemmy.world
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    22 days ago

    As someone who has had to confront homeless people with questionable mental health and/or sobriety; it’s fucking hard. You want a safe space for them but then quickly that space becomes unsafe for everyone around. But also… it isn’t hard just fucking talk to them. I have many times Don’t stop being smart but stop being afraid. Fear of the other breeds so much hate and misery

    Oh if it isn’t obvious I support benches in public spaces and heavily condemn anti-houseless architecture/city planning

    • Dr. Moose@lemmy.world
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      23 days ago

      We have the solution and it’s not very hard. Have social workers maintain these areas. It’s really not that expensive, employs people, builds important social vibe and allows you to have your benches.

      It’s a solved problem.

      • The Menemen!@lemmy.world
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        23 days ago

        Social workers in the area and neighbourhood police would defintly help and do more good than anti-homeless desasters. But I don’t think it solves the drug , alcohol and mental-health neglect problem. There has to be more societal work done for that, you won’t solve that in situ.

        • uis@lemm.ee
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          23 days ago

          neighbourhood police

          The day when USSA reinvents USR Militsiya is near.

    • LANIK2000@lemmy.world
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      23 days ago

      Bruh, these people will sleep anywhere. The floor of a place with a roof, walls and heating is a fucking dream, even if the places doesn’t have benches. This is just borderline hostility towards regular people using public transit.

    • Jimmycrackcrack@lemmy.ml
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      22 days ago

      Hey so you know, “condone” is to allow or accept a practice otherwise considered bad or unacceptable which I think is not what you meant here. It sounds like you want to say something like “condemn anti-houseless architecture/city planning” unless I’ve misinterpreted your meaning.

    • mhague@lemmy.world
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      23 days ago

      In months of being homeless and staying at a shelter I really got into it 3 times. Was almost hit by drivers 30+ times. I can’t even figure out how to be legitimately angry at homeless people when, for example, there are cars on the road. Being hit and pushed into the road by a dumb bitch on her phone is 100x worse than a screaming match.

      I just don’t care about “soft” people who have it tough because they need to deal with homeless people occasionally.

      Examples: Using crosswalk by bus station when a young woman drives nearly into me, looks up from her phone, no indication of humanity - just staring blankly.

      I flipped off / called cops stupid motherfuckers for stopping in the crosswalk forcing me into the main road (I’ve been nearly hit multiple times walking behind a car in the blind spot.)

      I’ve kicked cars that have cut me off. I’ll be using a crosswalk and people who drive seem to be too stupid to make a left and look for people walking. Luckily I never spun myself.

      I’ve dented multiple hoods by slamming my fist into cars / trucks as they fly up the inside and skid into the crosswalk.

      I’ve knocked people’s mirrors, although sadly it’s hard to break them as they just fold, so you have to really slam them.

      This is just traffic. One of the worst things when you’re homeless, but it’s not the only thing.

      It’s just so much worse dealing with “normal” people. The system turns us into fucking heartless monsters. A homeless person is much less of a negative force on the world. It’s you, it’s me who are trash. We’re hurting them way more.

      Edit: one time I was out early and stepped into the street with a thud. A man across the street gets pissed for stepping on his shoe. Screaming, possibility of a fight… that’s what I got from homeless / drug addicts. Much less depressing, degrading, etc. than when you’re forced to interact with the homeful.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    23 days ago

    Just for transparency’s sake before I go into this, my wife is second from the top at the library.

    The library here really did have to remove benches outside in a couple of places (in part) because of homeless people. Not because they were sleeping on them, there are other places outside the library where the homeless can sleep and the library does what it can to help the local homeless community.

    Unfortunately, some (far, far from most) of the local homeless around the library were either very publicly using drugs or getting so fucked up on those drugs (or possibly just having a really bad mental illness episode) that they were harassing people and scaring kids. So when it came time to replace all of the benches since they got too old, they decided that they would not replace some of them.

    There was definitely a big outcry about how the library was being anti-homeless, but it was nuts because there were people on the other side still complaining about how the library always stinks because they let the homeless people in there. I may be biased because of my wife, but I’m also a regular patron and I’m pretty much on their side on this one. It was becoming a huge issue and they really didn’t want to keep getting the cops involved because they rightfully don’t trust what the cops might do with the homeless and only end up calling them as a last resort.

    Society has absolutely failed those people though. There is no question about that. But at some point, the library had to draw a line at how accommodating they could be.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      23 days ago

      the local homeless around the library were either very publicly using drugs

      Biggest drug dealers in America - the Sackler family - weren’t worth our time to punish. So some guy who washed out on Percocets and can only afford Fentanyl shouldn’t have a place to sit.

      There was definitely a big outcry about how the library was being anti-homeless, but it was nuts because there were people on the other side still complaining about how the library always stinks because they let the homeless people in there.

      In America you have two options -

      1. pretend homelessness and addiction aren’t happening
      2. destroy public property in a scorched earth campaign against drug use

      The very idea of housing, treatment, and rehabilitation is too socialist to consider.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        23 days ago

        Biggest drug dealers in America - the Sackler family - weren’t worth our time to punish. So some guy who washed out on Percocets and can only afford Fentanyl shouldn’t have a place to sit.

        I didn’t say being publicly intoxicated, I said publicly using drugs. As in they were shooting up while kids were being taken to storytime past them on the way to the library.

        The library allows homeless people to be inside it from open to close. They give them free internet. They give them free help filling out necessary government forms. They hang around just to chat. They allow homeless people to sleep outside all around the building. They are literally building a shower and a washer/dryer facility in the new auxiliary library free for anyone to use.

        In America, your local public library does more to help homeless people than anything you have probably done yourself, but I guess since they haven’t personally solved the problem, they’re the worst of the oppressors.

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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          23 days ago

          I didn’t say being publicly intoxicated, I said publicly using drugs. As in they were shooting up while kids were being taken to storytime past them on the way to the library.

          We have a solution for this as well.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supervised_injection_site

          Proven highly effective for reducing crime, mitigating the need for emergency response, curtailing disease spread, and channeling addicts to rehabilitation clinics

          But because it comes off as permissive and benevolent, rather than punitive and prohibitionary it remains Haram in much of the US.

          In America, your local public library does more to help homeless people than anything you have probably done yourself

          It’s a public service staffed with dozens of people. Of course a single person isn’t going to do more in spare time than a team of people doing the work professionally.

          But that doesn’t excuse the rest of the state for tearing out local infrastructure as a means of tormenting the homeless.

          “I did two good things so I have permission to do one bad thing” isn’t sounds public policy.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            23 days ago

            From my initial post:

            Society has absolutely failed those people though. There is no question about that. But at some point, the library had to draw a line at how accommodating they could be.

    • deaf_fish@lemm.ee
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      23 days ago

      One homeless person decides to do drugs in front of the library. I guess we have to remove all the benches and make everything very inconvenient for everyone.

      The one person does a thing so we have to take it away rule doesn’t apply to people with houses.

      “Oh look somebody stabbed somebody to death with a knife. We better take all the knives away from everyone.” This would never happen.

      What if a homemed person did drugs in the library (which probably happened statistically)? Would you close up the library?

      I guess I’m just saying this because you feel like the act was some how moral, I’m telling you it’s not. That’s okay, real life can be tricky, but don’t kid yourself, removing those benches is anti-homeless behavior.

      You don’t have to take the blame personally for it, just own it. But if you don’t admit that you’re part of the problem, then that’s pretty bad.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        23 days ago

        One homeless person decides to do drugs in front of the library. I guess we have to remove all the benches and make everything very inconvenient for everyone.

        That is not even close to what happened. Why are you just making shit up? Also, see my replies to others about how the library you hate is doing much more than you personally could ever possibly do to help the homeless.

        • deaf_fish@lemm.ee
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          23 days ago

          What do you mean, “See my replies”? Do you think people get paid to post on here? If you had something you wanted to add, add it to your initial comment. I don’t have all day.

          Sorry my dude, doing a bunch of other stuff for homeless, doesn’t absolve you of anything. You do good stuff for homeless, great! Plus 20 points to Gryffindor. You take away benches, not great. - one point to Gryffindor.

          I’m sorry my dude you got to deal with the negative one and why you got it.

          Again, this doesn’t make you a bad person to remove benches, what makes you a bad person is doing s*** like pretending you’re not part of the problem. It’s fine. I’m part of the problem too. The problem is systemic.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            23 days ago

            Okay, well since you’re lazy, I’ll help you:

            The library allows homeless people to be inside it from open to close. They give them free internet. They give them free help filling out necessary government forms. They hang around just to chat. They allow homeless people to sleep outside all around the building. They are literally building a shower and a washer/dryer facility in the new auxiliary library free for anyone to use.

            In America, your local public library does more to help homeless people than anything you have probably done yourself, but I guess since they haven’t personally solved the problem, they’re the worst of the oppressors.

            And:

            As I told someone else- homeless people can be in the library from open to close. They can sleep on library property. They have free access to all library services including free internet, help accessing all kinds of government aid, and just having someone to talk to them if they’re lonely. In another branch, the library is putting in a shower and a washer/dryer for anyone to use for free.

            But yes, they took away a few benches because of problem people rather than calling the cops.

            Not that it will help, since I didn’t remove anything. I made it clear from the top that my wife is the one work works at this library. You’re not only too lazy to read other people’s responses, you’re too lazy to read what you’re responding to.

            But please prove me wrong and tell me how you’ve done so much more for the homeless than this and other public libraries. Go for it.

            • deaf_fish@lemm.ee
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              23 days ago

              I’m surprised that someone who has a wife who’s done so much for homeless doesn’t understand the very basic point I’m trying to make.

              Your wife doesn’t absolve herself of removing benches by doing a million things for the homeless. It doesn’t work that way. It has never worked that way. And it will never work that way.

              Pretending that it does, does not help homelessness. It hurts it big time. It hurts homelessness way more than removing benches. Because you are pretending that you can take anything away from them as long as you make up for it in other ways. By your metric not by theirs.

              Also I never said I did a lot for homeless people. I think I volunteered at a food bank once. But I never took anything away from them. But I am still part of the problem like everyone else is.

              Apparently except for you, You’re a special birthday boy who has a wife that does a lot of stuff for homeless people.

                • deaf_fish@lemm.ee
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                  23 days ago

                  I read it all, I only responded to the parts that I felt were worth responding to. The rest was hot garbage from somebody who’s a special birthday boy.

          • jj4211@lemmy.world
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            23 days ago

            I think any fair interpretation of his info is that the homeless are given all sorts of reasonable accommodations even at that library including places to sit and rest, but they still sometimes elected to use an inappropriate space even while being given a choice.

            Like if you built a whole guest house in your yard open to homeless and they leave it empty and break into your living room instead. You wouldn’t be anti homeless because you wanted them in the well equipped shelter with beds and sofas instead of your couch.

            • deaf_fish@lemm.ee
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              23 days ago

              I think you’ve missed my point. I am not pro let homeless do whatever they want. I never claim to be that.

              I am pro, if you take benches away from everyone because of a homeless person. You should own that.

              It doesn’t make anyone a bad person, because everyone takes away stuff from homeless people. It’s a systemic problem.

              But if you pretend that you had no choice, or that it was the right thing to do, then you’re full of shit.

              It’s like if a politician gets caught insider trading. Yeah, everyone does it. Does that mean it’s a good idea to stand up and say “I had no choice”? No you stand up and say " I did it, everyone does it, it’s not right. It makes us a lot of money. Let’s have a conversation about it."

    • dustyData@lemmy.world
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      23 days ago

      You seem to assume that any logic or reason was used in the decision making that led to this action. But I assure you, as soon as racism, classism, or any other form of bigotry enters the process, any reason left jumps out of the window.

  • LANIK2000@lemmy.world
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    23 days ago

    Right, because homeless people won’t just sleep on the floor. Bitch they’ll sleep anywhere with a roof where they won’t be bothered, let alone a place with walls and basic heating/AC. Filthy liars! Why the fuck is America so hostile towards its citizens and why do they just take it?

    • pyre@lemmy.world
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      23 days ago

      where they won’t be bothered

      so you’re saying we need to employ people to specifically bother them. thanks for your suggestion, and please feel free to use our suggestion box if you have more ideas.

      • LANIK2000@lemmy.world
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        23 days ago

        Not what I said. That is a logical extrapolation of a measure that would actually target the homeless as opposed to public transit users. An extrapolation you made. Don’t strawman me you dishonest asshat!

        The best way to fight homeless people is always to prevent their growth, aka making livable/affordable cities. Look at the Netherlands or nordic countries for referee (as almost fucking always…).

        Tho that’s not what my comment was about, I was just pointing out that this shit clearly targets the average transit user, while barely affecting the homeless. It’s unprovoked hostility for no rhyme or reason! People should be fined or lose jobs for this!

        • IDrawPoorly@lemm.ee
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          23 days ago

          His argument is still applicable as if it were posted today.

          Yours that it’s ragebait implies (because ragebait implies that it’s based off a lie or something that no longer applies) doesn’t. It’s not “still” and wasn’t.

          • JargonWagon@lemmy.world
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            23 days ago

            Rage bait doesn’t imply it’s a lie, it’s attempting to get others to engage by inciting anger. Not to mention that even if it did imply a lie, why did they blur the dates out? To make you think this was a recent change? Still falls in line with your definition of rage bait misleading you. It definitely was and still is rage bait.

  • flames5123@lemmy.world
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    23 days ago

    My local Fred Meyer starting doing some hostile shit recently. For one, they have AI in the self checkout cameras that watches you to make sure you don’t place anything from the cart to the bagging area without scanning. Which includes bags that I brought from home… My wife turned around and bumped her butt on it, and it gave an alarm that it wasn’t scanned.

    They recently added railing from the checkouts to the exit, which would be fine if the liquor section didn’t have a fast checkout in the middle of the store. I just slip through the bars with my receipt, and the guy at the door says nothing and just quickly marks your receipt without reading anything.

    It’s such an inconvenience for saving a few dollars of stollen food. It’s ridiculous.

  • Pacattack57@lemmy.world
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    23 days ago

    If I were an evil engineer I’d make retractable benches built into the walls that cost money to pull out. If I were a public official I’d have a subscription package for $60/yr that lets you use all the benches in the city. Must have a valid drivers license to purchase.

    • Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee
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      23 days ago

      I would let anyone extend the bench but if the systems detects the user doesn’t have a valid subscription it folds back into the wall compressing the person into a chunky soup.

      I would name these benches after our favorite economic model - the meat grinder.

  • raynethackery@lemmy.world
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    23 days ago

    Isn’t this some sort of violation of the ADA? I imagine some people need to be able to sit down for disability reasons. Someone should file suit against the MTA and the city.

  • Ephera@lemmy.ml
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    23 days ago

    Damn, if I were the social media person of what’s presumably the responsible subway org, I’d also say it like it is. It’s not your decision anyways. But actually reading it put so bluntly, is still wild to me.