F*ck the homeless: New T-shirts all the rage in Tulsa

[prolesunited]

Tulsa Killing Sparks War Against Homeless
By CLAYTON BELLAMY

TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A homeless man's fatal beating of a brass-knuckle-wielding bar owner has triggered something approaching a war against Tulsa's homeless population.

T-shirts around town blast homeless people with a four-letter word, and some people are warning of vigilante justice. Downtown bar owners have stapled wanted posters to telephone poles with a picture of Terry Badgewell, the man who used a length of pipe to kill Deadtown Tavern owner Shawn Howard.

A prosecutor said the killing was self defense and refused to file charges, but the victim's family is gathering thousands of signatures on a petition to force a grand jury investigation.
<snip>

Martin said the decision would spur Tulsans to take vigilante justice against the city's many homeless, who comprise the vast majority of downtown residents after dark. Estimates on the number of homeless in Tulsa at any given time range from 700 to 1,500 in a city of nearly 400,000.

``It's actions like the sort of inaction that's being taken that leads people to chase bums around the back of buildings in downtown Tulsa,'' Martin said.
http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?oldflok=FF-APO-1110&idq=/ff/story/0001%2F20040817%2F1435571518.htm&sc=1110&flok=NW_5-L1

So, do you think the homeless guy should be charged?
Did the bar owner have the right to violently confront him?
What do you think will happen in Tulsa? Are some homeless people going to get killed?
What should we do about the homeless in our country?
Is it their fault they are homeless?

[PretzelWarrior]

1. well I say: F*CK the Bar Owners.

Nothing against people who run nice little brew pubs, but those guys who run dives mainly making money from the constantly drunk and the underaged really make me sick.

No one should have to die like that but if a guy goes looking for a fight, can the other guy help it if he merely obliges him?

[dakine]

From what I see around...

it usually is their choice to be bums...but the barguy has no right beating them..

[prolesunited]

3. You think people choose

to be homeless? Care to elaborate or cite any relative data?

[rkc3]

9. Perhaps there's some sarcasm coming from dakine.

[shrike]

76. Judging from Dakine's earlier posts, he/she is not being sarcastic

[prolesunited]

81. And here lies poor Dakine

who disrupted so poorly. :nopity:

[AngryOldDem]

89. No, He's Not Being Sarcastic

As someone who works with the homeless, I've heard that question before, and there's no point in trying to answer. If they ask such a question, it's obvious their minds are closed up tight.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

"not shamed into doing what is right..."

Um...um...um...

I think your post is somewhat off the mark.

[skypilot]

Enjoy your stay.

*

[annabanana]

23. and what, exactly, is "right"?

[dakine]

26. What happened?...

...

[PretzelWarrior]

4. just do a correlation graph of number of homeless and cuts to psychiatric

hospitals and mental health care under Reagan and since then.

There was virtually no homeless problem before the Reagan years. Not like it is today. When you combine cuts in job training, HUD, mental health, and other programs, it isn't hard to see why so many debilitated people are out wandering the streets.

Oh..and I've also seen plenty of examples of people down on their luck and homeless pulling back out of that abyss.

Quite a few neglected Vietnam vets in that homeless number. Can you imagine some rich punk who had everything given to him wearing a shirt saying "F*ck the Homelss" as he strolls past a few guys who risked life and limb in the jungle when duty called?

[AntiCoup2K4]

31. "Can you imagine some rich punk who had everything given to him...."

Yes I can imagine such a person. Unfortunately, he's the current occupant of the White House :grr:

[ret5hd]

5. yeah, mental illness/retardation, joblessness, lack of social services...

are their own fault.

[Lindacooks]

6. Bringing back that tired old line, huh?

One of Reagan's stupidest lines (and that's saying a lot).

And BTW, how terribly CHRISTIAN of you.

[Caution]

15. if you "see" this around I suggest you

take a second look or maybe open your eyes because you are dead wrong about the homeless "choosing" their fate.

Put yourself in their position.

how do you get out of being homeless?

Get a job? Ever fill out a job application? They typically ask where you live. Would you hire a person who put down a shelter? Or an alley? Most employers wont because they think the homeless are criminals. Additionally, one generally has to be presentable at work. Most of the homeless do a pretty damned good job of keeping themselves clean and presentable, but it is difficult to keep more than one of two changes of clothing without a home, and difficult to keep these clean without a home. Showering is available when you can get into a shelter (sometimes) but most shelters are completely overwhelmed.

Get a place to live?
Where? Would you rent an apartment to a homeless person? neither will most landlords. most require references, information about work, some even do background checks on prospective tenants. Ever tried to afford an apartment on the type of work the homeless are likely to get?

You do realize that you would be hard pressed to identify most of the homeless you see every day? You only notice those who are obviously homeless and typically these people tend to have serious mental illnesses. The majority of those who are homeless work very hard to avoid appearing to be a "bum" as detailed above.

Don't talk out of your ass if you don't wish to look like an ass

[Wheelie_Alex]

51. Speaking only for myself, it IS possible.

I was broke and homeless three years ago. Worked my way past it and now own two small businesses. It IS possible, but every situation is different and trying to impose my own standard and circumstances on anyone else would not be fair.

I had marketable skills (motorcycle and computer repair)and the gift of gab and was able to talk myself into a small corner of a gas station to sleep at night.

Some people have no marketable skills or skills that are in demand. Not so easy. Also when it is a woman with kids, where will the kids be while she is at work? It is not easy to break free.

[tandot]

27. WOW...totally ill-informed and lacking empathy...

That is a comment I'd expect to read on freerepublic.

Here is a link:

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/causes.html

[NightTrain]

77. I hope you're kidding!

If not, you probably also think that my late mother "chose" to be mentally ill.

[laylah]

78. "it usually is their choice to be bums"...

NOBODY chooses to be homeless! Furthermore, the majority are mentally ill, single moms and their children, and veterans, and the elderly...either you are young and naive or uninformed! "There for but the grace of God go I"....:mad:

Jenn

[LynzM]

2. Yeah, 'cause that's a great way to solve the problem

They're in our way, let's kill 'em all. That makes me sick. How about doing something to help get people jobs/help/rehab/whatever it is they need to get off the street? Yeesh.

[Caution]

7. If a prosecutor declines to press charges against a homeless man

I'm very much inclined to take his word for it that the evidence pointed to self-defense. Most prosecutor's will jump at a potential murder trial and there isnt a lot of sympathy for the homeless. I feel badly for the guy who was killed but it's pretty hard to have a lot of sympathy for someone who attacked a homeless person with brass knuckles for sleeping in a warehouse stairwell that isn't even his.

so in answer to your questions:
1.) No
2.) No
3.) Knee-jerk reaction ending in the death of at least one homeless person and the eventual conviction for murder of one vigilante idiot
4.) Provide them a home
5.) Too situational to answer, but in general no, it's an almost impossible cycle to break out of. Once you are homeless, how do you get out? Who will hire and trust a homeless person? Where does that person shower, change clothing, store clothing? How do they save enough money to get an apartment? How do they find an apartment when most places require references and an application?

[Baja Margie]

24. This is pretty bad,

I agree with Caution's reply. Who or what said that a Country's greatness should be determined upon how it takes care of it's people ? Our Country simply does not, what is the matter with us? Something is deeply wrong.

I hope, for all our sakes, that we will reach a turning point after this election and really change our spirit and actions to the degree that even considering the homeless, the minorities, the women, the environment as second rate citizens and causes is repellant.


Margie
xxxooo

[atreides1]

8. You See

Tulsa is just one of the many Xtian cities in the US, they were just first with a t-shirt.

So a homeless man kills a bar owner in self defense, and some of the good people of Tulsa want to crucify all of the homeless. I bet if it had been the other way around the bar tender would be a hero, and everybody would be saying that he was defending himself.

If the prosecutor said that the homeless man had a right under Oklahoma law to defend himself, then the dead mans family should get the law changed.

This altercation took place outside of the bar, the homeless guy wasn't doing anything but trying to find a place to sleep.

What will happen in Tulsa, will happen.

Maybe the Republicans should start practicing some of that xtian love they claim to have for their fellow man.

Reagan said that most homeless people are that way by choice, maybe he was right.(sarcasm).

[UdoKier]

10. I don't know the circumstances of what happened.

It seems as though the homeless guy was trying to protect himself, but why was the bar owner attacking him? Without more details, it's hard to say, but it sounds like the bartender was looking for trouble, and brass knuckles are not normal apparel. I believe they are illegal most places.

So, do you think the homeless guy should be charged?
It should be investigated. If he was defending himself, NO.

Did the bar owner have the right to violently confront him?
Not for just sleeping on the street. If there is more to the story, maybe.

What do you think will happen in Tulsa? Are some homeless people going to get killed?
Let's hope not. Christians have killed wioth their mob mentality, and they will again, and Tulsa is a very christian town. Maybe Bartcop can calm things down...

What should we do about the homeless in our country?
Build barracks to house every single one of them. Create public works jobs to employ those who can work at a subsistence wage. Treat those who are addicted or mentally ill. Is this supposed to be a hard question?

Is it their fault they are homeless?
Sometimes, yes, sometimes no. But a better question is "Do they want to be homeless" A majority do not, and they should be helped. Those who simply do not want to participate in our society in the usual way should be left alone so long as they don't molest others.

[ret5hd]

11. tulsa is my hometown...

i fought since i was a teenager to get out of that stagnant pisshole. this backwards attitude reminds me why the only reason i return is to visit my parents.

cops that like to beat on kids and prey on teenage girls, more baptist/pentecostal/catholic churches than you can count in that oversized small town, and that's the best solution they can come up with.

but hey, what do you expect from a town that tried to kill every black in city limits in the '20s?

[PatriotGames]

12. Replace the word "homeless" with "black", it's the same mentality...

that people have. So all homeless are evil?

[Kanary]

20. or "Irish" in another generation

What are we doing in our country to breed people who have such a huge need to find someone to look down on?

Kanary

[PatriotGames]

22. People always need someone to piss on, I guess...

[Kanary]

87. Welllll, I don't think it's a "need"

Throughout history, there have been, of course, incidences of people being very ugly to others. But, there was also a lot of awareness that humans needed each other, and depended on each other, too.

In the 60's, there was a lot of progress in people developing to the point of much more awareness of the greatness in the heritages of others, and a desire to come together, and to help those in need.

I think we've been victim of a RW campaign to appeal to the lowest part of our nature, and they have succeeded.

Kanary

[MidwestTransplant]

13. Ahhh got to love the bible belt.

[Jon8503]

14. Typical Oklahoma Stance

Too many rightwingers down there.

[spanone]

16. Compassionate conservatives.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

17. Oklahoma or should I say "OKKKlahoma" is the land....

of Toby KKKEITH, so what did you expect. I would suggest that we make Oklahoma the offical septic tank of America and put our garbage in that SHAME OF A STATE!

[GreenArrow]

47. also the land of Woody Guthrie

and Will Rogers.

[SemperEadem]

19. what a fine city Tulsa is...

that's "a slut" spelled backwards..

[tom_paine]

21. The Dark Heart of Imperial Amerika is rising to the fore

blotting out a considerably More Decent Heart that existed during the Height of the Old American Republic.

The only part of Trickle-Down that works is Trickle-Down Cruelty, Immorality, and Nazi-like tendencies.

Things like this will ecome even more common yet still.

Imperial Amerika is nowhere NEAR finished transforming.

Can we stop it? Can we save Old America?

I don't know. I just don't know...

[DaveFL99]

25. I know we had that recent unpleasantness about a few states wanting

to secede but could we kick one out ?

[Butterflyeffect]

28. In my city

there are many homeless just as healthy as I am who choose to beg for money rather than work. There are many jobs in the paper for them to have.I promise. Not saying that is the way it is in this story. Not wanting to get flamed either. If the homeless man in question did beat someone with a pipe then I can surely understand some sort of prejudice. Prosecutors are payed to say it was self defense. That is what they do.

[DaveFL99]

32. "Prosecutors are payed to say it was self defense. That is what they do."

*hack*gag*gurgle*

[bossfish]

33. What do you mean?

" Prosecutors are payed to say it was self defense. That is what they do."

I don't get it.

And have you assessed the homeless folks' mental health? They may be unemployable for a variety of issues.

[DrWeird]

35. Ah, pro-Star Wars, anti-homeless. I'm just shocked.

[Name removed]

62. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DrWeird]

71. Yeah, I'm pretty simple-minded.

I even spell pedistal with two "e's"

[Fleshdancer]

36. THIS homeless man was hit first...in the face by a man with brass knuckles

I'm not going to sit here and say that all homeless people are sick and incapable of having a job, but don't forget there are homeless people with jobs too. I believe Minneapolis has the highest rate of working homeless (they did a few years ago at least) and so stereotyping or making assumptions of why and who are homeless is ridiculous.

[Name removed]

58. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Fleshdancer]

80. "This site is for everyone to agree"???? What are you talking about??

Please, with all the 15 posts of wisdom you possess, tell me more about Democratic Underground. Persuade me that this place isn't for debate and that this site is for everyone to agree...anyone who thinks this is true obviously wasn't here during the primary.

As for my "jack ass pedistal" whatever the hell that is, I wasn't pointing fingers at you or anyone so calm down. You can claim to be the spokesperson for the homeless people in your city, I don't care. The fact still remains however that there is no one way to classify the homeless. And no, that's not proof of a crusade, just fact.

By the way, look up the word crusade.

[FlaGranny]

38. Prosecutors are paid to say it was self defense?

Prosecutors are paid to prosecute criminal offenses. He will do that whenever he can, because it's his job. If he declined to prosecute, it means he knew there was no case to prosecute. Are you perhaps referring to a defense attorney?

[Butterflyeffect]

57. What color is the sky in your dreamworld?

[tandot]

43. I am wondering if freerepulic is shut down for the day?

That is the second post from a newbie totally ill-educated and not showing any empathy whatsoever. Something you'd expect over there.

[Name removed]

55. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Pithlet]

70. Oh well. That's a stereotype about liberals shot to hell

for you

[guitar man]

44. Well, Mr Butterflyeffect

In MY city, which just happens to be Tulsa, Oklahoma, there are many homeless or near-homeless for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason right now is that Tulsa has lost well over 25,000 jobs in the last 2 years due to nothing but GREED. The fine upstanding Chri$tain businessmen here have to have more and more in their own pockets so they have decided to sacrifice the well being of an entire city to meet their ends.

And all the "job" advertisements in the Tulsa World are he biggest smokescreen I have ever seen in my life. I know, I'm currently working in Oklahoma City which is 92 MILES AWAY FROM MY HOME because I could not find a job in the entire city that paid a LIVING WAGE!

So you don't want to get flamed? Don't come in here spouting the old tired right-wing "the homeless want to be that way, the paper is full of jobs" screed if you don't want to get flamed. In fact, take that screed and shove it straight up your ass, I'm fucking tired of hearing it!

[Hubert Flottz]

50. I second everything you said to the nubie!

LMAO!

[Pithlet]

45. Right wing BS

First of all, if what you claim is true, how is it in any way relevant to the story?

Second of all, if you think that Prosecutors are paid to not pursue cases, then you have a gross misunderstanding of how things work in most cases.

Lastly, there are many jobs in the paper for people with addresses and money to buy nice interview clothes and computers to type up resumes. Being able to take a shower on a regular basis helps, too. How many companies are going to hire people with no address or phone number?

[Butterflyeffect]

54. No sir. Not in my city.

There is construction work as well as fast food. The paper is full. Some people choose not to work. I am sorry to get the troops stirred up. This was just my opinion. I have seen a few people get gang fucked on this site before and I did not want to be one of them. If you say the guy is an innocent victim then so be it. I agree.

[Pithlet]

56. Saying something stupid like people choose to be homeless

is going to get that kind of reaction. Construction and fast food places aren't going to hire someone without an address, either. It is just your opinion, but it is one that is misinformed. You cannot look at your newspaper and conclude that because jobs are listed, that means homeless people want to be that way. I'm sorry, but that is naive at best.

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

61. Welcome back to DU

[Pithlet]

63. lol

I guess you chose to be too lazy to look at my profile to see whether or not I was Mr or Mrs. before flaming me. No need to feel sorry for you, then.

[Mandate My Ass]

64. Hmmmm....

[bossfish]

65. OK, I give up...What city are you in?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

66. What city is that?

[juajen]

68. Interesting moniker

Are you sending a message that you were not meant to be born; frankly, you could change that to "borne"; because, I admit, I am having a problem bearing your opinions. What land do you hail from where prosecutors are paid not to prosecute? You make no sense whatsoever. Honestly, promise us nothing; for, we feel nothing for your promise or premise.

[K-W]

72. I think his name reads much better as Ignored.

But thats just me.

[bossfish]

82. Ooops, looks like Butterfly got tombstoned...

these moderators don't play.

Too bad, B-E was fun to kick around.

[TexasBushwhacker]

29. Pretty simple really

Shawn Howard (the victim) owned the BAR acrosse the street. He didn't own the warehouse and its steps where Badgewell, the homeless man, was resting. If Howard wanted to call the cops and have Badgewell arrested for vagrancy or even trespassing he could have. Instead, he took the law into his own hands and, wearing brass knuckles, punched Badgewell in the jaw. His manager, Michael Cypert, was also wearing brass knuckles. So one man, who happened to be homeless, was ganged up on by two thugs wearing brass knuckles who didn't happen to like where he'd decided to sit down. One man got ganged up on by two men and defended himself.

"So, do you think the homeless guy should be charged?" NO

"Did the bar owner have the right to violently confront him?" NO

"What do you think will happen in Tulsa? Are some homeless people going to get killed?" Some will be attacked. Some may be killed. Some may start carrying pipes, and beat the shit out of their assailants, and I can't say I blame them.

"What should we do about the homeless in our country?" It's a complex issue. Many are mentally ill and/or chronic alcoholics or drug addicts and are unable to maintain full time employment.

"Is it their fault they are homeless?" I imagine in some cases yes, in some no. I'm not really sure it matters whose "fault" it is.

[depakid]

30. Kind of explians the kind of Senators they send to DC

what a disgrace.

[Fleshdancer]

34. This is a weird story

Here's how the article describes what happened:

It started in the wee hours of June 24, when Howard and bar manager Josh Martin left the Deadtown Tavern wearing brass knuckles, as usual, for protection against the many vagabonds and drug dealers who inhabit the dimly lit neighborhood.

A fight began with Badgewell, who was resting in a warehouse stairwell across the street. Howard struck Badgewell in the jaw, and the homeless man grabbed a pipe and began swinging.

How it started is unclear. Martin said he and Howard encountered Badgewell while chasing two crack dealers away. District Attorney Tim Harris said the pair told Badgewell to leave the spot where he was preparing to sleep, starting an exchange of words that escalated into violence.

Police called to the scene about 4:30 that morning found Howard unconscious in the parking lot. He died of head injuries the next day.

______________________

Perhaps the "f*ck the homeless" crap is instantly getting me on the defensive about this situation, but here we have a bar owner who, instead of calling police, decides he's going to force a homeless person out of a warehouse stairwell, then he hits the homeless person in the face (with the brass knuckles I assume). Now all homeless people are possibly in danger of "vigilante justice" because this one homeless person defended himself? Insane.

If someone came up to me, attempted to tell me what to do, picked a fight, then hit me in the face with a weapon, would people start wearing "f*ck the women" t-shirts if I fought back in self defense? Somehow I doubt it. Homeless people have the right to not get the shit beat out of them too, don't they?

[DaveFL99]

41. deleted for stuttering

[DaveFL99]

42. Brass knuckles. Sure everybody wears them for self defense.

Mace, guns, stun guns. Those are for pussies. Real men "defend" themselves with brass knuckles. They're not designed for beating somone.

[Logansquare]

49. The bar owner's friend's account sounds like bullshit

I think they were rolling homeless men for laughs, and, to their shock this guy wasn't asleep and was able to defend himself. The "chased two crack dealers" part of the story is a smokescreen--yeah, we were just being Charles Bronson out there, protecting the populace.

[Blue_Tires]

37. i'm sorry for the bar owner's family

but when you march around the streets in the middle of the night looking homeless to bully, that's what we call instant karma...How many more will come forward? I'm willing to bet Howard did this frequently, looking for easy fights to win, against homeless that were to tired, weak, or hungry to properly defend themselves...He probably never expected in a million years for one to start fighting back (which is why he went out doing it, imo)...all these newly minted 'vigilantes' will be smart to remember that...There is no indication in the story that Badgewell bothered either the men or the bar patrons.

Call Howard what he is: a coward...and all those 'fuck the homeless' people wouldn't last three days in this world if they were suddenly put out on the streets with no family support.

[Behind the Aegis]

39. OKLA-HELL-MA

I live just north of Tulsa and Tulsa is progressive and liberal compared to the rest of the state! We have some of the worst government in the US. Every once and awhile a good politician slips thru the right-wing net and makes good changes to this state. But, more often than not, the politics of this state are very right-wing, not conservative, right-wing!

However, I talked a "jumper" down (off the fence)!!! She wasn't sure whether to vote for Bush or Kerry. We talked a little and I asked her..."are you better off now, than you were 4 years ago?" She said she wasn't. I told her, well, then why would you want the Shrub back in office? She said that was a good point. We discussed a few other things and she said she was feeling better about Kerry! YEA!!!

Wouldn't it be great if this "red" state turned just a little blue? :)

[lulu]

40. Tulsa has a history of bigotry and hatred --

It's home to one of the worst in U.S. history: www.montgomerycollege.org/Departments/hpolscrv/VdeLaOliva.html

[villager]

79. thanks for posting this...

was just about to post a similar link...

wonder if the homeless are next in Tulsa's enlightened history?

[guitar man]

46. I didn't know this particular asshole

But I well know the type. He sees himself as part of the "ownership" crowd here in this town who think they can run everybody's life because they "own" something. It sounds like his hobby was picking on homeless people to make himself feel like a big man and he fucked around and picked a fight with the wrong one. Seems he got what he deserved.

The "Fuck the Homeless" t-shits are just fucking typical of the mentality of some people here. I have got to move out of this fucking state before I go bonkers!

[OKNancy]

84. I like Tulsa

There isn't one place you could move to that doesn't have assholes. Hell, we have a Democratic governor and California and New York have Republicans. It's a weird world. People like you and me and all the great Democrats here can make changes.

And look at it this way, our DA actually had the guts not to prosecute the homeless man.

[More Than A Feeling]

48. Isn't Oklahoma in the Bible Belt?

This is so, so, so very wrong! This kind of mass scapegoating is predictable, but none the less shocking when it actually happens.

[prolesunited]

52. Here's some actual facts about homelessness

to counter the RW spin we've seen creeping up on this thread.

So, what do you say to the 20% of the homeless who already work? What about the 22% with mental illness? The 11% who are veterans? Surely they deserve better?

As for the ones with drug and alcohol problems, why don't we offer treatment? It's a damn disease! Brain research has proven this. Would you advocate throwing someone with diabetes into the street?

Nationally, CHILDREN make up 39% of the homeless population. What? Are there no workhouses? No orphanages?


On top of the 3 million who were homeless or marginally homeless there are an additional 5 million poor people that spend over half of their incomes on housing, leaving them on the verge of homelessness. A missed paycheck, a health crisis, or an unpaid bill can easily push poor families over the edge into homelessness.

According to a U.S. Conference of Mayors the homeless population is diverse:
· 20% work.
· 22% are mentally disabled.
· 11% are veterans.
· 34% are drug or alcohol dependent.
http://www.homeless.org/do/Home

Families with children are among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population.
In 2002, families comprised 41% of the urban homeless population, an increase of 5% in just two years (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2002).
In rural areas, research indicates that families, single mothers,and children make up the largest group of people who are homeless (Vissing, 1996).
Nationally, children make up approximately 39% of the homeless population (Urban Institute 2000).




A lack of affordable housing and the limited scale of housing assistance programs are the primary causes of homelessness. The growing gap between the number of affordable housing units and the number of people needing them has created a housing crisis for poor people.

Overall, 14.4 million families have critical housing needs.

Between 1973 and 1993, 2.2 million low-rent units disappeared from the market. These units were either abandoned, demolished, converted into condominiums or expensive apartments, or became unaffordable because of cost increases (Daskal, 1998).

At the same time, the number of low-income renters increased, due to factors such as eroding employment opportunities and the declining value and availability of public assistance.

In 1999, there were only 4.9 million rental units affordable and available to 7.7 extremely low income renter households; a shortage of 2.8 million units (According to the 1999 American Housing Survey).

It would take annual production of more than 250,000 units for more than 20 years to close the housing affordability gap (According to the Millennial Housing Commission).


More EXCELLENT fact sheets here:
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/facts.html



Not dealing with the problem is NOT cost effective even.

Costs of homelessness
According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, homeless people spent an average of four days longer per hospital visit than did comparable non-homeless people. This extra cost, approximately $2,414 per hospitalization, is attributable to homelessness.

According to a University of Texas two-year survey of homeless individuals, each person cost the taxpayers $14,480 per year, primarily for overnight jail.5
A typical cost of a prison bed in a state or federal prison is $20,000 per year6

Emergency shelter is a costly alternative to permanent housing. While it is sometimes necessary for short-term crises, it too often serves as long-term housing. The cost of an emergency shelter bed funded by HUD's Emergency Shelter Grants program is approximately $8,067,7 more than the average annual cost of a federal housing subsidy (Section 8 Housing Certificate).

Perhaps the most difficult cost to quantify is the loss of future productivity. Decreased health and more time spent in jails or prisons, means that homeless people have more obstacles to contributing to society through their work and creativity. Homeless children also face barriers to education.
http://www.endhomelessness.org/pub/tenyear/cost.htm

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

53. Thanks Proles

[Pithlet]

67. But, some of their best friends are homeless.

They know some who choose to be that way. How can they be wrong?

[Kanary]

88. I would add another group to your list...... women escaping abusive

living situations, and also teenagers in the same predicament.

Often a woman who is being beaten by a husband will stay and take it until he starts beating on the kids, then she leaves.

Much of the time, she leaves in an emergency situation, with nothing but the clothes on her back, and the same for the kids. No place to go, no way to earn a living without an address.

Battered women shelters are typically full, and only offer shelter for a certain length of time.

This is a large proportion of the homeless population that doesn't seem to get much notice. Maybe because it's clear they can't be blamed....?

And who the heck wants to be bothered by that messy compassion crap........

Kanary

[Deja Q]

60. Society needs to fix the fucking problem, not piddle with a symptom.

After peak oil subsides and the depression really hits home, you can bet your sweet bippy that this one example will not be uncommon.

Reagan rescinded all of Carter's alternative energy policies, with no president since doing a fucking thing about it.

We should have learned from the 1970s.

But we didn't.

I may be the victim of such a thug. But I can't blame him either. I just wish he'd go attack the wealthy and not the middle class. The power of the wealthy is why we're still headed down the wrong freeway at 120MPH (in a 60MPH zone).

[melv]

75. the bar owner had a reputation

of being a real d***wad and jerk. While I am sad the events passed, the real story lies somewhere in the cracks.

The Deadtown tavern was not a friendly sort of place if you are homeless or just plain different. My husband and I visited a few times, and on the last visit the bartender was blatantly rude and disrespectful to a man sitting next to us simply because he looked and sounded different. (he was from Africa and spoke little English) We befriended the man and had one of the most fullfilling conversations we've had whilst sitting on bar stools. Pitiful.

[THUNDER HANDS]

69. Okay that makes about 18 now

on the list of states I never plan on setting foot in.

:scared:

[ulysses]

73. sorry to hear it

although I suppose I'm not too surprised. I grew up 30 miles from Tulsa, and I like the city a lot. Pity. :(

[OKNancy]

85. Now you know better than that

This asshole no more reflects on Oklahomans than Wayne Williams reflects on Georgians.

[ulysses]

86. well, sure.

That doesn't change the perception, though.

[Classical_Liberal]

74. Fuck assholes who wear "Fuck the Homeless" t-shirts n/t

.

[A_Possum]

83. Tulsa has a sad history of vigilante justice

1921 Tulsa Massacre

In Tulsa, Oklahoma a black man named Dick Rowland was accused of assaulting Sarah Page, a white elevator operator. Although Page later dropped all charges, this event sparked one of the worst race riots in American history. On May 31, 1921, the Tulsa Tribune allegedly ran an article with the headline "To Lynch Negro Tonight," gathering an angry mob of white men downtown. Not long after, a crowd of blacks, mostly World War I veterans, gathered around the courthouse to ensure Rowland's safety. At 10:30 pm a fight broke out, a shot was fired, and the riot began. For nine and one-half hours the riot raged, and the black business district and community of Greenwood went up in flames. An estimated 1,256 buildings were damaged or destroyed including homes, businesses, hotels, churches, and schools. Reports claim that public officials provided white residents with firearms, and witnesses tell of bodies "stacked like cordwood" and buried in mass graves. The Oklahoma National Guard was called in and arrested many residents of Greenwood, detaining them in locations around the city. Insurance companies never paid for the $1.8 million in claims filed because of clauses excluding damage caused by riots. Greenwood never recovered