Two Homeless men using ambulance service as a taxi, 1,363 trips

would agree they're abusing the system.

They were just taking advantage of a system that allowed them to cruise.

The dispatchers and drivers are to blame here.


My bad, 1300 not 13,000

Otherwise, ambulance system is afraid of litigation if they don't show up when they call.

Perhaps if we didn't allow our poor to go homeless, to be discarded like garbage, to be routinely abused, to be treated like vermin, perhaps there would be a bit less abuse of the worn out fabric of our pathetic safety net.

If they reported every time city managers and mayors and councilmembers and corporate cronies "milk" the system, we couldn't keep up.

So we focus on the "least of these" and demonize them so then it's "Okay to let them rot; they'll just abuse the system."

It's always easier to condemn someone "beneath us" than it is to help them.

They may have some real need that is not being met.

thanks for posting LIberal in LA.

I saw the article at work and couldn't post. I was born and raised in Fresno and about 25 years ago
the ignorant and arrogant Neo Cons took over in Fresno.. sort of the likes of what we see now in the National GOP.

the small group of Progressives and Humane citizens of Fresno have been trying turn around the assaults on the Homeless, and in the recent 4 months they have tryed to do so many things to stop the City, State, and Feds from destorying the tent cities, taking away sleeping bags and tents, and just last month a know homeless woman who helped so many other homeless women died on the sidewalk just outside a packed Shelter.

The UN needs to interven in Fresno, CA because no US government can seem to do anything sustainable.

the Progressive have consistantly tried to tell the City officials and other Residents that it is cheaper to take care of the homeless than to throw them out with trash.

This year the FEDS toss several million dollars to the city officials to end homelessness but it will take much more than that and there needs to be transparent oversight. It seems the City is using the homeless funds if it helps the economic bottom line.


Mike Rhodes with Community Alliance has been documenting the horrible abuse for the last 10 years (and he can always use donations). and I have shared many of his reports through out the last 6-7 years.

http://fresnoalliance.com/wordpress/?p=1313

but here are a couple of links of that stick out

Faith Groups Speak Out About the Homeless Issue
(video of them asking the city to let the tent cities stay since isn't enough shelter)
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/12/21/18703199.php

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/10/27/18695595.php


You can ask the Fresno City Manager wouldn't it be cheaper to provide services and set up tent cities.

Mark Scott, City Manager
2600 Fresno Street
Room 2064
(559) 621-7770

http://www.fresno.gov/Government/CityManager/ContactCityManager.htm


Ashley Swearengin, Mayor
2600 Fresno Street
Room 2075
(559) 621-8000
http://www.fresno.gov/Government/MayorsOffice/ContacttheMayor/EMailMayor.htm

that in this country we allow poverty and homelessness to rob a person of their dignity.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002189875

Thanks for catapulting.

in to the Pasqua in Regina .... where they'd skip out and head off to get their drugs and / or, party. There was no way to refuse any of them, the most frustrating was being called twice in one shift to the same home.

The second time he was arrested and we let him chill in jail for a couple of days before bailing him out.

He was intent on drinking himself to death, an enterprise we declined to actively assist him with. So he got the bright idea to call an ambulance, wander away from the hospital to buy booze and then call from the hospital for a ride home.

of Rayguns "Welfare Queens"???

Kinda calling bullshit on the article, not the OP, or it's author.

But really. Bullshit.

. . . looking up articles written by him to find some slant.

This is kind of a lame way to bash the poor on his part. The greater issue is the care and services they're not receiving.