WTF is wrong with this country?

[unhappycamper]

Boston, MA was number one in a recent poll about smart and dumb cities. We came out smart, but this article tells me that bigotry, selfishness and 'me too' thinking is alive and well in western Mass.

How can people treat others this way? Why do we constantly turn on our brothers and sisters?

Like I said, "WTF is wrong with this country?"




“They’re treating us like dirt, but we’re real people,’’ said Michelle Belleau. “It’s just terrible, ridiculous, that they’re forcing us out,’’ said Jeffrey Spiller.


‘Jungle’ clearing
By David Abel
Globe Staff / October 30, 2010

GREENFIELD — In the copse beside the old rails, hidden by foliage falling from large oaks and birches, are the relics of drifters who have dwelt in these woods for decades: abandoned fire pits, discarded suitcases, ruined tree houses, and weathered tarps, among mounds of other detritus.

Since perhaps as far back as the Great Depression, the site known as “the jungle’’ has served as a temporary home to hobos who hopped the north-south and east-west freight lines that intersect at the nearby East Deerfield Rail Yard, the state’s largest depot for freight trains. In recent years, as the economy has stagnated and the area’s homeless population has grown, the woods have become home to those who prefer not to stay in overcrowded shelters.

Now, after so many years of tolerating the secluded encampments a short walk from the historic downtown, officials in this 257-year-old city have decided to do away with what they consider an eyesore and a potential trouble spot. Citing a burgeoning population in the woods and $90 million in new railway investments from the company that owns the tracks, they have vowed to sweep the area of its remaining inhabitants and cut as many trees as possible to make it less appealing to dwellers.

Local authorities told the residents this week that their tents would be torn down and that bulldozers would move in as soon as today.

“Even though it’s been happening for a long time, that doesn’t make it right; it’s illegal, improper, and unsafe,’’ said Mayor William Martin, who was elected last year. “The idea that we will continue to turn the cheek is not something I’m willing to do. It’s not something the community should ignore.’’