Honolulu introduces new leaning bus benches to discourage homeless

[Liberal_in_LA]

New leaning bus bench criticized

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - To stop homeless from camping out at bus stops the city is experimenting with new benches but not everyone is happy about the changes.

If there's one thing I've learned it's that you do not want to upset senior citizens and there are some folks with the city that are finding out why.

"They spent taxpayer money to do something stupid," said Beryl Rhodes, 77, who isn't afraid to speak her mind. "I'm very angry at the thoughtlessness of the (city). They didn't think ahead or they didn't ask any questions or they didn't investigate to see who uses the bus."

She's speaking on behalf of the 150 other senior citizens that live in the Honuakaha building on Queen Street who are mad at the new leaning bench at the bus stop outside their home.

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"Some of them are elderly and they're on walkers and they're on canes and they're not well."

The leaning bench is a board about six feet wide that is slanted at an angle making it impossible to sit on, instead you lean against it.

"Suddenly one morning we come out here and there's this thing. It's insulting. It's nasty," said Rhodes.

She says you have to be just the right height in order to use the bench but it's not comfortable or functional for the elderly or disabled.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/14926388/new-leaning-bus-bench-criticized

[bluerum]

1. This discourages the homeless from what? Being homeless? They will do anything to

to help make peoples lives more miserable - and spend as much as it takes to do it.

What a fucked up world.

[rsmith6621]

4. Someone in City Hall Has a BUDDY in the Bench BIZ...

......Kinda like STOP LIGHT CAMERAS.

[applegrove]

2. If they just had regular benches, but with handles every three feet, nobody would

be able to sleep on them old folk could still sit down.

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. We have those in los angeles, benches have raised divisions. no one can lie on them

Didn't realize the purpose until you mentioned it.

[applegrove]

5. I like what they do in Paris to the homeless. They have a bus that drives around, picks them up and

brings them to a shelter.

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. cool. I think a city or two in US has designated stops where homeless can get

ride to shelter

[TheDebbieDee]

10. What? A program that actually does something that's helpful

to homeless people? Oh, the horror!

[applegrove]

12. When I visited Paris I saw it. It was a really tricked up bus. I think they served food too.

Granted this was right downtown/tourist Paris.

[snooper2]

17. They tried that and obese people objected

They should just put in some swings if it's that big a deal to keep Jane from sleeping there

[saras]

7. What the fuck's wrong with ordinary benches?

Is anyone actually HARMED by homeless people sleeping on benches?

Of course, I've been watching my town for the last decade try to create a thriving downtown and nightlife, and at the same time, keep anyone from hanging out downtown. For some reason, they just can't seem to figure out that there's a large overlap there. They seem to imagine these nonexistent suburbanites who will drive into town, put up with the atrocious parking situation, hurry up and buy a bunch of stuff, and leave. Where they expect all the people now living downtown in all the tiny new apartments to hang out, I don't know. Maybe they're all supposed to sit in their rooms and watch TV.

[JVS]

13. You're supposed to be running from place to place buying stuff.

[handmade34]

8. I am working in LA this week

"According to the Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty at the Weingart Center, an estimated 254,000 men, women and children experience homelessness in Los Angeles County during some part of the year and approximately 82,000 people are homeless on any given night. Unaccompanied youth, especially in the Hollywood area, are estimated to make up from 4,800 to 10,000 of these"

http://www.laalmanac.com/social/so14.htm

*no words for the disgust I have towards our collective decision to not take care of people

[tishaLA]

11. LA has tons of homeless people and it's terrible for homeless people

as liberal_in_LA posted above, we have benches with divisions to keep the homeless from sleeping on them. And we have too few services. And we have a housing authority that despises homeless people. It's terrible.

I live in downtown LA. Oh, I could take you places....

[handmade34]

16. it is terrible...

I don't see and experience everything, but my work takes me into neighborhoods all over the United States, urban, rural, wealthy, poor, crime ridden, gated communities, slums, etc... I have seen enough to know that we (collectively) are cowardly shirking our responsibility to each other at great expensive to the well-being of the country as a whole...

There are times I just don't think I can manage seeing the inequity, the pain, the sadness... I cry often

[Liberal_in_LA]

19. a lot of the Hollywood and LA beach homeless are from other states

Runaways thinking they'll be movie stars and people drawn to the mild weather

[Countdown_3_2_1]

22. If I lose my job and all looks lost...I'm headed to Hawaii!

I will have just enough to buy tickets get a great island, but some tools and camping gear and head out to a rugged inaccessible area. I'll farm and fish until things blow over.

Bus stops? Bah. I will live in homeless style.

[kath]

9. Meanest country in the world. Cruel beyond belief, in so many ways.

[csziggy]

14. Yeah, but we make up for it by being the most "Christian" country in the world

:sarcasm:

Frankly I think there is a direct connection between those two things.

[TheDebbieDee]

21. I think there is a direct connection as well between religiousness

(any religion) and hate. It's an ugly connection......

[libmom74]

15. Maybe they could have used the money spent on all of

those stupid benches to build another homeless shelter instead.

[Liberal_in_LA]

24. yep.

[ileus]

18. not a bad idea, the green one pictured should work best.

[ikri]

20. They've had then here in the UK for an age

I used to lean against one when I had to use the bus system here. They're extremely uncomfortable for more than a few seconds at a time and they're angled in such a way that it's really hard to sit on them without sliding off. Ultimately, I ended up standing and using the bench as a balance for any bags I was carrying.

[Liberal_in_LA]

23. I used them somewhere or other. They were uncomfortable.