Homeless and their advocates worry GOP convention will push them out

[Kadie]

Homeless and their advocates worry GOP convention will push them out

SAM DOLNICK, Associated Press Writer
Sunday, August 8, 2004


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(08-08) 09:29 PDT NEW YORK (AP) --

J.W. Ballantine, a 77-year-old homeless man, already sleeps most nights in Penn Station and eats many of his meals in neighborhood soup kitchens.

But Ballantine's life is about to get much harder now that the Republican National Convention is coming to Madison Square Garden, directly on top of the train station where he usually sleeps. Ballantine, and hundreds of other homeless people like him, will be moved out from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 so the convention can take place.

"They think homeless people are eyesores," Ballantine said. "They want to hide them so tourists don't see them."

Security is already high in New York City, and homeless people worry that even tougher convention security will force them to the city's fringes -- far from the outreach workers trying to help them.

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/08/08/politics1229EDT0463.DTL

[acmavm]

1. It's not that they think they're 'eyesores'. They don't want anyone to see

how really serious the problem is.

<snip>

The Bread of Life Program, a food pantry on West 31st Street, has already announced that it will close during the convention. The center serves about 500 people every Wednesday, but it will not open on Sept. 1, the Wednesday of the convention. The pantry instead will provide its clients with extra food the week before.

Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, the largest in the city, will remain open, and Rev. Elizabeth Maxwell of Holy Apostles Church said she will issue identification cards to volunteers and homeless people.

Maxwell echoes the homeless people's concern that the city will attempt to "make the city pretty for the visitors and sweep the homeless people away."

"These are people, they're not a problem," she said

<snip>

I think that people, especially those who hide behind the facade of 'Compassionate Christianity', be made to see how serious the problem is and then be made to explain how they can support a nutcase who is putting more and more people on the streets everyday with their purported religious beliefs. I seriouly want to hear a few of these people explain themselves.

[SangamonTaylor]

3. they just call them lazy and then turn their brains off....

Actually, though, the vast majority of Christians I know do a great deal of work for helping those in need. Only those who (using the * talking point) are "way out of the mainstream" of Christianity unquestionably advocate policies that put more people on the streets...and those are people who are ignorant of how policy affects everyday people.

//remembering fond memories of helping out at the North Dallas Shared Ministries food bank when I was younger.

[annabanana]

2. they're right to worry...

Since "Early Guiliani" removing "eyesores" has been the policy in NYC. (Artists are also "eyesores" to be removed)

[htuttle]

4. More compassionate conservatism, no doubt

[catmandu57]

5. Maybe some of the homeless will be guides

for the protestors to get right into where they aren't supposed to be.
Homeless people know secret forgotten places and paths, maybe they can lead the charge against the piggies.