Blog | Page 79

Barry Meyer slept for a month and a half in a port-a-potty near the Lynchburg public library: “It was a big one, I could do a twisting stretch-out with the toilet seat and my stuff.” He said it didn’t smell bad because “they cleaned it twice a week.” Of course, his sense of smell, maybe his sense of everything, was off because each day he typically consumed eight “tall boys” (25-ounce beers) and a pint of whiskey. He favored Earthquake High Gravity Lager with its aroma of corn syrup and wet hay. Its fans say Earthquake “will get you buzzin’ like a chainsaw… It’s like putting your finger between the sprocket and chain on a motorcycle and then having your Read More ›

SODO’s A Mess After multiple sweeps, RV’s/tents back on 3rd Ave/Holgate/Utah Ave. #Seattle CANNOT keep up. Meanwhile trash, crime, drug dealing evident. Why are we allowing HOMELESS addicts to die on our streets? We are losing a GENERATION. He Called It Everyone give Pat Robbins a standing ovation. He said the encampments would return to SODO. And once again, city is paralyzed. NO plan to get in front before these spiral out of control. Think about the tax dollars wasted. It’s All Come Back City is not keeping track of vehicles, but I am. All the same people are back with new additions. This is a mess. I feel for you @Starbucks HQ. The city is allowing RV owners to Read More ›

Johnny Cash sang, “On the Sunday morning sidewalks/ Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned/Cause there’s something in a Sunday/ That makes a body feel alone.” I saw on a recent Saturday and Sunday morning that sleeping under a New Orleans expressway might really make a body feel alone. Periodically during the past decade the homeless humans in this verdant city coalesced into a big tent city, an anarchic community of sorts—and police swept it away. Times-Picayune, 2012: “About 55 people who had been staying under the Pontchartrain Expressway were told they must leave the area and move into shelters.” Two years later, the New Orleans City Council gave police the right to remove tents, furniture, and other items “that obstruct Read More ›

Last week, hundreds of senior citizens from the Chinatown-International District (C-ID) marched into SODO.  Protesting Dow Constantine’s homeless megaplex, they’re worried about the public safety impact on the C-ID, which is just a block away.   During the rally, a homeless couple stopped to give the marchers a piece of their mind. “Go back to your country,” they yelled, leaving the elders stunned by the racist remarks.   “Well, they can go back to their country too,” said community advocate Matt Chan, who didn’t appreciate the verbal attack.  Andrea Suarez with the homeless outreach group We Heart Seattle recognized the couple in the video.  “I was like, no! I’ve known them for over a year. We provided outreach to them initially on Western Avenue,” she said.  She Read More ›

Last week we concluded one look at homelessness in Jackson, Tennessee, with the story of Tracey King, 50, and her back-and-forth relationships. First she married, had a daughter, and divorced. Next she married a police officer and gave birth to twin boys. She divorced the police officer and then remarried him. King said he began taking drugs so they divorced again and she “lost everything.” When drinking and smoking pot no longer numbed her emotional pain, she snorted fentanyl. Stints at seven different drug treatment centers — in Nashville, Savannah, and elsewhere — failed to bring healing. In February 2022, she moved in with her mother, who also battled addiction, King said. Two months later, her mother kicked her out. Read More ›

Happening Now This morning, city crews preparing to clear homeless encampment at Fremont Canal Park in #Seattle. But one outreach group’s been anticipating this SWEEP, and say they have already taken steps to stay in touch with the people who usually get lost in the shuffle. This is a New One Most of the homeless refused to go into SHARED shelter spaces being offered by outreach workers today after the Fremont encampment sweep in #Seattle. But some got concierge service to their next destination in a KAYAK. The Other Side West Ewing Mini Park is right behind @SeattlePacific on the Queen Anne side of the Lake Washington Ship Canal. It’s now a growing homeless encampment as more people move in Read More ›

Happening Now #Chinatown-ID protesters remain outside proposed site of Dow Constantine’s(@kcexec) HOMELESS MEGAPLEX as some community members get a tour. But SENIOR CITIZENS say they don’t care what it’s like inside. What’s the plan if problems spill OUTSIDE into #CID? Angry Confrontation Wow, several people from homeless encampment already on site of Dow Constantine’s(@kcexec) HOMELESS MEGAPLEX are yelling at #Chinatown-ID elders. But they aren’t standing down. Protest organizers say they are not against the homeless. Just at WAR with Dow. Tempers and Racism Flare A homeless person walking back to her encampment just cursed out #Chinatown-ID elders and yelled, “Go back to your country!”