I don't know what these cops up in Indianapolis are seeing, but the Homeless I deal with on a daily basis are far from comfortable in any circumstance, believe it.
This is just a real pathetic example of a city trying to address their Homeless "problem" by using law enforcement as the primary instrument to correct the situation. It's a short-sighted and costly way of addressing the issue, not to mention foolhardy.
First, using cops to hassle the Homeless takes those officers away from proactive law enforcement elsewhere in the city, and I don't know about Indy, but Nashville can use all the police power it has to stop serious crime before it occurs.
Second, it's damned expensive to use law enforcement personnel on such trivial matters, and when that is added to the cost of incarceration and court time, the expense far outweighs the short-term benefit of removing the Homeless from the street for a day or two. And don't forget, you and I pay for this via our hard-earned tax dollars.
Third, the interdiction effort does nothing - NOTHING - to alleviate the root causes of Homelessness. What happens when the Homeless "criminal" does his/her time and is released? They go right back to where they were before. No miracle occurs in jail, folks. There is no magical housing fairy in the hoosegow who floats from cell to cell bestowing homes upon those without one.
And finally, it makes the cops targets of hate. And it isn't like they have a good name already, eh? Why add more animosity to an already tarnished image? Here in Nashville, Homeless folks have been the key witnesses in a number of crimes and they are often a very valuable resource for law enforcement because they are out there on the street all the time. They see shit on a daily basis that would make most of us run for the Prozac and/or the liquor cabinet if it happened anywhere near us in our quiet, safe little lives.
Which brings up this point; some of the cops here in Nashville have been lately acting a skosh like those cops in Indianapolis. Not all of them, but enough that the word on the street is ugly when it comes to talking about our cops. There are still many who are friends with the Homeless and who work to improve relations with them, but you know that all it takes is a few bad apples to spoil the whole bunch....
Funny how that works both ways, yes?
August 19, 2007
Police initiative targets Downtown's homeless
IMPD wants to get residents off streets, but some say officers are hassling them
Police say there's a significant rise in the number of homeless people living Downtown this summer and are cracking down in hopes of pushing some of them off the streets and perhaps into jail.
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"One reason we're doing it is a lot of these people appear to be very comfortable," said Maj. Darryl Pierce, commander of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's Downtown District. "We just want to make them a little more uncomfortable."
Police leaders will meet this week with probation officials and others to discuss ways to arrest homeless people who are wanted for violating probation, skipping court hearings or committing crimes, Pierce said.
However, some say the police tactics are heavy-handed, and possibly illegal, aimed at driving the homeless out of Downtown and farther from services they need to rebuild their lives.
Homeless men and women say they've been roused from sleep and questioned by officers far more frequently in recent weeks. The police, they say, stop them for no reason and demand identification. Many say they fear police will arrest them if they refuse.
"The police have no right to demand identification unless there was cause for the stop," said Ken Falk, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana.
"I think most citizens would be a little concerned if they were walking Downtown or standing in front of their house and a police officer came up to them and said, 'Let me see your ID,' " Falk said. "Being homeless is not illegal."
No current numbers are available on Downtown's homeless population. A census conducted in January found 2,061 homeless people in Marion County, compared with 2,080 in 2005, but some advocates questioned that count.
Police must see homeless people violating a city ordinance or have reason to suspect they are involved in a crime before they can legally make a stop, Falk said. If officers do not have probable cause, Falk said, they are violating the Constitution.
IMPD Maj. Bryan Roach agreed, saying the officers making these stops and identification checks might have spotted the homeless littering, loitering or aggressively panhandling.
"Those officers should be having consensual contact or reasons to do the things they are doing, not to be doing it indiscriminately," said Roach, Chief Michael Spears' executive officer. "We should be respecting their dignity and individual rights."
Roach said the homeless are free to file a complaint against any officer who violates their rights. Advocates, however, note that homeless people live on the edge of society and often distrust law enforcement. Few, if any, are going to complain through official department channels.
John Bundy, 40, homeless for about 15 years, said officers have made it clear he is not welcome.
"(Police are) constantly stopping, pulling over, checking IDs, looking for warrants," Bundy said. "They are very intimidating, and they are letting you know they don't want you in the Downtown area."
Louis Bivins, 48, usually spends nights on a blanket in the 1100 block of Southeastern Avenue. He and his wife, Wilda "Sunshine" Miller, 43, have been homeless for about two years.
"We can't get much more uncomfortable than we already are," Bivins said.
He said police have been hassling the homeless in recent weeks. The officers, he said, tend to be very rude.
"I'm a human being," Bivins said. "Just because I'm homeless doesn't mean I'm a piece of trash."
Experts say it is difficult to tell how many homeless are in Indianapolis at any given time.
The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention conducted the January census that found 2,061 homeless people in Marion County. Warm weather makes it possible for people living in shelters to move outside, but no newer census or estimates were available.
Some note that changes stemming from a merger of the city's largest shelters -- Wheeler Mission and Lighthouse Ministries combined in September -- may have landed more homeless on the streets.
Renovations at Wheeler and Lighthouse have led to a temporary loss of about 45 permanent beds, said Gene Green, who oversees services to homeless men at Wheeler's Downtown shelter. Wheeler has temporary beds available to any who need them, but Green said that some men prefer sleeping outside to sleeping on a mat.
Another change: A few months ago, Wheeler stopped serving lunch and closed its day room, a daytime hangout, to men who are not enrolled in programs aimed at getting them off the streets. The mission has been directing the men to a day room at Horizon House, a Near-Eastside nonprofit that offers food, showers, job placement and medical services to the homeless during the day.
"We're trying to encourage responsibility and change from the subculture lifestyle that some have settled for," Green said. "The bottom line is if we're going to make any dent whatsoever in the homeless population, we all have to work together."
Call Star reporter Vic Ryckaert at (317) 444-2761.
