"A backlash against street people is under way in this renowned liberal college town after an uncharacteristically violent turn of events"

"I think people have noticed disturbing trends in the past couple of years: aggressive panhandling, public urination, men harassing people on the street—and the whole thing just kind of exploded with the two murders," said David Keller, a Realtor in Madison. "I think it's probably an easy default ... but these feelings have been simmering under the radar, and now they're out in the open."

I was down at Riverfront yesterday, photo-interviewing a 50 year old woman who arrived from Birmingham, AL 18 days ago with her husband. She'd been in town a total of 12 days when they were arrested and taken to jail for sleeping down at Riverfront while waiting for their Social Security Disability checks to come in. They told me that ordinarily they wouldn't have had to do that but they'd been robbed near the Greyhound bus station in Birmingham before they got on the bus and so arrived in Nashville "broker than a Bush economic policy." During the videoing of that conversation, I noticed two gentlemen watching me with more than passing interest. When I finished, one of them -Buddy - asked me if I was "from the Scene?" I told him "no," and then told him I worked for a mental health agency and was also a co-founder of the Contributor, Nashville's Homeless Newspaper. Buddy was obviously bothered and a little agitated, but kept it under control while asking me why it was that "we" didn't do something about "all the bums" in the park. "We sit in our offices eating lunch and we gotta look at all this crap and these people scattered all over the place. Look at that junk there," he said, pointing to the couple's belongings I had just interviewed. I don't think my first response - that public parks are open to everyone during operating hours- sat too well with him, but I quickly began scoring decent "awareness" points when I told him what had actually occurred to this couple, that although Metro's Homelessness Commission was definitely working on solutions we hadn't been able to keep our promise in 2007 of even one of the 200 affordable housing units we promised we'd bring to the city each year, and that the reason folks congregate at the parks is because; A. there's no place else to go and B. the parks have bathroom access - the only place left in the city that would allow "these people" a place to use a toilet. I then asked him as a store owner if he had a policy that banned people with backpacks from using his restrooms. He hesitated a moment and I knew he did. He stated that he banned "those people" because all "they" do is steal from his store. We then talked a while about the "one bad apple" phenomenon and he began softening his stance. We continued talking about the scattering of services in the Nashville area and how it forces folks to spend their days crisscrossing town to get services, and finished our discussion by addressing the lack of money and resources needed to really make a difference. By the end of our conversation, I had an invite from Buddy to come talk more and I'm going to ask him for an interview for the Contributor because I think it's critically important we get the views of the business owners like Buddy while also helping to enlighten Buddy and those who share similar views as to why it is we have people hanging out at Riverfront when we should be able to help them find a place to hang their hats. We need people like Buddy to help us end homelessness. Buddy himself may not bring every resource to the table that will accomplish this, but thousands of Buddys, armed with a true understanding of the complexity and problems of homelessness, may bring ideas and resources we hadn't even thought of. Furthermore, if we can clue all the Buddys into the difficulty and frustration we service delivery professionals have concerning our lack of resources and frankly pathetic levels of funding we receive to address the scourge of homelessness, perhaps - just maybe - they will add their voice to the growing chorus of those who are demanding society do the right thing in helping our sick and marginalized and ostracized brothers and sisters get off the streets, permanently.

www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-homeless-backlashapr27,1,1934318.story

chicagotribune.com

Public casts colder eye at homeless

In Madison, rising suspicions in wake of unsolved slayings fuel backlash

By Tim Jones

Tribune correspondent

April 27, 2008

MADISON, Wis. — The late-afternoon regulars on State Street — Lonnie, Ron, Bruce and dozens more, nearly all of them men with outstretched hands or jiggling styrofoam cups—know all too well that they're not the most admired members of the community. They may be drug addicts, alcoholics, ex-cons, mentally ill or homeless, but they can sense when public sentiment has shifted against them—like now. A backlash against street people is under way in this renowned liberal college town after an uncharacteristically violent turn of events. Two unsolved murders in the span of a little more than two months have shaken Madison's secure sense of small-city living and, even though no suspect has been named, the eye of suspicion has been fixed on panhandlers who work the streets. "The big city has come to Madison," lamented Madison Police Lt. Joe Balles.

Spreading resentment

Across the nation, resentment toward the homeless—especially single men who aggressively panhandle — has prompted some cities to take sterner measures to keep order and manage the denizens of Skid Rows. The circumstances vary, but a combination of factors is at play, including the depressed economy, deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill and the burgeoning numbers of homeless people.

Cities are restricting the activities of people who live on the street. Tacoma, Wash., prohibited panhandling before dawn and after dusk (Ed Note: so too did Nashville recently). Seattle, in addition to new panhandling curbs, is about to close free public toilets that had become a haven for drug deals and other crime. Resistance in other cities to new or expanded homeless shelters has mounted. "There's a backlash," said Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. "People are frustrated because the homeless population is growing."

Upsetting the balance

While Madison is by no means a newcomer to the movement regulating transients, this city of about 224,000 people has a reputation for creative and compassionate solutions to help the homeless. The April 2 daylight slaying of Brittany Zimmermann, a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin student, has upset the social balance and changed the conversation about Madison's estimated 3,400 homeless, just under half of them who walk the streets, day and night. "I think people have noticed disturbing trends in the past couple of years: aggressive panhandling, public urination, men harassing people on the street—and the whole thing just kind of exploded with the two murders," said David Keller, a Realtor in Madison. "I think it's probably an easy default ... but these feelings have been simmering under the radar, and now they're out in the open." Among the problems were the homeless taking over a city park and camping in cars parked in residential areas. Is the suspicion of transient involvement in the Zimmermann slaying justified? That almost doesn't matter. In the hours after the killing, the public soon became aware of a large police sweep, rounding up about two dozen transients after officers received a tip that panhandlers had been going house-to-house that day. The tip was credible because people had been complaining for months about increasingly aggressive panhandlers. About a dozen transients remain in police custody on unrelated warrants. Murders are an aberration in Madison, which since 2000 has averaged five annually, a number that would be a normal weekend of killing in Chicago. Since last summer, though, three slayings have gone unsolved: Kelly Nolan, whose body was found last July; Joel Marino, found in his driveway in late January; and Zimmermann. In the absence of suspects and the desire to solve the Zimmermann case, the impression of transients being rounded up lingers, along with an implication of guilt. "Round 'em up, give 'em a ticket or jail time," said one anonymous blog posting. Even those who believe there is no connection between transients and the killing say the homeless need to be brought into line.

Difficult situation

Madison is a reminder of the difficulties in dealing with the homeless, estimated at 760,000 nationwide, according to a recent Department of Housing and Urban Development survey. Madison has already cracked down on panhandling, restricting it to two sites on State Street, the vibrant mile-long pedestrian strip of restaurants and shops connecting the State Capitol and the University of Wisconsin's main campus. State Street is the most lucrative place for panhandlers, and where police keep a close watch. Patrol Officer Meredith York walks the strip six days a week from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., keeping track of street people, most of whom she knows by name, by their troubles and the kinds of trouble they get into. They call her Meredith, and sometimes slur it as "Meriter," the name of a nearby hospital. On a recent afternoon, York upbraided Chauncey for littering; ignored Lonnie, who insisted she give him a dollar because it was his birthday; and told Bernard to stay out of the liquor store's parking lot. A short time later York ran into George, whose distinction is wearing the same clothes every day: torn pants, a long leather overcoat and a dark blue stocking cap, into which his thick dreadlocks are stuffed. George was drunk and carrying an open bottle of beer. York wrote him a citation for $298 and warned him to stay away from alcohol. After trying to engage two women on the street, George shuffled away and, out of York's sight, slid into a nearby bar. "They know I'm looking out for them," York said. On most days York walks about 8 miles before her shift is done. A pair of walking shoes lasts three months. She spends a good bit of time at Peace Park, the concrete speck where transients congregate every day and, one by one, can legally panhandle under a light post with a banner that reads, "Celebrate Madison." York and other Madison officers who patrol the thoroughfare carry with them a sheet of small color photos identifying the 85 street people who are banned from State Street because of one violation or another. "This is a big punishment for them because this is where the action is," she said.

'Did you catch the guy?'

Zimmermann was killed about four blocks from State Street, and the police have acknowledged that moving troublemakers off the main drag may have simply created problems elsewhere. Since 2000, Madison has maintained a handle on violent crime, but burglaries have soared, up 26 percent last year. The Zimmermann case is on the minds of the transients. "Did you catch the guy who killed that girl?" asked Ron, a man in his early 40s who suffers from mental problems. Then, noticing a stranger next to York, Ron shook his head and said, "I don't know anything about that, sir; I don't know anything." Then Ron took his spot beneath the streetlight and began jiggling his styrofoam cup.