"About 60 percent of aggravated assaults in downtown Nashville are committed by or against the homeless"

There is no doubt whatsoever that the number of homeless folks is increasing here in Nashville and with it, attacks on them, both by others in the homeless community and by those who prey upon a segment of our society that is traditionally avoiding of law enforcement interaction . Frankly - and I've mentioned this previously here - the population is exploding this year, and many of the faces are "first-timers" who've never before been on the street. Unfortunately, a disturbing rise has also been noticed in homeless parolees and hardcore thugs within the homeless community and many of the "regulars" on the street are very concerned that an already bad perception formulated by the larger community will worsen as these individuals continue to raise hell without regard to the impact it will have on anyone else, including members of the homeless community. As any of you know who read this blog, I work often with Lt. Swisher and we have struggled mightily in getting some folks off the street, not because they don't want to go, mind you, but because of the barriers in place that keep them from leaving the street. Consider the man "Velvet" mentioned in the story below. Velvet is a wellknown local "celebrity" who plays his guitar for donations downtown. Velvet is often found on the street at 2-3 in the morning, playing for folks who are coming out of the bars and who are much more generous as a result. Because he's such an easy target, he's often the victim of robbery and unfortunately, since he's always at or near the same location, he's become something of a "bank" for those pathetic fecal smears who prey on the old, feeble and weak. While I am not at liberty to talk directly about Velvet's case in particular here, I can tell you that one of the reasons so many others just like him remain on the street even though they have incomes (ssi/ssdi/retirement/donations), case managers, concerned citizens and even the occasional police officer who tries to assist them is a simple yet common one: old crimes and/or debts that have gone to collection have damaged their credit and impacted their background checks, ruining their chances at getting into an apartment or house with just about anyone or any agency that rents to the general public. Lt. Swisher and I may nave discovered a way to rectify this situation for many of the folks in this predicament and we are currently working together to get it done but it will take some time, since we must use the courts and mail service to accomplish much of it. As anyone knows, the wheels of justice turn slowly, especially when dealing with civil matters, since criminal court always takes precedence over civil proceedings and as a result, the backlog of civil cases is large enough to choke even the heartiest of court systems. A couple of things regarding the Homeless Power Project; first, it should be pointed out here that the Project rarely engages in direct service work and as such, does not place people into housing directly. They are an advocacy group that focuses primarily upon improving relations within the community and living conditions for the homeless and poor. Second, as I mentioned here previously, there is currently a power struggle underway in the organization at the moment that has effectively shut the doors and frozen the bank account of the agency. No word yet on when this situation will be resolved but at this point, the leadership crew that has been in power for the previous couple of years - John Zirker, has once again taken command of the organization and are claiming that they are the ones charged with making decisions. As this continues to play out, I'll post more on what I am able to discover.... Homeless Crime Victims Rising In Nashville

Posted: Aug 18, 2008 11:03 PM

Video Gallery <1> Homeless Crime Victims Rising In Nashville 2:54

Metro Police Nashville Homeless Power Project

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The number of homeless people in Nashville is increasing.

Police have also noticed a rise in crimes committed by the homeless.

About 60 percent of aggravated assaults in downtown Nashville are committed by or against the homeless, according to Metro police.

For example, one man known as Velvet said he was robbed six times in the last three months. The aspiring musician is often found on or near Second Avenue.

He said he's been robbed at knifepoint three times and beaten up and had his wheelchair turned over.

Police said the homeless are involved more than half of aggravated assaults in downtown Nashville.

Police know getting homeless people off the streets improves the tourist district and impacts crime statistics.

"It behooves the Metro Police Department to address the quality of life issues anyway that they possibly can," said Metro Lt. Nicky Swisher. "And the way that I choose to address quality of life issues is to improve the quality of life for the persons that are less fortunate that are living on the streets."

She doesn't see the homeless as "problem people," but "people with problems."

"He doesn't need to be living on the streets, and he doesn't need to be vulnerable like this. Any person, a 74-year-old living at home is vulnerable," said Swisher who works out of the department's Central Precinct.

Swisher serves as a sort of outreach officer for Metro. She also sits on the city's Homeless Commission and insists the best way to help the homeless is to help wean them back into society and to live independently.

She said getting housing for the homeless is perhaps the city's best defense.

Nashville has one less agency to help -- for now. The Homeless Power Project is temporarily shut down. A sign on the office door indicates that the agency is closed due to restructuring though Power Project leaders declined to comment further.