Police crack down on Houston's homeless
10:58 PM CDT on Monday, August 25, 2008
HOUSTON – Three Houston Police divisions are preparing for a zero tolerance initiative against the homeless.
Starting on Tuesday, the Houston Police Department will crack down on the city's homeless. Some who know about the new initiative call it HPD politics, while others said it was a good move for safety. But whatever people said about the program, it was not a secret to those living on the streets.
“Everybody knows there is going be a sweep on Tuesday. The police wants to make chief, so he's going to use the homeless to do it,” said Jesse, who is one of Houston’s homeless.
Panhandling often aggravates those working or travelling downtown. And some residents don’t believe the homeless should be there at all.
“There are jobs out there for anybody. It’s freeloading to me," said Chad Snipes, a Houston resident.
Snipes supports a police roundup of the people living on the streets, but homeless advocates argue that the actions are a waste of time.
“To pick people up and put them in jail, only to release them a couple of hours or days later to be homeless again, is not the most effective or efficient way to deal with the problem,” said Anthony Love, who is member of the Coalition for the Homeless.
Regardless of whether the idea is worthwhile or not, Houston police will move forward with their plan on Tuesday.
