Some In-depth Reporting Coming Regarding Tent City

Spoke with the fine folks at the Tennessean yesterday and then turned them on to the good folks who continue with efforts to transform Tent City into something viable on a longterm basis.  I know John and Kate spent time yesterday with Jeannie Alexander from Park Center, Big Denis Huey and Doug Sanders, then went down to the camp to talk to residents and snap some flicks. 

I always trust Kate's reporting because I know it will be balanced and fair while avoiding sensationalism, something the peeps at The Scene ought to pay attention to, by the way.  This time around, I think Kate is hoping to shed some light on the comments made in the City Paper by Commander Huggins and do a little follow-up on the folks we helped move from the camp last year around this time.

Appreciate getting a second take on the info provided by Commander Huggins, especially some details on the type of crime that has spiked in the area, since it's a stretch to tie it to the folks at the camp with the information that was provided in the paper.

Furthermore, I'm a little disappointed that we're back to essentially square one with the camp and Metro PD, although I understand exactly why Commander Huggins is putting this issue back on the table.  Folks need to realize that Huggins is a man of action; always has been if you've ever paid attention to his record.  He's responding to a constituency - we, the people - and is trying to do his job the best way he see's it.

As I said regarding the City Paper article, crime statistics are powerful tools for law enforcement to use to whip up support for enforcement efforts and it's easy for those who don't know the whole story to quickly jump on the bandwagon for police to "do something" about the matter.

It's why it is so important that we get a breakdown of the crimes that are being committed in and around the area, then compare those numbers with other similar neighborhoods around the city.  To that end, are we really seeing a dramatic increase in crime in this particular neighborhood?  is that crime directly related to those folks from the camp?  How so?  Is there something else at work here that has had a causal effect?

I won't throw Metro PD under the bus here; I think they've remained pretty patient overall, and while some of my advocate friends may not agree with that statement, I would encourage them to remember some of those early meetings with police and how adamant they were for firm closure dates - back in June, by the way.

That we've been attempting to provide services to folks at the  camp for over a year now while Metro PD has essentially stayed out of our way should at the very least generate some respect for that patience, especially considering that from day one, the folks at the camp have been trespassing on every bit of the land in the area.

I would also point out that very few - if any - of the other camps I've seen in the national news lately have enjoyed such a long and uninterrupted survival  without some form of police action upon them.

Of course, this whole issue can be resolved by the city simply by making good on the promises of the Ten Year Plan to end homelessness by providing affordable housing units or additional access to Section 8 or other subsidized housing plans.

Looking forward to the upcoming article, and hope that ultimately, people on all sides of the issue will realize that  you can't ask folks to leave when they've got no other place to go....... 

Georgia probation officers tried to line up temporary housing on Tuesday for nine homeless sex offenders who were kicked out of a makeshift tent city

Sigh.

When will we learn that it is better to house sex offenders than to leave us all guessing where they may be at any given moment?

Homeless Ga. sex offenders seek new place to live

AP – William Hawkins, a convicted sex offender, leans on a tree next to his tent in an encampment of sex offenders …

By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer Greg Bluestein, Associated Press Writer – Tue Sep 29, 8:34 pm ET

 

MARIETTA, Ga. – Georgia probation officers tried to line up temporary housing on Tuesday for nine homeless sex offenders who were kicked out of a makeshift tent city behind a suburban Atlanta office park where state officials had directed them to live.

State officials ordered the offenders to leave Monday night after The Associated Press reported details of the unique arrangement, said Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren. Many met with their probation officers Tuesday and were told that authorities were trying to find them hotels, shelters or other temporary places to live.

"I feel like I'm living on a roller coaster. It's like up and down, up and down," said Marque Miechurski, a 30-year-old convicted of child molestation who said Tuesday he found a temporary place to live.

"You know, I just want to go back to a sense of normalcy, to having a place to live and having a place to work. You know, that's all I want — I just want the basics."

Officers informed offenders of the camp as a "last resort" for people who could not find places that complied with Georgia's strict restrictions on sex offenders, said Ahmed Holt, manager of the state's sex offender administration unit.

Corrections spokeswoman Sharmelle Brooks said officers are working to help the offenders find "suitable housing." She said authorities are going "to great lengths to find approved locations, including lodges and faith-based facilities," but the few options that meet guidelines often cost more than the homeless can afford.

One of the men, William Hawkins, 34, said probation officials informed him of a hotel in Cherokee County that complies with the law, although he's uncertain how long he can afford to stay there.
He said his probation officer also told him they were filing emergency paperwork to transfer his probation to Virginia, where his wife lives. It's not clear how long that will take or what the conditions of his probation will be in Virginia, he said.

"This may help me in the long run, which is what I'm hoping," he said, adding that he hopes his situation makes the public more aware "that not everybody should be under these conditions."
The encampment is an unintended consequence of a Georgia law that bans the state's 16,000 sex offenders from living, working or loitering within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, parks and other spots where children gather.

Warren said more than 300 other sex offenders in Cobb County have found places to live that comply with state law. But for those who can't afford their own housing or bunk with relatives, homeless shelters and halfway houses are often not an option because offenders can't be near children.

Hawkins, who was in prison for violating probation by failing to register as a sex offender in Georgia, and others had tried to make the muddy camp relatively comfortable. They cooked food on a donated grill, took showers under a bag of water they filled up at the office park, and were storing away wood for the coming winter.

Hawkins' wife, Mindy, said the thought of her husband living in the woods has been a constant concern. She said she hopes he will be allowed to move to Virginia so her husband can finish out his probation with her in their home.

"He's constantly in my mind. I always wonder where he's going to get his next meal, where he's going to shower," she said. "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."

"Whatever I can do to sell myself,"

Just a reminder that you're a lot closer to being homeless than you may think.....

Former manager panhandles for work in Downtown Nashville

By Wendy Lee • THE TENNESSEAN • September 30, 2009

Brandon Witt, a former location manager at car rental company Hertz Local Edition, took job-hunting to a new extreme on Wednesday.

The 33-year-old held a cardboard sign telling people he is looking for work and ready to hand out his resumes at the corner of Fifth and Church streets in Downtown Nashville.


“The homeless seem to get a lot of attention and I’m stealing a trick from them,” said Witt, sporting interview attire--a black suit, bright blue collared shirt and a tie.


Witt says he has been unemployed for a year and a half, as a result of corporate downsizing at his workplace. To keep up with his bills, Witt works as a server at Logan’s Roadhouse near 100 Oaks Mall, earning about $10 an hour. Witt used to earn $45,000 a year.


Witt says he has sent hundreds of resumes, visited businesses in person and gone on interviews, but nothing has landed him a job yet. Witt said he came up with the idea after reading about others who have held up signs at busy places to get a job in other cities, including recent college graduates.
Witt said he plans to hold up the sign all week at various locations.

"Whatever I can do to sell myself," Witt said.

But some local employers said they probably wouldn’t hire someone right off the street carrying a sign. Rather, hiring qualified people through personal networking may provide better results, some employers said.

“There’s a seal of approval attached with going with people (you) know,” said David Frederiksen, CEO of Cumberland Healthcare Credit LLC, who walked by Witt but didn’t pick up a resume. Hiring someone off the street without a referral is no more than "a cattle call,” Fredericksen said.