RENO, Nev. – A few tents cropped up hard by the railroad tracks, pitched by men left with nowhere to go once the emergency winter shelter closed for the summer...Within weeks, more than 150 people were living in tents big and small...
This relic of the Great Depression is still being treated as an isolated incidence. But I wonder if it is fair to continue calling tent cities isolated incidents when a quick check shows tent cities are popping up all across the country. Here are just a few...
Seattle has a number of tent cities set up with the support of local housing activists and churches. They are routinely relocating because they have permits which force the cities to move on to new locations in King County on a periodic basis. Some tent cities are more static in their location.
Nashville has several as well.
There are nearly two dozen campsites tucked into the nooks and crannies of the wooded area off Anthes Drive, just behind the railroad tracks and alongside the back of Inner City Ministries.
As surprising as this sprawl it, it is not a recent problem. In fact, it has become a chronic problem. The solution? Get rid of the camp sites.
Through seven years in a tent, where the elements leak through a tear in the tarp that covers him and rats occasionally scurry across the earthen floor, Harold LaVelle never thought about where else he would want to live...When asked where he'll go when the camp, known as Tent City, is shut down for good, LaVelle quietly stroked his beard. His eyes filled with tears. He pointed up, toward the sky.
Tent city sounds so... recreational... I can see why Tom DeLay thought the folks camping out after Katrina were having fun. Words just can't do tent cities and shanty towns justice. Here's one in L.A. Ironically, the video coverage is courtesy of the BBC.
Perhaps a better word is homeless encampment. Whatever you call them, they are spreading.
The relatively tony city of Santa Barbara has given over a parking lot to people who sleep in cars and vans.
The city of Fresno, Calif., is trying to manage several proliferating tent cities, including an encampment where people have made shelters out of scrap wood.
In Portland, Ore., and Seattle, homeless advocacy groups have paired with nonprofits or faith-based groups to manage tent cities as outdoor shelters.
Other cities where tent cities have either appeared or expanded include include Chattanooga, Tenn., San Diego, and Columbus, Ohio.
While the government is rushing to bail out the large corporations that took crazy gambles with other people's money, the folks who lost their homes aren't going to get anything except scorn from this administration. Adding insult to injury the recently released homeless statistics make these people disappear faster than compassion among conservatives.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development recently reported a 12 percent drop in homelessness nationally in two years, from about 754,000 in January 2005 to 666,000 in January 2007. But the 2007 numbers omitted people who previously had been considered homeless — such as those staying with relatives or friends or living in campgrounds or motel rooms for more than a week.
I can see the meeting now....
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Policy Wonk: The numbers keep climbing. We haven't seen this many homeless encampments in decades. The number of people living for months on end in this squalor is shocking.
Bush appointee: Did you say "encampments"? These people are camping? Well, hell ... if they are camping they aren't homeless now are they? And they are doing this for weeks... even months? Man, do you know how many folks would LOVE to go on vacation for weeks at a time, but can't afford to leave their jobs for that long?
Bush operative: Hey, I know! We just won't count the vacationers who are camping or in motels! Problem solved!
FOX embed: You're a genius! If we support you guys for another 4 years maybe you could solve the healthcare "crisis" too!
McCain operative: Hell, we are ready to declare that problem solved on Day 1! There are no uninsured Americans. Anyone with access to an emergency room effectively has insurance. So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved.
Sarah Palin: Hey guys and gals! I'm tellin' ya... I can see victory from my house!
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Ok, I'll admit that meeting is fictional, but the problem is not. We can sweep this under the rug, but somewhere Jesus is weeping. I think this makes Feminazi comments below particularly relevant.
This coming week is National Homeless & Low Income Voter Registration Week. You can help.