While I certainly agree with the idea that we need to do more as a nation to combat homelessness, I think that condoning illegal trespassing into vacant properties is hardly the answer, as is the case in Madison. Watch for yourself:
As I wrote earlier, there’s no denying that there needs to be strong and serious action taken on the part of our elected officials to deal with the issue of the millions of Americans who are homeless, but these folks who are “liberating” homes that are not their property aren’t making the situation any better, at least in my opinion. I’d certainly support some solution that allows individuals (and especially families) that are homeless to be able to live in properties that are vacant under some sort of agreement with the property owners, but engaging in a guerrilla campaign to occupy houses illegally simply isn’t the answer to this problem.
My husband and I watched this story on the news I said the guy who was at the microphone telling everyone the woman should be left alone to claim someone else’s property…should bring her to his house. I mean…if you are going to expect others to do something then you should be the first in line to show the example.
I was in downtown Madison yesterday evening to see the Lion King and to have a couple of beers and snacks at Coopers Tavern. We were having a fairly heavy downpour, so I was somewhat surprised to see 3 homeless men huddling in different entranceways around and near the Capital Square. Their presence on the streets was sad and disconcerting and must have stemmed from the shelter at Grace Episcopal Church (a block away) being full, their arrival downtown being too late to get into the shelter, their being turned away due to drug or alcohol abuse, their not knowing about the shelter or their choice to sleep in the streets. It is important that we continue to recognize the existence and prevalence of homelessness and continue efforts to find housing, mental health services and other ways to help them out. This doesn’t include illegally occupying vacant homes.