Homeless Sacrificed

Councilman Uvaldo Martinez (“Downtown is Becoming Better Place to Live, Work,” Times, March 17) fails to address the crisis of the homeless that exists in San Diego.

Downtown is undergoing a master plan in gentrification, which pushes the homeless and poor out of downtown in favor of the affluent. Federal revenue sharing is being used for hotels, office buildings and other luxury developments, instead of affordable housing that it was intended for.

The greatest number of San Diego’s involuntary homeless are in Councilman Martinez’s district. And they are without their basic human rights of food and shelter. There is an acknowledged social contract that the American courts have upheld that federal, state, county and city governments must see that the necessities of life are received by those who are part of our society. Councilman Martinez has never been an advocate on their behalf because he has failed to introduce legislation into the City Council that would provide either a temporary or a permanent shelter for the involuntary homeless of San Diego. During Councilman Martinez’s term of office, the number of homeless has increased in the downtown area, and their plight has gotten worse.

Nor has Martinez used his “White House connection” to obtain an empty federal or military building, which are available for the asking in San Diego, to shelter the homeless. As a result of his indifference, federal block grants for a shelter were unused and returned to Washington. Had a shelter been in place in San Diego, it would have saved children, women and men who are dying in our midst.

President Reagan as commander-in-chief of the armed forces with a stroke of a pen could open the military installations of this area, and they would feed the hungry of San Diego.

Councilman Martinez called for a face-to-face meeting Feb. 29, 1985, with the people of Hillcrest on the issue of the homeless. Then as now, Martinez failed to champion a shelter for the homeless. It was all posturing and no substance.

Councilman Martinez and other members of the City Council during this term of office have voted for hundreds of millions of dollars for the following edifices: a convention center, Kolender’s police palace, and a $2-million pocket park for Horton Plaza, but they never found it in their hearts to provide funding for a shelter.

Unfortunately the issue of sheltering the homeless in San Diego is perceived as one of they and us, instead of we Americans. Therefore it is in order for Martinez that he champion the human rights of the homeless, until they truly have a better place to live, work.

ART SALZBERG

San Diego