‘Crime Sweep’ of Homeless

I have given Mayor Tom Bradley the benefit of the doubt a couple times and voted for him, despite his veto of a park acquisition I favored and his wishy-washiness on issues like Louis Farrakhan and Rose Bird. Now I read that his way of dealing with the homeless problem in our city is to sic the cops on the miserable.

It puts Charles Dickens’ London in mind. It is a shame to think that we have not progressed since that time and a shame to see the only decisiveness the mayor has exhibited in recent memory take such form.

The people in the downtown “commune” of street dwellers are exhibiting a trait that is the first glimmer of hope among the destitute: resourcefulness. The city ought to be meeting them halfway, not aggravating their pathetic condition. I am writing this on a night when it’s below freezing. If I were on the street, I would have a hard time understanding all the prissiness over insurance coverage of idled buildings opened for shelter. But the behavior of the police is even harder to understand.

TONY BIRD

Van Nuys