By Emerson Drake
8/1/11
An involved citizenry is the key to democracy. Without an informed electorate, misguided politicians can get pull the wool over our eyes. The Blue Ribbon Committee on the Homeless is a great example of politicians and their hand picked flunkies run amuck.
What was supposed to be a gathering of ideas to assist the homeless in Modesto is quickly becoming a forced relocation project that will only place more hurdles in front of these same people. Without a doubt, everyone is tired of seeing the same few people standing at intersections with their signs asking for money. But they represent just a small yet highly visible percentage of the homeless population.
The federal government and local officials define homeless as not having your name on a rental agreement or owning a home. This includes people who have been foreclosed on or lost their jobs and have been taken in by relatives. Many times they are taken in by people whose budgets are already stretched to the breaking point.
Now self serving politicians like Councilman Joe Muratore are exploiting the situation by selecting allegedly well meaning people to sit on the Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) and help resolve the problem. But unfortunately it appears he recruited people with personal agendas.
First the City Council closed some park restrooms and now the BRC is saying "No Feeding the Homeless" in parks without restrooms. But that isn’t enough for them. They focus in on only allowing acts of Christian Charity in out of the way parks. After all, out of sight out of mind.
Then they suggest only the two recognized non-profits be allowed to feed the homeless and that all donations be funneled to these two groups. Would it surprise you to learn that these two groups have members on the BRC? One is Steve Madison, of the Building Industry Association, who is on the Salvation Army’s Board of Directors (first time appointee because money can buy almost anything in Modesto) regaled the committee of a tale where he met a homeless man and bought him a hamburger.
Wow, who would have thought one McDonalds hamburger and a ten minute conversation would count as in depth investigation.
They also want to create a “private security force” to be supervised by Julie Hannon of parks and recreation. Her supervision of SCAP hasn’t gone so well now has it?
We also have two former directors of this same (SCAP) Stanislaus Communities Assistance Project on the BRC. Darryl Fair (head of the SCAP Board of Directors until recently) has openly said he is looking for someone to write him a grant, SCAP style to open up a homeless daycare facility by a local Modesto park. After all, it only takes money and where better to get it than by appeasing a politician like Joe Muratore?
Tonight (5:30 at 1010 10th St. Room 2005) we’ll be writing another dark chapter in Modesto’s history when recommendations are made to Garrad Marsh’s Safety and Communities Committee meeting. Councilmen Dave Lopez and Dave Geer are the other two council members sitting on the committee.
Let all three of them know we don’t need forced relocation and the branding of citizens as second class, those Joe Muratore and cohorts contemptuously refer to as the homeless.
