The article in the Sept. 27 edition of the Indy written by Ms. Cuniff on the homelessness problem in Laguna Beach prompts me to write. I whole-heartedly agree that Laguna is to be applauded for maintaining a shelter since 1988. But I must object to some of the ideas expressed in the article.
Judge David O. Carter appropriately identifies the need to provide shelter for the homeless. However, his idea of jailing those who resist is “blaming the victim.” Some people avoid shelters due to paranoia or substance abuse. Mental health issues must also be addressed with appropriate services; substance abuse is an illness, not a weakness. More importantly, many people prefer to be on the streets because shelters are places that attract predatory people, and many of the homeless have been robbed or assaulted in shelters. Some people simply feel safer on their own away from people.
Mayor Pro Tem Steve Dicterow addressed the need to deal with recent violent attacks in the community. More so than homelessness, criminal behavior is a low enforcement issue, and to jail people whose only offense is to be impoverished, homeless, and disheveled is “throwing the baby out with the bath water,” guilt by visual association, blaming the victim. Looking disheveled does not make one a criminal predator. Statistically, people with mental health problems are not more dangerous than the general public.
Finally, regarding recent disability rights lawsuits, Judge Carter states that had he received the case, he would have thrown it out as an attempt to “punish the one city in Orange County” that has a shelter. This idea misperceives the point. Those lawsuits are an attempt to make sure shelters meet mandatory disabled person’s rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Is America a country where only the housed and productive deserve a place in the lifeboat?
This issue is part of a larger debate playing out in Orange County and across the country. Is America to become a place where property rights are protected and only the housed and well-heeled are welcome? Or will America continue to be a special place where those less fortunate are given a hand up. The homeless can make people uncomfortable, hence the desire to remove them from sight. But shouldn’t we all be a little uncomfortable going to bed at night knowing that for some American people, bed is a sidewalk?
Mike Arrajj, Laguna Beach
