Anyone with a magic flute, a la Pied Piper, report to City Hall.
While you’re at it why don’t you ride in on your enchanted unicorn and make sure you bring along a sackful of pixie dust? Those are just some of the items leaders will need if they want to get rid of the homeless overnight.
Unfortunately that’s what it seemed some members of the Chula Vista City Council, the business community and residents were looking for during the council’s public discussion of the homeless population in the city.
Thankfully reasonable voices, starting with the Chula Vista Police Chief and other hands-on professionals, caution there are no quick fixes when it comes to addressing the homeless issue.
Mayor Mary Casillas Salas started the Tuesday night session imploring residents to offer solutions. A lot of people didn’t seem to hear her. Or they chose to ignore her, focusing instead on how the homeless “problem” is bad for business, bad for property values and bad for the community.
It isn’t unreasonable to expect representatives to tackle your problems — that is after all the job they wanted and are paid to do. But neither is it unreasoanble to demand solutions of them and ourselves that are not quick fixes and have no lasting affects.
When a police lieutenant reveals that some residents want police to harass the homeless until they leave Chula Vista, or a council person asks if the homeless can be ticketed until they get out of town or are jailed, you have to ask yourself what the hell are these people thinking? What aren’t they getting?
Like it or not, people living on the streets have the same rights as people who pay rent or a mortgage. And like the housed, the houseless have a right to not be harassed. Dignity and respect are not exclusive to those with means.
Time and again it’s been proven that relying solely on law enforcement to fix the homeless issue won’t get the job done. Getting people into long-term housing, long-term employment and treatment will. But that takes money and when it comes to money, people have different priorities.
So consider this: That same Tuesday night council heard a presentation about the possible sucess of an infrastructure bond measure or tax increase. In the future, factor into the cost of infrastructure the cost of keeping people off the street.
Also, in the past residents have voted for special tax districts that pay for increased parking enforcment or accelerated street repair. Would residents pay for services that alleviate the problem in their neighborhoods?
In short, are residents and city officals willing to consider creative ways of finding money to get people into homes, jobs and healthcare and off the streets?
Or will they, like some of their uninspired representatives, continue to come up with ideas that don’t work?
