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| Homelessness at very heart of Chicago |
People
who somehow manage to show me a touch of manners are more likely to get my sympathy,
while those who think they can get pushy are most likely to tick me off and
have me give them nothing.
WHICH
IS SOMETHING I’m sure will offend those types of people who are trying to urge
various local governments – including Chicago and some suburban communities –
to repeal the ordinances they have enacted that try to restrict the ability of
someone to seek a handout.
The
American Civil Liberties Union, the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and the
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty sent letters this week to 15
municipal governments across Illinois – including Chicago and the suburbs of
Aurora, Cicero, Elgin, Joliet and Oak Park – asking them to voluntarily repeal
their restrictions.
Implying
that the wrath of the ACLU and their allies could be wrought down upon us in
the form of lawsuits if we don’t cooperate!
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| Panhandling? Or entertainment? |
The
Associated Press reported that the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless thinks laws
against panhandling are wrong because they criminalize homeless people for their very
existence – and that their actions in trying to get a handout are merely the
acts of trying to survive.
THERE
ALSO HAVE been rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States in the past
that restrict laws against panhandling by describing such activity as freedom
of expression. As in “free speech,” one has a right to walk up to you and ask
for some spare change.
Of
course, my comprehension of “free speech” is that no one is required to
actually listen. We have a right to ignore things if we so choose – regardless of
the morality behind such an unsympathetic act.
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| They/re not doing a leisurely lunch at Berghoff |
So
does the ACLU think we ought to be forced to pay attention to the homeless of
our society? I would have a problem with that concept, because I’d compare it
to the right of white supremacists to spew their nonsense rhetoric.
They
may have a right to think such thoughts and say such trash publicly, but we,
the people, have a right to disregard them as a batch of crackpots.
WHICH
IS THE way I have been known to respond to beggars when they try to get pushy
or intimidating. I have been known to be incredibly blunt and rude in telling
them to drop dead.
But
other times, if a person has been somewhat polite in their request, I have been
known to reach into the pocket and give up some spare change.
Or
one other time, I remember I actually pulled out a $10 bill and gave it to a
woman – who was so thrilled she’d be able to get a “decent” lunch that day. Of
course, she happened to catch my attention at the very moment I was headed to the
Berghoff to have lunch with some former work-related colleagues.
I’m
sure the lunch I had that day cost much more, and I would have felt like a
total cheapskate if I couldn’t contribute a little something to her.
NOW
I KNOW some of you are thinking I’m a fool. You’re going to want to believe
these people are pulling some sort of scam and are just pocketing the money
until it builds up into a significant sum – then they buy liquor or some form
of illicit drugs with it to dull their sensibilities. Or that these are people “too
lazy” to go out and “Get a Job!”
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| Nonsense image, but pizza is quite good. Photos by Gregory Tejeda |
Which
is why I can’t help but notice all the individuals on the street corners with
no place else to go and wonder if that is a worst-case scenario for my own
life.
Because
let’s face it, there are factors in life that can drag down anybody – no matter
how superior we may believe ourselves to be.
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