Top 20 meanest cities in the USA

[Not4ever58]

Rose...
I sincerely applaud you. Namaste chose the wrong name in my opinion.
Thank you however for your objective diplomacy. Your discussion with the apparently young person reminds me of the vollies that used to ensue when I would post in the Yahoo Local/Neighborhoods, my less than complimentary observations about Sacramento's City management treatment of the homeless, which going by the list, must be one of the less meaner cities at least in California. In the neighborhood forum, there would always be a gentleman who referred to himself as William_H_Burg, who would always get personally offended about my remarks about the Capitol City's lack of ambition or originality with its struggle to develope its run down K Street area downtown.

[pok]

i have stayed in naples florida some time ago. the cops there are hit and miss. if you present your self the right way they tend to leave you alone. but it really all depends on the mood of the pig (cop). the soup kitchen in naples fed my wife and i steak for dinner. thats awsome.


pok

[Jordan_]

I do not think Nashville belongs on that list. But nothing seems to stop it from going there because the police seem everywhere every second. Plus Roland Serpas (chief-of-police) is not helping.

[Jordan_]

I heard from the grapevine too that certain counties, a little off topic but still relevant, if a police officer drives up and discovers a person homeless, the person must get into the car and driven out to the edge of the county. No social services whatsoever.

[E_R_Rose]

I guess noone bothered to check out Salt Lake city, Utah, where all the Utard Morons, I mean Utah Mormons live.

Talk about a rude bunch of people!!

What little services are here, give conflicting stories about each other. One will say that so and so will provide, food, or clothing, etc. and when you call them they either say they haven't provided that service in years, or never have provided it, or do not have the money to provide that.

Then you have the people who just could give a rats ass whether you live or die and don't care to help you period.

Forget about panhandling to get something to eat, wash your clothes, etc. They think it's ok to give their money to the drunks and other denigrates, but God forbid they give anything to a clean, well mannered person who needs it.

The Moron Church, I mean Mormon Church has set up a "Welfare Office" for the poor, where they ask you to work for any assistance you receive. That's GREAT!!! I LOVE that idea!!! I'd rather work for assistance, anyway.

BUT...... Then they tell you you can't have the assistance you need and are asking for.........????? WTF????

Forget about going to any other Bishop for assistance, my ex and I were told "I'm not likely to use church funds for that." (We were asking for rental assistance and told him we would each work 32 hours to pay it back.)
(F*#@ing P*#@%*)

[beatonthestreet]

Ten Meanest Cities July 2009

While most cities throughout the country either have laws or engage in practices that
criminalize homeless persons, some city laws or practices stand out as more egregious
than others in their attempt to criminalize homelessness. The National Law Center on
Homelessness & Poverty and the National Coalition for the Homeless have chosen the
following top 10 meanest cities during 2007 and 2008 based on one or more of the
following criteria: the number of anti-homeless laws in the city, the enforcement of those-laws and severity of penalties, the general political climate toward homeless people in the-city, local advocate support for the meanest designation, the city’s history of-criminalization measures, and the existence of pending or recently enacted
criminalization legislation in the city. Although some of the report’s top 10 meanest
cities have made some efforts to address homelessness in their communities, the punitivepractices highlighted in the report impede true progress toward solving the problem.

1. Los Angeles, CA
2. St. Petersburg, FL
3. Orlando, FL
4. Atlanta, GA
5. Gainesville, FL
6. Kalamazoo, MI
7. San Francisco, CA
8. Honolulu, HI
9. Bradenton, FL

10. Berkeley, CA


Homes Not Handcuffs

:

The Criminalization of Homelessness in

U.S. Cities full report

To my surprise, i havent seen this reported mainsteam yet...

[E_R_Rose]

WOW!! Looks like someone has their blinders on, huh??!!! - Namaste.

You can try to sugar coat what "Daddy" does all you want, honey, but it doesn't change the fact that homeless people ARE being persecuted by those in higher power positions all across the globe.

It is especially prevelant here in the United States and VERY appaling due to the fact that we are SUPPOSED to be a FREE COUNTRY!!!

This country was founded on the right to be free in ANYTHING we decide to do for ourselves, yet peole are being persecuted for doing something they were given the right to do!!

Your "DADDY", dearie, isn't changing anything and is simply trying trying to make a name for himself.

It's the same thing as when the Elders of the church during Jesus' day stood in the middle of the church on prayer days and said; "Father, look at me! Am I not better than the Tax Collector? Do I not attend church, tithe, give offerings, and pray to you?"

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah .............

Do you remember this Bible verse???

You are as much a hypocrite as that man was standing up and bragging about all that he had done.

You will get your come uppance, sweetie, just as he did. If you don't remember that verse, let me refresh your memory:

While the Elder bragged about all that he had done, the Tax Collector humbly grovelled on the floor asking God to forgive him his sins.

The Elder got what he had come for; recognition of all he had done and that was ALL he got.

The Tax Collector also got what he came for; forgiveness of all his sins.


Wanna take a wild guess who is sitting in Heaven with Jesus right now???

And will you and your "Daddy" be sitting with God in Heaven when the times comes, or have you already gotten what you came for........... BRAGGART????


Rose: I think you are right, a review of this persons reason for signing up on this forum SHOULD be made!! (Streetseen: HINT, HINT)

[prime rib]

I once hitch-hiked from LA to Maine to Fla. to Seattle.
Then up thru Canada, the Yukon, and the Alcan to Alaska.
A big criss-cross on the map and an entire summer on the road.
Most places were freindly -- Fla. was not.
I can honestly say I was hastled there more than anywhere.
Only the panhandle region was cool there.
Great for older people.
Not so for homeless folk.

[Jor-EL]

Anyone here ever been to Eugene, Oregon ? I vacationed for one week there back in 1999 and it seemed like a place that would be compassionate towards the homeless.

[Pacific]

Anchorage has not been the place to be homeless lately.

see dirtydetox.com

[horfiril]

I would have to say Fort Lauderdale, Florida should be at the top of that list, I spent most of my days on the streets here, and it is a horrible place to be stuck.

[prime rib]

You can find good and bad towns anywhere big or small.
When I was on the road I was stuck for days in the tiny one dog town of Peru, Illinois.
Approximate population, in my guess, of a thousand people at most.
I was spit at, threatened, chased, thrown at, cursed at, you name it I got it.
For a small mid-western town I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
I camped out in a small park and was chased out.
I tried to buy a burger and was refused service.
I tried to ask for help and told to get lost (I was trying).

After three days there this guy finally gave me a lift out.
I told him my plight of the last three days.
He told me that, two years before, a hitch-hiker came thru
that little town and was picked up by young couple with a
three kids in a large van.
The hitcher robbed them and murdered the entire family.
He told me I was lucky I didn't get shot.
Keep on truckin'...

[chimeric]

Originally Posted by noneshere

...And the mission back when I passed through was run by a Registered Sex Offender , "Ralph". Go figure........How can a sex offender not only work at a shelter , but run it as "inn keeper"?

While your post didn't state it to be the case, might this shelter be a haven for convicted sex offenders? I don't mean that in a negative way, either. Most people don't know that indigent sex offenders don't have anywhere legal to live or work in most places and so even if their sex offense was their only previous crime, by preventing them from living and working most places legally, we almost guarantee that it won't be their last.

That said, there are some things to be said for a sex offender running a shelter. Of course, if it is a women's and children's shelter (and his offense was against women and/or children) he shouldn't be around people he might be tempted to victimize. However, if it's a men's shelter and he has never victimized men, what's the harm?

It would be like saying "How can they let a convicted drug dealer around dynamite?" The one has nothing to do with the other.

There are few if any shelters that will take registered sex offenders, who make up a higher-than-average percentage of the homeless in the USA. In Florida, the state parole board are releasing sex offenders to live under bridges because there are no places for them to go. (find the story here)

Now, many people may feel that preventing sex offenders from having a place to stay or a job is justified because of their past, however these people should legislate their governments to sentence all sex offenders to live without the possibility of parole for the first offense or face the consequences.

What are the consequences? Well, just look at Germany following WWI. The strictures placed on that country were severe to the point that virtually all historians agree that WWII was an inevitability.

By releasing sex offenders from jail, but making it virtually impossible to then survive--even in a homeless shelter--what does this society think is going to happen? Do we think these people are just going to go away? By making it illegal for sex offenders to live nearly anywhere or work nearly anywhere, what do we expect that they'll then do? Die? That may be wishful thinking in many minds, but it is hardly realistic or productive.

So, if this shelter does not provide services to "Ralph"s target victims, the description of the neighborhood you gave where the shelter is located should please even the staunchest opponent of rights for sex offenders.

[billyjack]

I was in san francisco ca. Homeless and let me warn you people what is happing over their its bad realy bad i dont recomend anyone going to sf this is why. Let me give my email if you want more information billyjranaya@yahoo.com . Ok about 4years ago satan showed up over their on howard st and freemont st at the gymboree building 2nd floor and the satanic people and their children were exprimenting useing satan power doing all kinds of stuff.and they made a deal with satan that they would be the royalty a the new world order of satans rulership and those people all pleaged alegence to satan and got implanted with a micro chip the size of a grain of rice company is called lighting gps implants. That way they can be found any were in the world it evenworks in buildings and is powerd by molecular electricity from nero comucations from yor brain to your musels. Any way the people that dont want to worrship satan were fighting them but they were getting ambushed they are loseing cause them evil people will cut of

[billyjack]

Hi every one i lived homeless in sac. Ca. I useto go to loaves and fishes and eat lunch and sit around their yard were they let the homeless stay during the day. Or i would go to the capitol building theres a park behind it with a lot of old trees and benches to sit on and i would go back towards loaves and fishes and turn left go down that street and it will lead to a shelter but it is allways full so they let about 50 of us to sleep out side on the side walk. [moderated- see this thread] Cause i was over there for 4years And its very bad i would like to tell my story that way other homeless wont get traped or made to obey theevil

[homelessphil]

i know some one that has panhandled in sarasota. Jerry springer gave him a twenty. Sarasota is a rich town. alot of millinares live there. the best way to be homeless is out of sight out of mind. if you push a shopping cart with your shit in it the cops in a rich city are going to bust your balls.

[billyjack]

i think that being homeless has its problems, but dont go to san francisci calif, because if you do you will be forced in to rapeing and killing people ambush style and forced to worship satan, and he is a asshole!

[Pacific]

Originally Posted by billyjack

i think that being homeless has its problems, but dont go to san francisci calif, because if you do you will be forced in to rapeing and killing people ambush style and forced to worship satan, and he is a asshole!

He is an asshole usually, but you can't be forced to worship him against your will.

The violence is deffinitely out of control. San francisco is a hazardous place I guess.

[macdoodle]

UPDATED LIST-
"Criminalizing homelessness is not only an inhumane way of approaching people who are poor and vulnerable, but is counterproductive in dealing with the problem of homelessness," said Tulin Ozdeger, NLCHP Civil Rights Program Director. "It costs more to jail a person than it does to provide permanent supportive housing."

The report also includes information about costs studies examining criminalization measures, constitutional challenges to measures that criminalize homelessness, how criminalization measures violate human rights law, as well as constructive alternatives to criminalization.

The report recommends that cities adopt constructive measures, such as developing innovative strategies to allocate more city funds for permanent housing, job training and services for homeless people. In addition, NLCHP and NCH recommend that the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, recently charged by Congress with developing such alternatives, urge cities to stop criminalizing homelessness and adopt such constructive measures instead.

Top Ten Meanest Cities:
1. Los Angeles, CA
2. St. Petersburg. FL
3. Orlando, FL
4. Atlanta, GA
5. Gainesville, FL
6. Kalamazoo, MI
7. San Francisco, CA
8. Honolulu, HI
9. Bradenton, FL
10. Berkeley, CA

http://www.nlchp.org/news.cfm?id=108

PLEASE NOTE: The indicator: Any city/county that does not have a transitional shelter for physically disabled single adults and does not have move in assist for people who are disabled (other than from institutions for persons who are not homeless and are dev delayed) Will be a mean city/county with long term homelessness at issue.

[Nightshift]

I can personally vouch for Atlanta being hard on the homeless. Their main solution for the problem is to bully them around and if that doesn't work, bust them and cram them into overcrowded jails. What a shameful disgrace.