Mayor Caught in a Lie?

During the meetings on the bench ordinance, the mayor spoke multiple times saying some things that made no sense. He also put them in writing. So, I called the National Coalition of the Homeless to get their side of the story of what they mayor said and wrote – it was wildly different than what the Coalition had to say. Why, I’m not sure, but something definitely isn’t matching up here.

Here’s video of what the mayor said at the Equal Opportunities Commission. (not the greatest video ever, but it works)

Here’s his letter. (note the date which is after the Coalition wrote their letter, sorry for the doodle)

DATE: September 3, 2015
TO: Community Development Block Grant Committee
FROM: Mayor Paul R. Soglin
SUBJECT: Legistar Item 39502

In discussions with representatives and staff of the National Coalition for the Homeless, we were told:

I ) That the West Coast approach (Portland, San Francisco, Seattle) is very compassionate and sensitive to the constitutional rights of the homeless, but absent official rules and regulations has been a fail u re. That the Boston approach which is just as sensitive and compassionate to has been effective in that there are rules and responsibilities in regards to the homeless community. Consequently, there are far few problems in Boston.

2) That it is important not to have large groups of homeless people congregate, particularly when many are facing substance abuse and mental illness challenges. Rather than have one location with forty people, it is far preferable to have ten groups with four people because the smaller groups are less likely to see escalating bad behaviors, and the enforcement of rules is more accepted .

In discussions with psychiatrists, I was told that with the exception of schizophrenics, most homeless people can and will obey rules within a community. This is confirmed by those who operate homeless shelters. Making it very clear that it is not only in the best interest of the larger community, but also the homeless community, to have sets of rules and responsibilities.

We all have a deep concern for the well being of the homeless, but let’s the clear that we have a responsibility to the larger community as well. Since the introductions of these proposals, newly-arrived homeless individuals are responsible for;
• an attempted rape ()n campus,
• an assault with knife, and
• an overdose in the bathroon1of City County Building, accompanied by a forceful confrontation with police and firefighters over the confiscation of drug paraphernalia.

In addition, we have continued problems with hypodermic needles found in areas where children play, and recently experienced an incident involving a chronically-homeless individual washing her underwear in the drinking fountain of the City County Building.

Since the breakup of the seating at Philosophers’ Grove, the dispersed individuals are behaving much better. Law enforcement personnel report improvements in just one week.

The proposed ordinances provide us with the oppo1tunity to disperse groups and enforce ru les. We put millions of dollars into homeless services. We must acknowledge our responsibility to all the people of Madison.

Here’s their response. Letter to Mayor Soglin_Madison_Criminalization

August 31, 2015

Mayor Paul Soglin
Office of the Mayor
210 Martin Luther King Jr. #403
Madison, WI 53703

Dear Mr. Mayor:

We were contacted by a number of advocates from the Madison area asking for clarification on a discussion that you had with stakeholders in the community in which you referenced a conversation with the National Coalition for the Homeless. We need to make clear that it is never the position of the National Coalition for the Homeless to support any ordinance targeting homeless people. We have never supported law enforcement being used to prevent individuals from exercising their constitutional right to sit, lie, eat, or sleep in the public space. This is especially true when there is not universal access to shelter, treatment, bathrooms, and residential mental health care.

As the Justice Department filing in the Bell vs. Boise lawsuit stated, it is a violation of an individual’s right against cruel and unusual punishment to ticket an individual while not offering a place for those individuals to live. Here is a link to the specific filing by the US Justice Department in August 2015 http://www.neoch.org/justice-dpt-criminalization/. Asking law enforcement to arrest or ticket people who have lost their housing is just cruel. NCH opposes using law enforcement in the place of social workers. The proposed legislation as described in media accounts in Madison will make it illegal for homeless people to eat, sit, or sleep in public; essentially making it illegal to be homeless in the city. Such legislation discriminates against the homeless population and potentially violates rights given to all citizens under the U.S. Constitution.

In a taped hearing provided, you stated that it was necessary to pass these laws as the result of an influx of homeless people coming from out of state in order to receive help from the homeless institutions in Madison. You said that the people were coming into Madison simply looking for food, clothing, and bikes, not housing, therefore draining money from the government. You stated that there are many instances of violence caused by the new homeless population including rape, knife fights, and public defecation. While some of these issues are serious crimes deserving of strong law enforcement, others are inconvenient truths after the destruction of the social safety net in the United States. We believe that punishing an entire population of mostly innocent people for the acts of a few is not the proper use of police resources. It is impossible to criticize or compare conduct carried out by homeless people to those who have private space to conduct daily human behavior. For example, sitting on a bench for more than one hour maybe unusual for an individual who has an apartment, but it is a daily occurrence for those waiting for the shelter or drop in center to open.

You indicated that the influx of homeless people from out of state is a result of Madison’s excellent homeless services. We have to wonder if the shelters are so wonderful and generous why are there still so many people on the streets at night, or is a shelter the only response to poverty in Madison? Passing laws forcing people experiencing homelessness off of the streets has proven ineffective in San Francisco, Cincinnati and Atlanta. We have found adding outreach, shelter for all and Housing First is the best way to reduce homelessness. During an interview, you stated that you spoke with the National Coalition for the Homeless and was informed of two approached to homelessness, the Western approach and the Boston approach. We are not sure of this East Coast vs. West Coast dichotomy, but we do know that very few cities are responding effectively to the growing homeless crisis without resorting to arrests and ticketing. Madison could take the lead in creating a “Madison Wisconsin approach” to serving those without housing instead of criminalizing their everyday survival.

Please consider the added time spent homeless for the veteran with PTSD after they are ticketed a couple of times for innocent behavior. Or think about the grandmother without family who lost her apartment to a fire and she begins losing trust in government because she keeps being
harassed by the local police. A mentally ill person does not need a ticket for sitting on the sidewalk, they need to regularly engage with a social worker or counselor. We ask that you take the lead in caring for all those who are struggling with homelessness by finding solutions that increase access to housing and other safety net services.

Sincerely,
Megan Hustings

Interim Executive Director