It’s about “behavior” and it won’t “bring us the results we are looking for”. Ha! I bet.
This was handed out at the Equal Opportunities Commission last night. It’s pretty offensive.
Message to:
City of Madison Equal Opportunities Committee (EOC)
August 8, 2013Downtown Madison, Inc. (DMI) is a membership organization that advocates for a healthy and vital downtown Madison. Our membership is diverse, representing small and large businesses, downtown residents, property owners, architects, planners, non-profits and many more that care about the health of our downtown.
Much of our work focuses on creating a welcoming public environment for all who visit, work and live downtown. DMI is aware of the challenges that exist with the homeless population who frequent our center city. The Madison community is fortunate to have a number of excellent service providers who work with less fortunate people to help meet their basic needs, find housing, and return to the workforce. We work and communicate with these agencies (including the Madison Police Department) on a regular basis and they have been excellent partners.
DMI has also learned that in order to be part of the solution while being true to our mission, it is vital to focus on behaviors when addressing all downtown issues. This focus on behaviors has been a very helpful guidepost when working with complex issues of personal and community responsibility and also with issues concerning safety matters.
It is important for our community to have a clear understanding of what the expected standards of conduct (behavior) are for its public spaces. We would therefore encourage the EOC to keep the issues surrounding behaviors as one of the guidelines for the EOC’s discussion. We are concerned that a “Homeless Bill of Rights” puts the homeless population in a separate class from the rest of the population. We are not sure that such a measure will bring the proper help and assistance needed to the homeless or improve the behaviors in downtown public spaces.
At this time, DMI does not think that focusing community efforts on a “Homeless Bill of Rights” will bring us the results we are looking for. And we look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the City of Madison, Dane County and all agencies that provide assistance to the homeless population in our city so that they have the opportunity to a better life. Thank you.
Susan Schmitz
DMI President
I can see why they would rather focus on the “behavior” of homeless persons instead of the bigoted practices of our community. It’s hard to look in the mirror. I can see how “the results we are looking for” might be in conflict with the needs of people who are out of shelter time, have no case managers and have been left to figure things out by themselves which is near impossible without certain resources (lockers, restrooms, showers, laundry, computers, a place to sleep safely). I can see why they would be opposed to rights of the homeless that include the right to use public spaces when what the downtown businesses just want the homeless to go away and be invisible so they don’t mar the pretty disneyland vision they have for the downtown.
I’d like to hear their reasons for why they would be opposed to giving the homeless rights such as:
– The right to use public spaces.
– The right to eat, share, accept or give food or water.
– The right to equal treatment by all State and municipal agencies
– The right not to be discriminated against while seeking or maintaining employment due to his or her lack of permanent mailing address or his or her mailing address being that of a shelter or social service provider.
– The right to pray, meditate or practice religion in public spaces.
– The right of youth or their parents to choose where the youth go to school
– The right to confidentiality of records
– The right to emergency medical care
– The right to vote, register
– The right to be free form arbitrary arrest, detention, or deportation, handed over to another law enforcement agency, or deported, without guarantees necessary for his or her timely defense.
What does any of this have to do with “behavior”? It has to do with decency, dignity, respect and equal rights and the right to be free from harassment. That’s scary stuff. I can see how that might not lead to “the results we are looking for” according to DMI.
Admittedly, the Bill of Rights could potentially challenge two ordinances that DMI supported – one allowing police and other city staff to throw out homeless belongings if they are worth less than $50 and the panhandling ordinance. So I can see how they might not like it – especially if they have to treat tourist and business owners property the same as they treat homeless property. That $40 t-shirt someone just bought that they accidentally left on the bench would just be thrown out. (I suppose that might be good for business) And if students looking for a cigarette have to be treated the same as homeless people doing the same thing. Students ticketed might not appreciate the businesses that turned them in and stop going there. I don’t think they meant for the laws to be applied in those circumstances, only to the “behavior” of the homeless persons.
And, admittedly, some of the current practices used to harass homeless persons might be questioned if suddenly a bunch of uppity homeless persons start to believe that they should be treated the same as everyone else and start speaking up about how they were searched or harassed for just being in public spaces. I can see how they might be concerned that that will not lead to “the results we are looking for” according to DMI.
One last thought, DMI has no problem showing up and sending their lobbyists and rallying their troops when it impacts TIF or other government benefits and favors they are trying to get, but when it is about homelessness, they just send a written statement saying they care about homelessness but not enough to actually engage in a discussion in public. They prefer to pat backs and make deals in private.
