The following letter was submitted to the LVRJ on Wednesday, August 2, 2006. Hopefully it will be printed...
Used condoms, needles, and broken glass... I own a home in the neighborhood surrounding Huntridge Circle Park and I have been living there for about 4 years now. I enjoy the park weekly and have never witnessed any of the aformentioned. I challenge the city and people of our community to find one single condom, one dirty needle, or one broken piece of glass. These accusations are outright lies and people ought to be ashamed of themselves for trying to dehumanize and slander the working poor and homeless.
As for this ordinance against sharing food with "indigents", the law is unconstitutional, according to the 1st Ammendment. If people do not respect the US Constitution, they ought to move to another country- perhaps a fascist or totalitarian one.
Freedom of assembly... Public parks are public forums and have been traditionally used in order to have gatherings. Whether you want to have a picnic with friends or a protest against the Occupation of Iraq, the parks are constitutionally-protected areas to utilize for these activities.
Freedom of religion... Denying a person the right to share food, a life-sustaining act, is absolutely immoral- no matter what your religious beliefs. The US Constitution protects all people of the United States the freedom of religion. And, for many homeless advocates- feeding the poor is their moral responsibility.
Aside from the rights of those of us trying to keep people from starving, we must also address the very serious issue of homelessness in the Las Vegas Valley. We have a mayor and city council that seems to be incompetent. We have non-profit organizations that seem to be corrupt, inefficient, and overly bureaucratic. And we have a community of people with mixed feelings about the homeless.
While I do not have all the answers, one thing is for sure- Las Vegas is in desperate need of a 24-hour day shelter, where people can get food and a bed any time. Many of our homeless work day labor jobs and need a place to eat and sleep when their work day ends. Also, we need more social service centers.
Regarding the dangers of parks filled with poor people... A wise person once said that if we trade our freedoms for security, we shall have neither. The park is safe enough for my 3 year-old nephew and it is available to the entire community. If the neighbors are scared, they should bring some food and drinks to share. People must realize the fear of the homeless is really a phobia- it is irrational. Poor people are not criminals by default. They are human beings that deserve some compassion.
Food is a right, not a privilege and the community group Food Not Bombs will be having a protest on August 10 at noon at City Hall. We will have hot vegetarian and vegan food for anyone who is hungry. We will demand this new anti-homeless, anti-human rights ordinance be undone- before another person dies of heat stroke and malnutrition!
JOE SACCO