A couple of interesting articles this past week discussed some newfound efforts on the part of the Greensboro City Council to tackle issues associated with the homeless.
The council passed a measure forbidding their sitting, lying or camping on a public street or highway. In addition, it is discussing stricter rules regarding public urination and defecation.
The city dabbled for the better part of two decades in the process of making the city more “accommodating” for the homeless. For those on the left side of the political spectrum– and after all, that is nearly all we HAVE in Greensboro– that means anything goes.
There is an important role for Christian ministry to the homeless, and for charitable efforts to assist them in various ways. However, cities must maintain civic order and public safety. That is the chief function of local government. A city fails miserably when it refuses to do this.
The city of Greensboro has learned it cannot allow conditions to deteriorate such that citizens are made to feel unsafe. But this is a major change in approach. I don’t know precisely what forces motivated these recent changes– but I suspect it is the powerful commercial real estate industry representing downtown property owners via certain key council members.
A conservative is a liberal who has been mugged.
It would be interesting, Fred, to learn of the specific internal dynamics that led to their doing this.