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Compassion, Civility And Homelessness

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 11, 2007

As local residents struggle to find ways to help the area's homeless, recent dust-ups on both sides of Tampa Bay show the limits of even the most compassionate policies.

In Pinellas County, advocates for the homeless are upset about a new government-approved tent city called Pinellas Hope that opened this month. They feel its location away from downtown is a conscious effort to "hide" St. Petersburg's homeless population, and that a city ordinance that prohibits sleeping on the street when there is room in a shelter is unfair.

In Tampa, Sacred Heart Catholic Church was forced to terminate its policy of allowing homeless men to sleep on its steps after fights, foul language, drunkenness and littering became the common. Downtown merchants complained about the men using their bathroom facilities, and pedestrians felt unsafe walking past the church.

The government, the private sector and ordinary citizens should try to aid the homeless, particularly with programs that help them become self-sufficient. Still, basic rules of civility cannot be broken for the sake of compassion.

Every town has laws against vagrancy and littering, as well as nuisance ordinances. These laws are designed not to persecute the homeless but to protect the public.

The homeless deserve our sympathy and aid, but they are not entitled to live wherever they please - without regard for others' property or well-being.

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