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I think the burden of proof is on your position. When activists in my area pick a fight with local government, it's never over that invisible group. Indeed, as
by mrngld 23d ago
I think the burden of proof is on your position. When activists in my area pick a fight with local government, it's never over that invisible group. Indeed, as far as I can tell, they don't give a rip about the veterans living in the forest over by the VA hospital. I've never seen them over there. They're too busy picking fights defending the ones pooping at the downtown parks (and not in the public toilet) or trying to get city funding and approval for safe drug use, etc.
Now, you're right that there are people that do care and put tremendous effort into that more invisible group. Churches and church-backed organizations do a lot of that. Difference is, except for fund-raising from like-minded folks (and a lot of them hate even asking for money), they go about their work quietly, without seeking attention or reward.
There'd be the possibility of joining forces, but not with the DSA-types that jump in the limelight and scream the loudest and advocate for free needles. The people doing the bulk of the hard work don't want to make a statement on Palestine, they just want volunteers for the hard-to-staff weekday shower-cleaning shift. They need men willing to be mentors, etc. They care about the actual people they're serving, not trying to bring about glorious revolution. The two groups aren't compatible at the moment.
- adwn 23d ago> they just want volunteers for the hard-to-staff weekday shower-cleaning shift This may sound like a loaded question, but I assure you, that's not my intention. If you want to provide for those "invisible" homeless, who aren't drug addicts or mentally ill, shouldn't the primary volunteer pool consist of exactly those invisible homeless people? Or in other words, once you have organizers, why do you need external volunteers for cleaning the showers?
- miriam_catira 23d agoPoint in case - my 75-yr-old retired parents staff one of those church showers in one of the most affluent towns south of SF. They have time, because they're retired. The people using those showers can't volunteer, they have jobs they have to get to. That's the point here, the invisible homeless are people who are _fully employed_ but they're still too poor to have homes to live in.
- hackable_sand 23d agoHN comments always seem to be driving in the right direction and then yank the steering wheel at the last moment. Gotta be some kind of weather vane for you guys.
- adwn 23d agoPlease elaborate. Where does my comment leave the "right direction"?