from open mics @ San Jose City Council Budget Mtg 02/11/2025 by Robert & Sandra Mickanen, Tom Wilson

ROBERT MICKANEN’S 2 minute open mic @ san jose city council budget meeting 2/11/2025

youtube link here: @ 4:29:48   

  (which he waited nearly 4 hours in council chambers to share)

The term homeless is too one-sided and misleading. The homeless we see on the streets are not in their situation because of financial difficulty.  The people who end up homeless are the ones who destroy their relationships by their own actions. The actions that force friends, family, and apartment managers to have these dysfunctional people removed from their residence are as follows:

physical violent assaults,

intimidation,

 fear,

 threats,

stealing,

destroying the property,

drug addiction,

verbal assault,

conducting criminal activity,

 not respecting others,

not obeying the home rules,

 filth,

and refusing to be productive and get a job.

Just draining their friends and family financially and mentally. After many chances, there comes a point when their friends and family can’t take the abuse from them anymore and they must leave.

I worked as a Correctional Deputy for Santa Clara County for 27 years and spent a large portion of my time working the maximum-security jail units.  Many of the inmates housed in these units were homeless, violent, mentally ill, or drug addicted individuals. They were placed in single cells because they were a danger to others.  While they were in jail they were provided treatment.  When they got released, they went back to living on the streets with no treatment. 

These individuals need to be given a bed at a treatment facility, allowing them to get help, and by doing so, helps keep the public safe.  By not receiving treatment in a facility, these individuals not only get worse, but they also continue to commit crimes.  They are rearrested repeatedly.  Going in and out of jail. This is putting an unnecessary burden on our Law Enforcement.

My sister was murdered by her son, who was violent, mentally ill, and drug addicted.  He was for years in and out of jail for assaultive crimes.  Each time after being released, he did not receive treatment for his behavior.  His assaultive behavior grew exceedingly more violent each time, resulting in the murder of my sister.

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SANDRA MICKANEN’S 2 minute open mic @ san jose city council budget meeting 2/11/2025

  (which i waited nearly 4 hours in council chambers to share)

 

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TOM WILSON'S 2 minute open mic @ san jose city council budget meeting 2/11/2025

  (which he waited nearly 4 hours in council chambers to share)

Our City’s budget deficit is alarming, but not surprising. The City Council has poured millions into non-profits to counter homelessness, but the spending is merely funding failure. Guided by homeless advocates, non-profits have enabled the unhoused to camp in squalor in our city, while providing little or no help to those in need of mental health and drug addiction treatment.

Surrounding, cities have had similar outcomes with their non-profits and advocates, and are now trying new, tough-love strategies, like strictly prohibiting camping in public. Unfortunately, the individuals displaced by other cities will go to where public camping is tolerated, like here in San Jose. To counter this, you must adopt similar policies to our neighbors. We cannot afford to house the entire Bay Area homeless population!

For our existing six thousand unhoused individuals, we must build temporary, emergency, congregate shelter like Dignity Acres, until permanent solutions are found.

Here is my 3-part plan for reducing the homeless population in our City:

Number one: Redefine San Jose’s “sanctuary city” policy. Since we have no sanctuary, or shelter to offer, we should not attract more unhoused people here with an offer of sanctuary.

Number two: Rather than investing in temporary, high cost, low density, tiny homes, we must partner with the County to build mental health and drug rehabilitation facilities. Until these are built and staffed, tent-cities like “Dignity Acres” must be implemented on an emergency basis. 

Number three: Hire more police dedicated to enforcing laws to: 

A. prohibit public camping and littering

B. to prohibit unregistered vehicles from parking on city streets, and…

C. to enforce a strict “no-return” policy for cleared encampments.