SAYING IT LIKE IT REALLY IS .. in 60 seconds "GO!"

i have listened twice now to each (new) person's 60 seconds of truth..    [we've been hearing from non-profits, advocates for the homeless for years]; 

public safety is being utterly ignored, while homeless criminals are supported, enabled & empowered.

what law abiding, tax paying, hard working people of San Jose are being forced to put up with is CRIMINAL. just LISTEN to the testimonies regarding this truth begin at 3:21 on the youtube video of THIS MEETING.

my collage here is not of everyone who spoke at open mic. it is, on purpose, a collage of the people who shared their true horror stories of what is taking place because crimes by homeless people are allowed; ignored; excused. frustrating to me, that our government system gives people 60 seconds to encapsulate what they've been dealing with for years. But WOW to how well people condensed, highlighted and bullet pointed their experiences. VERY POWERFUL 60 SECOND SPEECHES!! all of them..

everyone here supports Mayor Matt Mahan's 'responsibility to shelter' initiative; for excellent reasons.

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when time allows, i will post the various testimonies. it is one thing to be told, another to listen.. and another to read.

in progress..

My names is Elva Wilson.  I came here from Mexico with my family working the fields as a migrant worker, enduring the dangers of crop dusters dropping pesticides over our heads. 

As a woman and as a person of color, I have  experienced poverty.  I have experienced oppression.

My heart sinks when I see a drug addicted or mentally ill brown person living outdoors in squalor. 

A vote against Responsibility to Shelter is an oppressive act against a vulnerable people. 

This Council has the power to stop this oppression.  Help people, who can’t help themselves.  Please support the Mayor’s proposal.  

And please support the Mayor’s Pay for Progress/Performance proposal.  It would hold elected officials more accountable to residents.  There should be no hesitation from the Council to accept this.  Council should not be determining their own merit-based compensation utilizing public funds.  

This proposal would only bring the matter before voters to decide.  As Councilwoman Campos just stated, voters should always be the ultimate deciders.  

*

I am a witness

I have witnessed this pattern over and over:

You have a thriving business

Homeless park themselves in front of the business

Paying customers stop going  -the homeless remain.

The business loses customers, revenue, employees; and is forced to close.

The once thriving business is boarded up and covered in graffiti.

It is criminal to allow that to happen.

I am a witness

I have witnessed this pattern over and over:

You have a beautiful green belt, a lovely park, a dedicated walking/biking trail

enjoyed and respected by countless families.

Homeless set up camp and colonize. Destroy the health & beauty with toxic trash.

Countless Families avoid and then stop visiting the area. Never bring visitors.

These areas are literally being stolen from people who once enjoyed them

It is criminal to allow that to happen.

I stand 100% behind Mayor, Matt Mahan in his efforts to keep San Jose businesses open, and return our beautiful outdoor areas to safe and clean places people can enjoy again.

Sandra Mickanen

*

My sister’s son, who is mentally ill, drug addicted, and violent, has been in and out of jail for years for assaulting her. Each time he was released with no consequences, and no mandatory treatment. His assaultive attacks on her grew more violent each time. Six years ago, he murdered my sister. My sister and my family are the victims, not him.

Many of the homeless are mentally ill, drug addicted, and violent. They are committing multiple crimes in our city. They are not the victims, we are. They need to be held accountable for their crimes. Homelessness is not a free pass to commit crimes.

I worked as a Santa Clara County Correctional Deputy for 27 years. Many of the inmates are homeless, mentally ill, drug addicted, and violent. When they get released, they go back to living on the streets with no treatment. The city and county need to place these criminals in lockdown treatment facilities.

Robert Mickanen, Berryessa San Jose

*

 -Tom Wilson..

The squalor in encampments is an extreme health risk to all. Perhaps worse, is the danger brought about by mental illness, drugs, weapons, crime and violence.

We must do better, yet, many Council members are content funding the non-profits, who have failed for decades to bring homeless people indoors.

To perpetuate their funding, the non-profits have stacked this podium today with shills spouting misinformation so they can continue riding the gravy trains of government contracts.

I support the Mayor’s “Responsibility to Shelter” proposal.

No one should be living and dying on the streets in San Jose. While we’re building needed shelter, we must act immediately to move the drug addicted and mentally ill into treatment.

Too many people are refusing shelter and treatment, even when offered private units with bathrooms, kitchens, and services.

By continuing with the current failed policies—people suffer, but, with new innovative solutions, we can save lives.

I urge the Council to support the Mayor’s proposal. 

OPEN LETTER TO NYT REPORTER: WE SUPPORT San Jose, CA MAYOR, MATT MAHAN

 Hello Soumya, I've read, a few times, your 'San Jose Considers Arresting Homeless...' article; and have read your NYT bio, 

My husband and i have been very active regarding the issue of homelessness in our neighborhood and city

I will provide links at the end of this should you be interested to read more, but to keep this short in respect of your time, -request the following consideration:

We have been hearing, and re-reading, and as was covered in your article, the root cause of homelessness as an 'economic' issue; directly correlating with 'cost of living.' 

And the picture painted with your words:  tesla drivers, leather seats, charging their cars/cell phones, while directly across the street, charity groups handing out peanut butter sandwiches to homeless campers..

Actually,  -it is an easy picture to capture; contrast directly across the street. 

There is a more, equally real, equally worthy, but more difficult picture to capture, which, instead of juxtaposing tesla owners with homeless tent dwellers

juxtaposes homeless tent dwellers with: 

 the enormous amount of people who  -exactly because the cost of living is so high-  moved out of the area, to other places within california, to other states; to other countries.   These people responded to the high cost of living by MOVING out of the area; FINDING NEW EMPLOYMENT..   FINDING new places to work, contribute, raise their children.   There is a LARGE population of people who did not  -have not-  will not, respond to the current 'economic' circumstances by staying put, living on the streets, begging, panhandling, loitering, taking/selling drugs, colonizing store fronts, parks, creekways, accumulating toxic waste.

We would love to see this juxtaposition covered:  tent dwellers /  the hard working who relocated.   We have both friends and family members who have left the bay area; moved to Montana, moved to Idaho, moved to New Mexico, moved to Texas, moved to Washington; they would all rather be here

We have watched, what we call the HTLC Community [hard working, tax paying, law abiding, contributors] -leave

while we watch the homeless populations grow; colonize creekways with pollution, colonize shopping plazas closing stores (where people were working); one by one until entire shopping areas are boarded up, closed and covered in graffiti.

We stand with our Mayor, Matt Mahan, who seems to be working tirelessly on this issue.  We want to save our shopping plazas; support our local business owners; restore San Jose to its former glory

We want to bring people up; not ALL be brought further down.. which is the current trend, when homeless colonize and close once thriving areas. 

Thank You for reading and caring.

Additional reading if time/interest allow:

24 Powerful Testimonies

NOTonNOBLE.blogspot.com   [a long, hard fought victory to not have 100 bed homeless site built on our local park across from an elementary school]. 

Blessings,  Robert & Sandra Mickanen,  San Jose, CA

WriteousMom.com@gmail.com