'War on the homeless' treats homeless like 'animals,' local advocate says
The City of Abbotsford has apologized for spreading chicken manure over a popular gathering place for the homeless in an apparent bid to drive them out of the city.
"I am deeply sorry for our actions," city manager George Murray wrote in an email obtained by CBC News.
"As city manager, I take this situation very seriously and retain full responsibility for the manner in which we dealt with this incident."
The practice of using chicken manure to drive away the homeless came to light after local advocate James W. Breckenridge wrote a column titled "This Stinks" in the Abbotsford Today community newspaper.
According to Breckenridge, the city has waged an "ongoing war on the homeless," driving people "from spot to spot around Abbotsford like nuisance animals."
Meanwhile, the city has failed to provide a viable housing alternative to camping for the homeless, Breckenridge says.
The City of Surrey used a similar tactic in 2009 - spreading chicken manure outside a busy resource centre for the homeless - but was forced to remove it following outrage from community members.
In Abbotsford, Murray has vowed the city will remove the manure from the site and work with the community to resolve the issue.
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I dislike going to centers for homeless or impoverished people. Even without extreme measures to make them filthy they are, in another sense, cess-pools. There's often a high concentration of stupid, rude, or just ignorant people in them.
The nihilism is overwhelming.
There's lots of people who spend practically their whole day in these places, year after year, forming a sort of group, and if you stop in enough to be recognized but don't try to fit in you'll likely be the victim of dumb stares and nasty comments from across the room.
There's a lot of criminals too. I'm not talking about harmless, small crime, the type that doesn't bother anyone (i.e. stealing a loaf a bread). I'm talking about the psychopathic kind. Go to a downtown drop-in and you're likely to see a bunch of a people who would take your last penny if they got the chance. Get close to them and they'll act like your friend and then try to rip you off somehow.
Cops frequent places like this. Some are respectful, just doing their job, and others are looking to mess up someone's day by harassing them or arresting them unjustifiably.
Shelters? Don't get me started... keep your money and other valuables on your person, even when you sleep. I went to jail because a fake story told to cops over the phone by shelter staff who just happened not to like me ("He cut the phone line with a knife" - uhhh, how are you making the call on that phone then?), followed by two cops arriving who realized the call was bullshit after examining the phone line, then tried to beat me up because I yelled through the door and window that I wanted my locked up property back.
It's not all bad. The above is a biased view. Conditions and crowds vary.
Some resource centers or homeless/poor hangouts are generally ok or even nice. Some social workers are very kind as are some homeless people, even if they are dumb.
After 5 years of exposure to those sort of places though, I've deemed it prudent to avoid them for the most part, unless I want a shower, coffee, or some food.