Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019 | 2 a.m.
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The mayor has decided to take bold steps to curb the homelessness problem. She proposes making it illegal to “camp out” or sleep on the street. If these folks were capable of not “camping out,” they would get jobs, get clean and sober and reassemble their broken minds. Easy.
But it’s not easy. The same way we went wrong in criminalizing drug abuse, we go wrong in thinking punishing homelessness will prevent homelessness. The tendency is to turn away from deviance in a way that makes us feel cold and hard. But because we can’t fix them, it’s easier to pretend they’re not there.
I have a plan for that (and if your sensibilities run toward squeamish, look away): Bring back insane asylums. These were places where the crazy uncle or skittish auntie were sent away so the delicate amongst us would not be tormented by their presence. I am suggesting a place funded philanthropically to shelter and treat the mentally ill. As with any of the other medical condition, not everyone will be cured. The homeless population is reduced by treating with the goal of reversing mental disease and more directly by removing them from the streets.
Tom Steyer, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Warren Buffett come to mind as members of that 1% club who hold 90% of the wealth. They can put their names on the buildings.
