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Saturday, October 6, 2007

Downtown Dallas’ homeless moves from streets to church parking lot

By Pegasus News wire

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DALLAS — More than 150 people in downtown Dallas' homeless population shifted on Friday from sleeping on sidewalks to the parking lot of First Presbyterian Church on Park Avenue at Young Street.

Thursday night was the end of the city's "Operation Rescue" program, to get people off the street and into shelters. First Presbyterian's Rev. Joseph Clifford doesn't approve of the Operation Rescue Program and is offering a "safe haven", although a spokesman for the program called it successful, saying that out of 72 homeless people approached by social workers, 41 agreed to enter facilities.

Posted by T.G.

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Rick Yost

Rick Yost Verified

Not all the people who call themselves homeless want be rescued. In this example, 31 of these individuals that tell of their sad situations, desperate living conditions, and cry of being on the edge of starvation, aren't all suffering so. At least not enough to want to change it.

How did we decide to gather 72 homeless in one spot, enter 41 of them into shelters or hospitals, and then let the other 31 just stay on the street? 31 people who refused intervention, yet have no where to go, no source of income, no food, and no options, were just allowed to go back to doing what they were doing. What logic is there in allowing anyone to just exist on the street?

Trust me- I am all for personal freedom, but c'mon. If you had no where to go, no source of income, no food, and no options, how would you survive? You might choose desperate measures- no, you'd have to choose them.

9 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bemused Anonymous

Were I to undertake the homeless lifestyle, I would refuse to be swept off the streets by imposter humanitarians. Entering a publicly funded facility where I would be quartered with other vagabonds is the last thing I would desire. In the spirit of Henry David Thoreau, my brand of waywardness would involve defiant individualism, a quality I am yet to detect in most Dallas citizens.

Of course, were I mentally impaired, my outlook might be different. I would likely pass my days in splendid indolence. Traffic lights would be majestic orbs of intrigue.

9 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Clay213 Anonymous

I stayed in a shelter once.

I never went back.

9 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rick Yost

Rick Yost Verified

I agree to a point- I've been to Walden Pond, it looks nothing like downtown Dallas.

9 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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