Thursday, December 10, 2009
Police Make No Arrests in Homeless "Outreach"
Posted by Bianca Phillips on Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 8:23 AM
Though homeless people and advocates feared widespread arrests, the police took no homeless people into custody. According to a Memphis Police spokesperson, only five homeless people were encountered. All five were referred to Lighthouse Ministries, and four took the shelter up on the offer.
Police visited 33 homeless encampment sites, but 28 of them had already been cleared of bedding and possessions when police arrived. The police cleared the other five encampments, tossing mattresses and other materials. Those five sites were located at Danny Thomas and Jefferson, Crump and I-240, Madison and Danny Thomas, 128 Adams, and I-240 and Third Street.
Despite the lack of arrests, homeless advocates like Brad Watkins from the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center, remain disappointed at the police department's targeting of the homeless. Watkins has said that police pressure on the homeless will likely push them into other neighborhoods to the north and south of Midtown.
On Friday, December 11th at 6 p.m., the Mid-South Peace & Justice Center is holding a public meeting at First Congregational Church (1000 S. Cooper) in response to the Memphis Police Department's homeless initiative.
Comments (5)
Showing 1-5 of 5
No arrests? Try staking out a Circle K and watch people get harrassed by the "homeless" as they enter.
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I propose a new law in which it is legal to pepper spray panhandlers. It wouldn't take long to have a positive impact.
This is f**ckin' amazing. I saw the Pepper Spray Panhandlers when they opened for Warren Zevon at the Agora Ballroom in Dallas back in '79.
38103,
Then we would have blind, angry panhandlers. Without their sight, they wouldn't be able to find a convenient corner in which to urinate We would end up with panhandler effluent all over instead of every corner, alley trash can, dumpster, light pole, parked car...wait, never mind- I see no drawbacks.
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