Letter to the Editor: Treatment of Those Less Fortunate

SANDRA WEAVER, San Clemente

I am continually appalled and dismayed at the people here in San Clemente who simply won’t give up on harassing and demeaning their less fortunate brothers and sisters, whom they refer to as “the homeless” but think of them as “those people,” vagrants, panhandlers and much worse. 

They have moved them from North Beach to a homeless “park” with more rules and regulations than a religious boarding school. Now, to make sure they don’t camp out at the train stations again, they enacted an ordinance designating those areas “ticket-required areas.”

No ticket, move on. Riders say they are held “hostage” because they have to walk from the train to their car and be confronted by whatever awaits you there? These pompous, holier-than-thou folks don’t even consider “those people” human beings.

There are signs now at 7-Eleven stores telling people not to offer food or assistance to people gathering there. Why don’t they tell it like it is and post a sign: Please do not feed the birds. And there’s more!

Now they are telling our less fortunate brothers and sisters they cannot have a four-sided tent. Why? Because law enforcement can’t see what’s going on inside. So, that means all of us who are fortunate to have a four-sided domicile must leave one door open at all times so that law enforcement can see what is going on inside? Fair is fair.

Oh, and, yes, those large tents take up considerable space at parks and can be an “eyesore” in green spaces. I have seen the many mansions here in San Clemente that our “fortunate” call home. They take up quite a bit of green space, too.

We have just enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday, and most of us “fortunate” spent it with family and friends and lots and lots of delicious food and drink. Our city does offer those in need (an opportunity) to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner one day that week, and a local pizza establishment issues an open invitation to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner with them.

Now the city is being sued once again for not doing enough to provide shelters to those in need.

Will those “fortunate” here in our city ever open their hearts and minds to recognize those in need as their brothers and sisters and lend a hand? 

It remains to be seen.