Cities Deal With Surge In Shantytowns

New York Times:

FRESNO, Calif. -- As the operations manager of a outreach center for the homeless here, Paul Stack is used to seeing people down on their luck. What he had never seen before was people living in tents and lean-tos on the railroad lot across from the center.

"They just popped up about 18 months ago," Mr. Stack said. "One day it was empty. The next day, there were people living there."

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[AN2009]

A truly heartbreaking story -- every American should look through the following slide show.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/03/25/us/20090326-TENTS_index.html

[LooktotheLeft]

See...Bush's "surge" DID work

[drvck70]

Paid ACORN campers!

[finwiz]

Why is Obama not opening up the White House grounds for these people. He could provide them with food and clean water.

[Big0725]

I'm sure you're doing your part.

[victorsays]

This is not shantytowns. It is a new form of "urban camping". People have a lot of free time so they go on urban camping trips.

Looks kind of fun.

[AN2009]

Another example of Chinese "compassion"...

[MsDoc]

test

[MsDoc]

Enough already...

Do any of you think these people care WHY they are there? They think, "OMG...how do I get out of here...what am I going to feed my children? ....What has happened to my life."..and most importantly, "What do I do NOW".

So how about a little less name calling and a little more effort on the parts of all of us.?

I'm part of a group who are making easy quilts for the homeless... we are organizing food drives for the soup kitchens, collecting clothing and supplies... flashlights, grills, pots and pans.

So I beg you all...get active in a positive way to actually help and make a difference in some of these lives. Leave the computer and look through your closets... find an organization that is involved.

How about some toys for the children who are there...school materials...

We used to be a compassionate people. Is that time past?

Do SOMETHING... other than talk.

[MsDoc]

Must be the wrong audience for my rant... sorry to have wasted my time.

[drvck70]

No it was a good rant, where you failed in it though is that never at anytime did you blame or accuse anyone for the situation, say Bush, Reagan, Sarah Palin, Dora, just put the finger on someone, anyone, that's the only way to get a response out of the bobbleheads on here. These people on this board only pretend to care, for political convenience and for bonding purposes, in the end all they really care about is what's in it for THEMSELVES.

[Palemoon]

We give hundreds of billions to the bums that created this economic crisis in order to make sure they don't lose anything.

Yet, we don't give a penny to all of the poor people who were affected by the billionaires who created the problem.

What's wrong with this system? Oh, I forgot. This is how capitalism works.

[finwiz]

is it waterfront?

[PerfectSense]

Barackburgs - the pinnacle of liberal urban planning.

[Jezdukowski]

Right on cue, rushbot! How very clever! Yawn....

[finwiz]

I prefer Obama Nation.

[sonoffestus]

PerfectDum­my........­..........

[victorsays]

I heard Bushville is quite popular.

[ContraEgoiste]

They~have declared class~warfare, and unless we start fighting back, we are all headed to the ranks of serfdom.

Start fighting back now!

Start calling you representatives at all levels and demand, at the threat of their being re-elected again, to start placing strict regulations on the markets and corporate greed.
Demand the return of the Glass-Steagall Act. Demand that corporations "too big to fail" are broken into smaller ones since they represent a danger to the country as it is now well proven.

You can sit there and try to educate tro//s, good luck with that, or make a difference.

"They came for them, and I did nothing. They came for my neighbor and I did nothing. They came for me......"

[MsDoc]

I agree with you...but I also want to help those who are in desperate need right now.

And there are things we can do. It's just that too many people are too lazy or self-centered to do them.

Where has the real American spirit gone?????

[drvck70]

.............and got shot.

[Biyobi]

Dubyavilles.

[Paul]

"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor from sleeping under bridges."

Quote from the French Revolution

[TimeToPunt]

"Let them eat cake!"

Quote from just before the French Revolution

[Palemoon]

That's one of the world's biggest misconceptions. In order to know what I mean, you have to realize the conditions of the time it was said. Bakers could make a cake style bread for cheaper, and therefore to sell cheaper, to the public at large. And it tasted as good, or even better. Marie as actually encouraging people to be economical to get through the tough times and was calling on the bakers to do their part to help out.

It's nowhere near as infamous a statement as the likes of Bush saying "Get out and go shopping" right after a major crisis, or Obama saying "Don't pull your money out of the banks". 2 of the most irresponsible and selfish statements by Presidents.

[StL]

We better come up with more space. With the threat of added taxation, cap and trade, unionization and now the Obama/Greitner we can take control of the company wheel plan we are listening to right now, companies will continue to close and relocate to countries that are friendly to job producers.... We can only pray for that global warming if in a tent in the north.

[mooph]

Welcome to Bushburg

[obamanomics]

No clue why you guys are coming down on the urban outdoorsmen.