Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: The homeless are people

Thursday, March 28, 2002 | 8:31 a.m.

MOST PEOPLE WOULD AGREE that the large number of homeless people living around Foremaster Lane could create health problems. The lack of toilet and shower facilities for those living on the streets almost guarantees some health problems. The only bigger problem is the way Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has tried, and failed, to solve it.

Running the homeless from place to place, in and out of the city, is not only wrong, it could be considered a crime. Certainly this is not appropriate treatment of fellow human beings. Las Vegans, in my neighborhood, treat their cats and dogs more kindly. Sunday, when it was raining, pets were brought into homes and not locked out or chased into the desert outside of town.

The mayor keeps telling us that there are beds and shelter for all of the homeless. This isn't what reporters are finding when seeking information from agencies providing sleeping quarters. Somebody is wrong, and it's not the newspaper and television reporters of Las Vegas.

The herding of homeless people from one street or lot to another street or lot just isn't a good or decent solution. There are some criminals among them and some do prey on others. Yes, and, sad to say, some have mental health problems. Before we get too excited about their shortcomings, when compared to the rest of society, a little introspection would be most appropriate. Where do we think these people come from? They come from the society in which we live.

Incidentally, only a small percent of the mentally ill and the bad actors are homeless. So where are they? They are living in our neighborhoods in houses and quietly receiving care or have expensive lawyers keeping them out of jail. Just because a guy has legal help, a steady job and an expensive car doesn't make a better human being than a homeless person. Humanity comes in all sizes and shapes despite our efforts to compare some unfavorably to the lives we have carved out for ourselves.

For several years I had the privilege to know homeless people fed by the Catholic Workers. They weren't just a bunch of bums. Many would ask to be fed early so they could get picked up for a job that day. Some would work several hours in the heat or cold and still not make enough money to rent a room for the night. Others wouldn't have the opportunity to join them every day to work for less than minimum wages without any benefits. No, they aren't all just misfits or lazy, but they are all human beings.

The late Dr. Elias Ghanem was always willing to help those we directed to him for medical help. I don't know who helps them now, but in Los Angeles the homeless receive medical help. Reporter Sandra Murillo of the Los Angeles Times reports from that city's streets:

"The doctors that night were UCLA medical students, public health students and undergraduates who volunteer three or four times a month to provide basic medical care to the city's homeless. Officially known as the UCLA/Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition Mobile Clinic Project, the group has been caring for the homeless at the intersection of Sycamore Avenue and Romaine Street in Hollywood since October 2000."

Almost two years have passed since I recommended that the Las Vegas mayor and City Council take a look at the success of Metropolitan Ministries of Tampa, Fla. Tampa has recognized the problems large gatherings of homeless people have created for public relations. The organization has 18 places where the homeless and hungry can be served. Several religious and social groups form the Metropolitan Ministries. Baptists, Methodists, Catholics and university groups are but a few contributing members.

There are some solutions, but pushing the homeless around, like is done in Las Vegas, isn't one of them. After several years of this brutal nonsense the local political leaders should have learned this much. Solving these problems won't be easy or inexpensive, but there are humane solutions.