Editorial: ‘Meanest’ title is no big shock

Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2003 | 8:42 a.m.

When a respected national organization releases a report citing your city the worst in the country in a particular category, there should be a pledge from the mayor to take the report seriously and make improvements if necessary. This did not happen Tuesday after Mayor Oscar Goodman received word that Las Vegas was named as the "No. 1 meanest city" in the country when it comes to policies and programs for homeless people. Instead, Goodman remarked he wasn't going to "lose any sleep" over the report and then denied that it had any merit.

We were not surprised to see Las Vegas shamed in this manner by the National Coalition for the Homeless, a 17-year-old organization based in Washington. Its report, titled "Illegal to be homeless: The Criminalization of Homelessness in the United States," is based on surveys of 147 cities in 42 states, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The authors based their assessment on the number of "anti-homeless" laws on a city's books, the political climate toward homelessness and enforcement procedures.

Since taking office in 1999, Goodman has systematically dismantled homeless services. Worse, he has used his high-profile office to frequently disparage homeless people. Worse still, he has ordered that homeless people be swept from their forlorn encampments, which they set up largely due to the lack of shelter space in the city.

Maybe Goodman isn't personally losing any sleep over the report -- but his city is losing face. Something is wrong when the "happiest mayor" in the country, as he enjoys calling himself, is presiding over the meanest city.