Letter: How about some compassion for homeowners?

Sunday, March 12, 2006 | 7:24 a.m.

Regarding Gail Sacco's ticket for feeding the homeless in Circle Park:

While on the surface, giving someone a ticket for feeding the homeless doesn't sound compassionate, what about compassion for the homeowners who live nearby?

I reside near Jaycee Park and have experienced the problems people such as Sacco create.

While there have always been a dozen-or-so homeless people sleeping and drinking beer all day long in the Jaycee Park, when well-meaning churches and individuals started feeding programs, their numbers swelled to 50-plus. These people aren't simply "homeless," they're mostly persons with severe substance/emotional problems. They destroy our neighborhoods, live in the doorways of businesses or alongside houses, have drunken parties, defecate outside and leave behind thousands of broken beer bottles, clothes, mattresses, garbage and the accompanying stench.

Let Sacco and the others feed the homeless at their houses, not next to ours. Let's see how long Sacco's neighbors put up with the nonsense.

The solution to the homeless problem is with shelters, working in conjunction with local governments and treatment programs to address the issues that create the problems. Handouts simply feed an ongoing cancer in our society. Sacco should concentrate her efforts on solutions, not perpetrating an endless cycle.

Meanwhile, I urge people to stop moaning about Sacco and her "worst ticket in town" and do something meaningful. If you're not a regular contributor to a local shelter, charity or program such as the United Way, then you're not really interested in a solution.

Rob Schlegel, Las Vegas