2009.06.30
Tuesday's letters to the editor
Letter writers discuss the need to oust incumbents, the Korean War, traffic problems and more in Tuesday's letters to the editor.
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rusty you do not know anything about the rescue mission...if is not free room and board. You need to visit this place of help, health and hope before throwing around falsehoods. if people are loitering, then contact the police dept to clean up the area. joy sylvester johnson and family etc do a outstanding, loving, and caring job helping these people.
You should be thanking them instead of tearing them down for the efforts...what if there were no rescue mission, these people would just disappear?
Comment by pammala — June 30, 2009 @ 1:46 pm
Wow, pammala, I may faint...well said. If the picture is as bad as is painted, I think there is a cop we can put on the scene. God Bless the Salvation Army and what they do.
True story, when my son was 4, I was boxing up some of their many toys and stuffed animals to take to the Salvation Army. I explained that maybe some other little boy or girl needed a toy too. He ran out of the room wailing to get his big sister crying "mama's gonna take our toys to the Starvation Army" so of course in our house the name stuck (as did the support for what is truly God's work).
Comment by Sandi Saunders — June 30, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
Facilities for the homeless in Roanoke are so good that I've heard stories of homeless in other cities being handed a bus ticket to Roanoke.
Anyway, as pammala points out, closing the Mission doesn't mean our homeless population would disappear. We'd probably all prefer they have a roof over their head at the Mission than camp out overnight under the bridges, etc.
Comment by Kristen — June 30, 2009 @ 2:21 pm
I agree Pam, Sandi, and Kristen. It is truly God's work taking care of the least among us, and it was never advertised as being easy. Sadly, there are some people like the letter writer who wish troublesome people would just go away. They would like to push an "easy" button to sweep aside inconvenient folks.
Comment by The Professor — June 30, 2009 @ 2:48 pm
"We'd probably all prefer they have a roof over their head at the Mission than camp out overnight under the bridges, etc."
We would all prefer that but that will not happen until the Homeless Shelter gets serious about the problem and lets them drink and smoke in the shelter. That's why many of them are under the bridge. Do we really want to help them or not?
Comment by Henry — June 30, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
I agree Pammala, Sandi, Kristen, and Prof. Go ahead, close it down and then I'd like to see if Rusty is satisfied with the number of people on the streets. Rusty, perhaps you should volunteer an hour or two at the Rescue Mission and see what it's all about before you jump to the conclusion that it is the cause of homelessness and crime in the area.
Comment by HCS — June 30, 2009 @ 3:23 pm
And I agree Pam, Sandi, Kristen, and The Prof. I only wish that we could all be completely independent from any other-need, like Rusty.
Besides, if he were really that concerned with "The loitering, panhandling, drinking, drug use, then you think he'd focus on D.C., and all our states' capitals first.
Comment by Kevin Stevenson — June 30, 2009 @ 3:28 pm
My guess is most of the people there have no intention of being rescued. That if you gave them a home, so as to not be "homeless", they would sell it for what they could get and be back on the street in no time. True compassion would be to have food and shelter available for them but recognize that they have chosen to live their lives as "homeless".
Comment by wayne p. — June 30, 2009 @ 3:58 pm
Wayne - you can go on living your life believing that everyone who has fallen on hard times have "chosen" that path...but I would like to give the same advice to you as I did to Rusty: take a couple of hours and volunteer your time at the Rescue Mission. Then come back here and let us know what you think.
Comment by HCS — June 30, 2009 @ 4:34 pm
everyone?
Comment by wayne p. — June 30, 2009 @ 7:16 pm
most?
Comment by allen bunch — June 30, 2009 @ 8:58 pm
Wayne p.
"True compassion would be to have food and shelter available for them but recognize that they have chosen to live their lives as "homeless".
This is a good point. I've heard of this problem from lots of places: Some homeless are homeless because they just can't accept the shelter environment for some reason or other.
If we can't provide them with congenial accommodations, that doesn't justify not offering them what we can, or having the police round them them up and confine them where they don't want to be.
Comment by Ed H — June 30, 2009 @ 9:58 pm