Posted on 06/11/2015 10:18:36 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
MADISON (WKOW) -- Madison Mayor Paul Soglin's frustration with a growing population of overnight campers at city hall boils over, as the mayor snaps photos of the overflow of homeless persons, and draws the ire of someone sleeping at the building.
Soglin says he took an emergency step when the man became hostile. "Called 911 to bring the police in," Soglin tells 27 News.
Soglin maintains city hall has become a "destination point" for homeless persons, due to the lack of rules on drinking and other behavior homeless shelters impose. But some members of the city-county committee that acts as the building's landlord say overnight campers at the building largely have no other option for a safe place to sleep.
And an eyewitness to the confrontation between the Mayor and the homeless man tells a different story.
"He approached him in a very arrogant way," Cyrus Hunter tells 27 News. Hunter says he's used city hall's porch for shelter at times, but has secured transitional housing. "(Soglin) Said, 'You can't sleep here.' You don't know the history of the man," Hunter says.
Soglin says the situation de-escalated as officers arrived.
Soglin tells 27 News he took photographs because overnight camping had spilled over to the south lawn of the building. "And litter and clothing all over the place," Soglin says, with some of his photos depicting empty alcohol bottles and other litter.
Soglin says his staff members have informally polled overnight campers and found people have rejected other housing options. "There will be more and more drifters coming into Madison...not interested in permanent housing," Soglin tells 27 News.
While city-county liaison committee member, councilperson Mark Clear concedes some people sleeping at city hall "...have been offered shelter, and rejected or sabotaged it," he maintains cracking down on city hall homeless numbers is not productive.
"Moving people around is not the solution," Clear tells 27 News.
But Soglin says the growing number of people staying and sleeping on the building's porch and elsewhere, and littering at times, has created a growing rodent infestation at the building, and other sanitary issues.
Soglin says his representative to the building policy-setting committee will again push for a ban on overnight camping at city hall. Committee members have twice rejected such a proposal, but the voting margin in opposing a ban narrowed in the most recent, eight member committee vote.
It's really awful - you don't want to go NEAR our City/County Building. The people who work there have had bums defecating in the hallways and in their offices! The Mayor does nothing.
Rumor has it many city/county workers are filing a lawsuit over this. As well they should.
But the irony is Oh, So Sweet - unlike the trash and poop and booze bottles scattered all over this TAXPAYER FUNDED PUBLIC PLACE!
Even temporarily giving up booze, drugs and feral animal behavior in return for a night's sleep in a shelter is not an option?
Mayor Soglin (Retread, Hippie Party) VETOES action which would add homeless’ people as a ‘protected class.’
The present public policy of compassion for the homeless with no rules is a failed policy which does not make life better for the homeless community or for the rest of the city, Soglin said.
Supporters of the change took particular issue with Soglin’s third assertion in the veto, arguing that other classifications in the ordinance like marital status or source of income also change over time and that adding more protection doesnt remove other peoples protections.
Ive heard that argument before, or that criticism that theres so many so everyones protected. My response is that everyone should be protected, DeMarb said. This basically calls out and gives rights to those that have been discriminated against.
Ald. Marsha Rummel, who sponsored the measure, agreed, saying the city would not be diluting peoples rights by adding more protected classes.
I just challenge that assumption, she said.
The liberal mayor of liberal Madison is upset about the homeless??? But liberals want us to be compassionate about the homeless and let them p8##$ and s##-$ and sleep wherever they want, to prove how liberal and compassionate we are. Liberals are against clearing out homeless encampments because that is perceived as cruel to the downtrodden homeless peoples. This story is rich in irony,LOL.
THESE PEOPLE WILL NOT STOP.....IT WILL NOT STOP!
HA! Indeed.
If Section 8’ers have the right to crash a private pool party in McKinney, TX, then how does Soglin expect he has the right to demand these same types of individuals be kicked out of City Hall?
The ones hanging around are the worst of the worst - the CRAZIES the Madistan City Council sees fit to let run loose. There are PLENTY of services available for ANYONE that wants them in this burg. It’s an INDUSTRY, fer Pete’s Sake!
They built it, and they came in droves!
This is so amusing...I can’t tell you how amusing! :)
Even aging hippies have their limits
Paulie has obviously reached his, LOL!
Wasn’t Soglin a big time leftist agitator back in sixties and seventies?
One begins to understand how death squads get started.
Tomorrow they will be holding You Wiping My Ass is a human right.
Rights do not require money from other people. If your “right” costs other people money, whatever you’re calling a “right”, isn’t a genuine right.
Well, I’m going to stand up for Soglin. Did he help create the current situation? Well, yes, I suppose if you consider his activist days decades ago, but actually Soglin is a good guy. Is he a misguided liberal? No question about it. But he is a lot less liberal and a lot more reasonable than the old caricature of him would lead you to believe.
The Marxists really don’t like Soglin, just look at the fact that he’s almost always at odds with those buffoons on the city council and county board. The reason Soglin is mayor-for-life in Madison is very simple. All the business types know Soglin and trust him. He is, in fact, a very reasonable and practical guy.
To wit, his now ongoing crusade to get the bums off the municipal building is direct evidence of how far he is from his caricature. And, Soglin is right on this.
These guys don’t want housing, they are brain-addled anarchists and bums. Soglin knows that if this is not fixed - soon - the city will become a mecca for all Midwestern bums. He saw what happened when Madison opened its doors to all the dregs of Chicago and he isn’t going to have an even worse repeat act.
The MENTALITY of the LIBERAL LEFT on display.
Yep. Cut his teeth just like 0bama on Chicago-style politics as a Community Organizer. He’s been Mayor 3 different times.
And...he’s been working on housing the homeless and winning The War on Poverty since 1964. Some track record.
*Rolleyes*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Soglin
I remember the Madistan libs lauding their Red Bike Project years ago that let people use an unoccupied bike that was painted red to pedal free around the isthmus. Then after about a month, all the red bikes were in disrepair, with the few functional ones being monopolized by the homeless. Major lib fail.
I went to High School with Soglin in Highland Park, Illinois, though he was 2 classes ahead of me.I remember he went to Madison in the mid-60s and became a big political player there, playing the champion of anti-war hippies/students, and getting elected Mayor while very young. FINALLY all his chickens have come home to roost.
I don’t disagree with what you’ve said, but it’s the hard-core leftist-stacked Madistan City Council that make him look ‘moderate.’
He is who he’s always been. He’s 70 now, though. Maybe he’s been mugged enough times by now to come around a little? ;)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.