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.
Excellent point, and well put. And almost simple enough for a leftist to comprehend.
May I steal it to use as a tag-line and/or for other equally evil, conservative, capitalist purposes?
But isn’t that a ‘sanctuary city’?
Soglin, intolerant reactionary ! #HomelessLivesMatter !
Of course! Give us your illegals, your crazies, your gang bangers! There’s room for all here.
As I said earlier, importing these people and having TAXPAYERS foot the bill for them is an INDUSTRY in Madistan. ;)
I remember the libs tried something like that in major cities in either Washington or Oregon. Bikes were made available and all you had to do was put it in a designated rack when you got to your destination. Within a few months, they were all stolen.
[sidebar] They also handed out blankets to the homeless when winter approached. The majority were traded off for bottles of booze.
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