Jackson Free Press

Tonight, the City is hosting a dinner for Jackson's homeless. It's a gift to that population the city insulted and injured the rest of this year. It reminds me of the gifts the Wise Men took to Bethlehem. There they found a homeless, hungry, freezing child. Did they give the child and his family a home, food and clothes? No; they gave gold, frankincense and myrrh. All symbolic gifts--which made the Wise Men very proud, but did very little for the neediest in that manger that night.

What other gifts has the City given the homeless this year? In November, the City Council passed an ordinance criminalizing panhandling in downtown Jackson. If one of the homeless men at tonight's dinner walks outside afterwards and asks someone for a dollar, that man can now be arrested.

Over the summer, our mayor declared a curfew that specifically required homeless men and women be indoors by 10 p.m., overlooking the problem that homeless people, by definition, have no doors to go into,--not to mention the greater problem that the City had no compelling reason to pass such a curfew. When the curfew drew national attention (none of it good), the mayor declared that the curfew would be voluntary. A voluntary curfew? Under penalty of disapproval, I suppose.

The mayor will be at tonight's dinner. I hope he runs into the same homeless men he patronized over the summer. I heard him during the curfew debacle promise about two dozen homeless men and women that he would get them each apartments with, as he put it, doors with keys that lock. I hope they ask where those apartments are. I hope they ask him why the City feels that one warm meal eclipses a year of harassment and empty promises.

One ironic note about the City's new anti-panhandling ordinance (beyond the obvious): When the Council was discussing the merits of the ordinance, they mentioned in shocked tones that some homeless are actually going inside churches to ask for money. Imagine! The nerve of those homeless going into a House of God to ask for charity. Perhaps they'd heard Jesus' words that as we do unto the least of humanity, we do it unto Him.

Tonight, unto Him the City does something right and kind. Tomorrow they will put Him in jail.

Previous Comments

ID

109618

Comment

You didn't hold back at all, did you? :-) The Bible says that it is better not to make a vow than to make a vow and break it. An unfulfilled promise of homes for the homeless is the lowest of the low.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2006-12-22T12:43:39-06:00

ID

109619

Comment

Perhaps Melton, instead of taking on young boys the he seems to end up further criminalizing instead of rehabilitating, should take up a new cause on shelter the homeless in his house.

Author

Jeff Lucas

Date

2006-12-22T13:20:20-06:00

ID

109620

Comment

How'd this go, Brent?

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-12-26T12:05:45-06:00

ID

109621

Comment

I heard him during the curfew debacle promise about two dozen homeless men and women that he would get them each apartments with, as he put it, doors with keys that lock. I hope they ask where those apartments are. Brent Those apartments are at "The Carter" as Kim Wade called Frank's house on Carter Grove.... just like in New Jack City... you can't make this stuff up...

Author

pikersam

Date

2006-12-26T12:25:37-06:00

ID

109622

Comment

Donna, I'd say it was successful in that many hungry people were served food and given a place to sleep for the night. Praise for Councilman Tillman who attended the dinner.

Author

Brent Cox

Date

2006-12-27T17:56:13-06:00

ID

109623

Comment

Did the mayor not attend? I thought he was hosting it.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2006-12-27T18:50:53-06:00

ID

109624

Comment

I saw a picture (in the C-L) of the mayor sitting, eating and chatting with some of the homeless people who attended (unless that was a file photo of when he fed them pizza this past summer).

Author

Kacy

Date

2006-12-27T19:32:55-06:00

ID

109625

Comment

Yes, the mayor was there.

Author

Brent Cox

Date

2006-12-27T20:56:23-06:00