Call it a hangover. One that lingers long after a weekend of frivolity and imbibing. One that never goes away if you move through life taking in your surroundings rather than moving past them.
One that has no end in the foreseeable future and appears to only be getting worse.
The morning after Independence Day, after the smoke from the fireworks had cleared and the detritus of the picnics and parties sat uncollected in gutters and overfilled trash cans, the homeless remained.
We celebrate America.
Our glow sticks illuminate our flag-adorned T-shirts and Bald eagle trucker caps as we belt out the chorus to “Born in the USA” and we proclaim pride in being American.
USA! USA! USA!
Sometimes, it sticks in your throat. Especially when you ponder what it means to be American.
Does being American mean accepting that rampant homelessness is a way of life in the land of opportunity? Does it mean turning our backs and turning a blind eye toward those who have lost everything? Even, tragically, hope.
Does it mean vilifying and criminalizing those who have no place to call home and no place to go other than the streets, and even that last refuge is being stripped away.
San Diego recently passed an ordinance that bans encampments in public spaces if shelter beds are available. Violators face criminal sanctions. Other cities in the county are considering similar measures.
Over time tent cities in public parks and canyons have proliferated. No doubt they are a blight in our communities and neighborhoods. But more importantly they are a reminder that we have failed.
We have failed our part in providing enough meaningful resources to prevent families from losing their homes. We have failed in making sure the mentally ill receive the care and treatment they need before they find themselves tossed out with nowhere to go.
We have failed to provide livable wages and affordable housing to the people who bought into the “American Dream” in the same way the homed have.
If being American means having a responsibility for one another’s general well being, we’re failing. How do we celebrate that?
