by Jack Lee
The special public forum meeting to deal specifically with the homeless problem opened to a packed house. It was hosted by the Chico City Council. All 140 seats were taken long before the meeting officially started. The public eventually was forced to stand up against the walls and hover near the entrance doors, as two TV stations monitored the event.
Typical of most political forums… many words were spoken, but not much was said.
Ninety minutes into the meeting, Mayor Mary Goloff and former Mayor, Ann Schwab, had consumed the bulk of the time bloviating. They were either indifferent or oblivious, to the long line of citizens wishing to speak.
Why the Mayor thought the people came there to hear her drone on shows the kind of disconnect some politicians get when they become too enamored with the sound of their own voice.
Some in the audience (including myself) eventually found their way to a side room. We watched this circus on closed circuit TV. ”She’s wasting too much #$%@ time talking! I can’t take it ” came a comment from our small, huddled group. Amen to that brother.
Aside from the bloviating, I felt like we were being lectured and talked down too as the Mayor went on and on… about this being such an important issue, how they wanted to hear from everyone, but cautioning us to play nice…only what I just said in 15 seconds she took 15 minutes to say. It seemed like the woman would never shut up! M’god, she droned on! Then like in tag team wrestling, Ann “The Verbose” Schwab, took over from Goloff and she too prattled on, depriving the public of their speaking limited time.
The people sitting with me in the side room were soon cussing the TV screen, but at least being in a private room we could vent our frustration! I felt sorry for those in the audience that had to sit there, forced to listen quietly as the council gas-bags took unlimited time pouting off. Finally, a friend of mine said he couldn’t take it any longer!!! He left the confines of our room and rushed over to the council chambers. He boldly walked right up to the public podium and stood there. The Mayor, surprised, said, “What do you want?” as she stopped the meeting. He said bluntly and firmly, “Will you please move this along so people in the audience can speak!” And then he walked out before she could reply.
This resulted in a cheer and loud clapping! At this point the Mayor used her gavel. She announced that the public speaking time would but limited to 1 minute because there were so many that wanted to talk and so little time. Booing came right back at her.
If this wasn’t the height of hypocrisy, I mean, the Mayor and her pals just wasted most of the last hour and now she’s telling the public they can have only 60 seconds to saying what’s been on their minds for the last few months? Many citizens protested by walking out in disgust.
Well, prepare to calm yourself, because here are some of the nutty proposals that were brought up by Ms. Jennifer Haffner (attorney at law), Chair of the Homeless Coalition. She thinks this is what’s needed to fix our bum problem in the downtown:
1. Build an alternative shelter with less restrictions, so the bums, homeless and the travelers will be more encouraged to use it, as opposed to the Esplanade House, the Torres Shelter or the Jesus Center, because they enforce rules about drinking on the premises and have rigid entry and exit times, etc.
2. Build day care centers in the downtown for the homeless, so help with loitering and aggressively panhandling. (I’m sure it will too, we ought to get a lot more. )
3. Establish a collaborative relationship with the police department and charity services to get the word out as to what free services are available. (Maybe we should publish a booklet of all the free things that are available and then paint a gold line around the town where bums can find them?)
4. Build permanent housing for the chronically homeless. (Sure, why not, we’ve got way too much filthy money overflowing in our city coffers)
Can you believe it? This is beyond stupid…I’m stunned. We’ve turned our shelters in youth hostels and now we are expected for day care too?
The Chielf of Police more or less said their hands were tied, and “while some people would like to use his department to rid us of the homeless problem,” he found that offensive. (I think the Chief just took a shot at conservatives) Then moments later, when someone suggested a foot patrol in the area of the City Plaza, the Chief said that was absolutely out of the question. He didn’t have the manpower, but if he was forced to do it, he would have to place our children in danger (my words not his, but that was the gist) by removing an officer from the one of the high schools. ( I strongly disagreed. I recognized this as an old tactic from the far left; scare us and use our children to do it)
Then the Chief advised that he felt even aggressive panhandling (currently a city ordinance) was protected by the 1st amendment. Tostle said what few city ordinances were applicable regarding the homeless, were mostly just infractions. That meant, unless an officer witnessed the violation, they (police) couldn’t do any even though a citizen witnessed the crime. I about gagged when the Chief spoke in glowing pride about the success of the City buying an occassional bus ticket for the homeless, so they could be reunited with family who would be able to care and support them. By this time the BULL S-H-I-# was getting pretty close to knee deep. He acted like the people in the audience would be so happy to hear his heart warming story that we would all break out in one big Aawwwwwwww, thash swho schweet. ( A cumbyah moment! ) Geez, what a load he was selling… i’m thinking at the moment, this guy sure doesn’t talk like any cop I ever knew. If he believes his own BS, then I think we’ve appointed Casper Milktoast to be our new Chief of police! Wonder what his officers that about his touchy feely, can’t-do, approach to crime fighting?
Summary: Most of the meeting was a total waste of my time. The public was shafted. I say this because the council (save for two good ones, Mark Sorenson and Sean Morgan) seemed more interested in lecturing the public rather than hearing from them. Chances are, if the council can find a way, they’re going to go with spending more tax money for more homeless perks, and Haffner’s group will come on top. We’re screwed. The rainbow stickers and gay flags in front of certain council members served to identify them from the only two with any common sense. (The whole event could have been an episode from Portlandia)
If this nuttiness continues, the “City of Trees” needs to be renamed the Meadow of Morons.
Meadow of Morons!!!… perfect lol
Jack, Excellent recap of a wasted evening meant to help find solutions to resolve a growing problem, which is “The downtown area is unsafe…Period!” Instead those in attendance who had ideas and concerns were rudely treated and summarily dismissed by Mayor Goloff as well as Schwab and Ritter. Seriously after 90 plus minutes of listening to their narcissist drivel, people began to figure out that this was going nowhere fast. (Actually not fast enough, and if you were there you would understand)The article in the ER had a quote from Goloff stating that she felt the meeting (study session) when well, Mayor Goloff should have been in the audience, because lady it ain’t so! Chico’s problem is this, with certain factors of the,” Homeless “population there is a major problem brewing, and needs immediate answers as well as action to eliminate the dangers some of those traveling through our city just for a free room and board bring to Chico What is it going to take, a RAPE, a child adduction, possibility a mugging gone bad and a murder takes place. My honest evaluation, the real answers are not going to be coming soon enough, and last night proved that without a doubt!!
“The downtown area is unsafe…Period!”
Oh, don’t be such a woose. The downtown is not unsafe; it is unsightly.
And I was much intrigued by the photo of “homeless” people posted by the ER with their article on the meeting. Those children are most decidedly not homeless. They have homes, and parents of the upper middle class sort, who paid for the guitars and very warm and comfortable clothing.
If this is what constitutes the homeless you are frightened of, I have to ask, how can you be frightened? They are a nuisance, possibly unsightly, though I have to say that was a really quite prepossessing trio.
Now, I really don’t know what’s going on. If I ever get the vehicle shaped up, I’ll have to tootle up and take a look.
But I do know this. If I were a city council person, and you presented me with two options: an hour and a half of ignorant citizen bloviating versus four and a half hours of ignorant citizen bloviating … I know what I’d go for.