Comments on: CTA Homeless Harassment Update

By: Mike Doyle on Outside the Loop Radio

Mike Doyle on Outside the Loop Radio — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:12:37 +0000

[...] CTA Homeless Harassment Update [...]

By: Mike Doyle

Mike Doyle — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:18:20 +0000

Steven, for that matter, when was it deemed humane to put people out on the street in the middle of winter? Throwing up your hands and claiming the “true issue” is there’s no way to help sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy to me.

As far as the signage and policy targeting the homeless, I believe my original post speaks for itself and makes that connection more than obvious.

By: Steven

Steven — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:11:58 +0000

I visit that site regularly and I stand by my comment. Those that “live” on the streets for months/years are chronically homeless and have major problems. I’m not going to argue that times right now are tough. I also don’t see anything saying homeless on that sign. Can you show me where it says that there are no beds or warming shelters on the nights when it is dangerously cold?? I thought the city has teams that go around on extremely cold nights to take people to shelters if they want. I’m sorry but those that don’t go have a problem. No one wants to address the true issue that there is no current way to help this group. If the city tries to pass a ban on panhandling, someone sues. Same thing will happen with this and no one gets help except the lawyers who collect their percentage of the win. When was it deemed humane to let people sleep on the streets or on the L?

By: Levois

Levois — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:53:26 +0000

Oops my mistake you mentioned it.

By: Levois

Levois — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 22:45:15 +0000

Your original post was on the Capitol Fax morning shorts on Monday!

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:28:00 +0000

This is what I meant when I said it isn’t CTA’s problem. I wasn’t saying we should just let them suffer and die, and I don’t think anybody wants to see that, including the CTA, but they also want the rule following, paying customers to be safe.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:25:33 +0000

Mike, I totally agree with you that that is what Thanksgiving is about and all, but I still don’t understand why you seem to think the solution to this problem is to let them live on a train that is meant to be used to travel from A to B. Also, I will tell you that I have encountered innocent homeless people just sleeping in the back corner of a car, but also encountered a homeless person traveling from car to car on Easter night on the Red line when a homeless man was begging for money, and was harassing me and my family. I was a very unsettling encounter. It also made me question whether the el was safe. This is what the CTA doesn’t want