In
fear-mongering reminiscent of “Reefer Madness,” cops in Brentwood, CA
have issued a statement proclaiming that giving money to homeless people
is tantamount to killing them. The Brentwood Police Officer Association even
posted a meme to go along with their campaign. According to the cops,
if you give to the homeless, you’re encouraging criminals to come to the
area. Your money could also be used to buy drugs and alcohol. Thumbnail
credit:eastcountytoday.net
It is summed up with the tagline:
“Please don’t give to beggars, give to charity.”
The cops also posted an anecdote about
approaching a “beggar” and finding out that he had a non-violent
criminal record. In a nation that has criminalized the act of not having
a permanent address, that isn’t hard to believe. The charge cited,
which is undoubtedly the most serious in his jacket, is burglary. Since
the post is meant to scare people and not actually inform, it doesn’t
give specifics. The story also stated that the man was a drug addict and
an alcoholic. A person that spends their days living on the streets,
trying to avoid being beaten to deathby
California cops, and getting arrested for sleeping in an alleyway, has
every right to have a substance abuse problem. That might even be the
reason they ended up homeless.
A
comment on the post by Eric Huesman, who claims to be the officer who
encountered the dangerous criminal mentioned above and lived to tell the
tale includes this little gem, which provides a great insight into the
generalizations police use to tell themselves it’s OK to harass those
that have nothing:
“Every single one of them started off with bad decisions that included committing crime, [Emphasis added] usually in the form of various types of theft. As they hung out “on the streets” more and more, they then became addicts. As they continued making bad decisions, being arrested, and stealing from family and friends, they eventually burned all of their bridges and became homeless.”
Luckily
for humanity, Brentwood’s residents don’t share the attitude of those
out to protect and serve the downtrodden with batons and handcuffs.
A comment from Michael Lawrence stated:
“First off stick to what you do best, road piracy in the name of protecting the community.Secondly I’ll do as I please with my money. If I want to give a homeless person $1 I will. If I give it in the form of food, drink or actual money that’s my business.Thirdly if you think that by ignoring the problem it will go away you are wrong. If you’re so worried about drug & alcohol addictions have a community outreach program instead of telling us what to do with our money, time or compassion towards other human beings.Just because someone has committed a crime it doesn’t meant they will continue if they have an opportunity not to.”
Others
from the community took the opportunity to share methods for making
sure the person is really homeless before giving them money.
This
isn’t the first time the Brentwood cops have demonized the homeless. A
post from March 19th on the group’s Facebook page implies that giving
money to homeless Romanians or “gypsies” aids in child slavery in the
United Kingdom.
Rather than giving money, some people purchase food for the homeless. This is also a problem according to Brentwood’s finest.
“Also, please do not buy food for the beggars.”
The
cops say the homeless might return the food to obtain cash. Obviously,
the four dollars will be used to purchase the tools needed to slaughter
people in their sleep so that the murderous criminals can then go drink
themselves into a stupor.
A
society is judged by how it treats those that are the worst off. I say,
give to homeless people. If the person has a full belly, I can only
hope that they swing by the liquor store to pick up something that takes
the sting out of life on the street with the little bit of cash I give
them. Given area law enforcement’s habit of beating homeless people to
death, the reader can safely assume the only reason the cops don’t want
you to “kill” them is because they don’t want competition.
As a side note, the cops will bebegging for money at the corner of Walnut Boulevard and Marsh Creek Road on September 27thfrom
6pm to 10pm. Don’t give them money or you will encourage more criminals
to come to the area. The cops have already successfully begged from the
following companies that are supporting beggars by donating to the
police association:
Brentwood’s BBQ King
Bowling over Pigs
Brentwood Fine Meats
Fresh and Easy
As
a lover of propaganda, I have to salute the cops for never
acknowledging the humanity of their targets. As a human being, I can’t
help but find their actions morally repugnant.