this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2023
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I'm in Winnipeg... I live in one of the 'nicer' mature neighborhoods, with parks and schools every couple of blocks. This is happening everywhere.
Some dude who appears to be experiencing some housing issues pitched a tent in the park I walk my dog in daily. We play with the kids there quite often and it's a hub for families in the area with a Jewish education center and old folks home surrounding it. The homeless guy doesn't appear to be bothering anyone and keeps his area tidy.... I'm a bit torn as to whether or not to report him or ask the cops to rustle him out or whether to just leave him be. Having him relocated isn't solving anything, and might just put him back under a bridge where he likely isn't safe to stay. I know he'll be gone by winter though, if he starts lighting fires to keep warm he'll be gone in a hurry.
Why would you ever consider reporting him? The last thing someone struggling to live needs is to be harassed by the community and abused by cops.
Consider treating him like a human being. Ask how he's doing. See if he needs anything. Keep an eye on local social media for people mentioning him so you can warn him before some nimby bootlicker calls the cops on him.
Because in the past when I’ve lived in places that have had this happen, the situation grows rapidly and the park near my house became unusable for the neighborhood while property crime got so bad that wheel chairs were being stolen from kids at the park for scrap metal. If I start to see this trending in that direction, I will absolutely be contacting the City Councilor as well as the police to prevent it from escalating. I’m not willing to have my neighborhood get turned into an encampment, and if you think I'm a bastard for that, I’m fine with that. I have no issues with my kids playing next to someone camping out because they have nowhere to go, I have major issues with my kids playing next to discarded needles. We say hi to the guy when we've seen him, I say good morning to him when he pokes his head up on the morning walks. He's not lesser than anyone because he sleeps in a tent, but if one morning I walk by and it's a tent city, with needles scattered around, and a burned out fire then all bets are off and I'm choosing my family's safety & neighborhood over the people who are making the situation unsafe.
I work with multiple shelters in our city, one of them my family has supported for 3 generations now starting with my grandmother cooking meals there up to today where I consult with them on their plans to expands their services to keep helping people. I'm pretty open to finding ways to support people who have no where to go, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to let another neighborhood get destroyed in the process, which is exactly what happened to the last one and will unquestionably happen to this one as well.