What I learned in Aberdeen
I just got back from a 3 day trip to the city of Aberdeen, WA where some friends are making local history. The Washington State courts have repeatedly upheld that government must take the “least restrictive” approach to religious organizations that claim a mandate to serve and care for the poor. What that has meant in practice is that local municipalities have set 90 day caps on durations that churches are allowed to host tent cities on their property.
“Don’t forget folks if you give money to people who use it for coping mechanism you’re destroying America, so leave generosity to the professionals!”
And check it out, the city kicked houseless people out so they could even extend the space to celebrate a formerly houseless resident…no irony there.
The organization I spent my time in Aberdeen with is called Chaplains on the Harbor (CotH), affiliated with the Episcopalian Church. They work to love those outside and are all about meeting them where they are. So when their friends ask them to call the media (because like it or not the media outlets won’t listen to our friends outside if they call) Sarah and Aaron at CotH do what they do best, a line I heard repeatedly and saw in action all week: “amplify their voices”.
The local paper made the wonderfully humanizing video of our friends (linked to above), and then Rev. Sarah reframed the eviction at a city council meeting. But perhaps even more importantly she works to make the city council meeting a safe space for the houseless to speak by lending them her own legitimacy. As a result of these actions the eviction has been postponed giving the folks at Amazing Grace Lutheran the chance to make their space available for the creation of Rivercity – Aberdeen’s first ever sanctioned tent city. Like I said, these folks are making history, and it’s not “allies” and “homeless people”, it’s those most effected and less effected by forces that drive poverty. Even here in Portland it’s not that different, we’re all moving closer and closer to being in trouble. We have rising costs of housing, and off the top of my head I can think of three families that I know personally that in the last 6 months were in places where they could easily been on the verge of houselessness through no fault of their own (even if it had been their fault, so what? People deserve better to be thrown to the wolves when they make poor decisions), more and more people are in positions where by no fault of their own they can’t afford rent/mortgage and now they are relying on a city more interested in drawing tourists than ensuring sanitary affordable housing.
The city of Aberdeen is a town trying to figure out what it is now that the timber mills are gone. I loved it, reminds me a little bit of the town my Dad grew up in, where I spent many summers growing up; full of blue collar, salt of the earth kinds of folks and – unlike the suburbs that seem to almost want to prevent a story of place – is clearly full of a storied past. And does Aberdeen ever have a past! It’s full of working people working to organize in order to prevent themselves from being abused and taken advantage of by those in power – and this is still the story today.
Why don’t you try actually living here before you judge too harshly. You seem to forget about walking a mile in someone’s shoes before judging. We deal with needles in the street, left at our children’s schools, and harassment by those same people you are rooting for. I for one work two part time jobs to pay my bills and you expect me to feel bad for them? I spend my money on my bills and not drugs, so maybe I should be supporting their habit. If you care so much maybe you should try looking at it from the other side. Were you verbally assaulted by a homeless person on drugs while you are trying to earn a paycheck? I have been. Try living what you speak before judging others in an effort to sound like an uneducated bigot. Kurt Cobain was a pathetic drug addict and if they had done anything beneficial with his name that would have been great. Maybe open a drug rehab instead of making a freeloading bridge after him. I work 7 days a week and don’t do drugs. I understand there are those in a bad spot, but the majority put themselves there. Yes, it is their fault! I refuse to help or pay another tax so they don’t have to worry about bills or real life decisions so they can get high or drunk. There are places to go for help. Rehabs, shelters, etc. But most can’t stay clean long enough. I would love to live in a place where I am not terrified for my children to walk down the street in the middle of the day, or go to school and play on the playground without finding a needle one of your precious homeless or drug addicts left. So instead of worrying about those who don’t care to take care of themselves, worry about my child! Go take your altruistic ludacris feelings and go after someone who lives here more than 3 days …. Ever!
I agree with Jeanne. We lived there for four years and had numerous things stolen. The true homeless are either living in a shelter or with another family or they are teens who float between couches at friends houses. The rest refuse to go to the shelters or accept help because they have to give up drugs, alcohol or because they are wanted by the police. I spent many hours sitting on my front porch watching as the supposed homeless rode around on bikes towing trashcans behind while talking on cell phones or radios. See, they have an organized crime ring where they study the residents to find the right time to steal stuff. It is very frustrating to have your stuff stolen on many occasions. I would call the police on an average of every other month because of prowlers trying to break in to our shed or vehicles. My kids were chased down by these “homeless” you are speaking about. These groups are also the center of sex crime and distribution of drugs. The whole town needs economic revitalization so maybe focus on those trying to make it work than those who choose to not get help. You can not help someone who doesn’t want it.
Phyllis,
And yet all I heard was from people who did “Want it”. Desperately so. I’m curious what you imagine the “solution” is? It appears from your comments that care for those who have the least doesn’t seem to be of interest, so what is? Should we round them up and execute them? We’ve apparently already ruled out housing them (what the Lutheran Church is doing temporarily for 30 of them), running people out of town doesn’t fix problems it just passes the problem on to someone else.
Again, we (my town and yours) already dumps tons of money into “taking care of people” (however we decide that should look is up to us) I highly recommend looking into how Utah (one of the most conservative states in the country) has:
http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-answer-to-homelessness/
Jeanne,
You’re right, I don’t live in Aberdeen. I came because I was invited by people who do live there and care very deeply about it. I can see why. It’s a town full of character, but it also seems to be hurting. Not unlike Portland (where I live and work and take care of my own kid) where to get by on minimum wage people must also work multiple jobs and still pay more than 30% of their income (30% of income is the federal standard for housing to be considered affordable) and jobs that are able to support a family are getting fewer and further between. My own city has plenty of needles all their own, I’ve been mugged there, I’ve had a knife pulled on me by an addict, I’m well aware what it means to recon with the ugliness in a place you love.
But let’s assume that people don’t deserve 2nd and 3rd chances. Our cities and counties and states and the federal government still pay money dealing with people every day. Is it to much to say that I’d rather that the money go to things that are cost effective? (http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-answer-to-homelessness/) Not that Portland does that either, feel free to go back in previous pieces we’ve posted, I wait to “judge too harshly” for when I’m talking about my own city.
This is a bit infuriating. I have grown up in this area and you come for a visit invited by friends who support giving these people a reason to continue being lazy. Its absolutely ludicrous. If these homeless people were wanting to change theyd do it but I cant even begin to count the amount of times I have been harrassed by the homeless drug addicts roaming around town. I may not have kids but thank god that I dont because unfortunately it has become more and more unsafe. The love I have for my community is absolute. I work a full time job and barely have enough money for food and bills. I refuse to give money to these people free loading on welfair and than selling their food stamps for their next fix. Do not come into my home, where I have watched what these people have done and what they are capable of, and than defend them. No I dont think so. I absolutely hope, for the sake of this town, the tent city is not approved by any means. Its one thing to be homeless because of things you cannot control this I understand but the people you are so willing to defend chose this life. I know most of them by name always coming into my work place. I do not support this and I do not agree with your input on a town you have no experience in.
I lived in Aberdeen for six years and saw both sides of this controversy. I also heard a lot about people being harassed by the local homeless, however, I would walk down town with a friend in the mornings and we could barely get anyone to say hello to us. I have also been known to shop odd hours at the WalMart, AM/PM for gas and not once was I ever approached. I am not saying some people aren’t, but as I learned when I moved to Aberdeen, if Kurt Cobain did drugs with everyone in Aberdeen who claims they did drugs with him or their brother did drugs with him, he would have been dead before Nirvana ever made the grunge scene.
I do know needles are found all over the area, but Aberdeen isn’t the only place with crime and needle issues.
I agree with Jeanne that if the city wants to do something positive for the area, why not build a shelter, outdoor bathrooms or a rehab facility and name it after Kurt Cobain? ‘Come As You Are,’ the words that welcome you into town, means just that if you have ever been shopping where everyone feels it is okay to wear their pajamas and slippers even to school functions.
The only way to change Aberdeen, is get rid of the old guard that is there, vote in fresh blood for mayor and city council, bring fresh ideas, the area could be amazing, but you have to want to bring in businesses, industry and the city doesn’t seem to really want to change their status quo.
Right after we moved into the area, Behavior Health lost lots of money, closed a few doors, had to revamp their strategy and I believe many of the homeless in Aberdeen/Grays Harbor are mentally ill and add that to the mix when they can’t get medication and self medicate and you have some issues.
I have been to Bridegetown in Portland, what an amazing way to help those that are homeless…the night I went, people were getting hair cuts, shampoo’s, their clothing and backpacks were being repaired, they were being fed, giving clean socks, their feet were being checked by a Podiatrist, what struck me so much and I want to address this to the others posting…I remember cutting the hair of a man who was a professional truck driver for years, he lost this job and had moved to Portland to work for another trucking company who shut down just weeks after he moved. With no money for another move, no job, he was on the streets, but he came to get his hair cut because he had an interview the next day. I heard a conversation from one of the young people working to a woman who was wearing a work uniform as to why she was there if she had a job. ‘Son, she said, I make minimum wage and that doesn’t pay all the bills and buy food. I live alone so I can’t get assistance and I can’t afford the rents, so I sleep outside, I use a local gym to shower and get ready for work, but here, I can eat a hot meal with people who don’t judge me for being homeless.’ She had a job, she wasn’t lazy, she wasn’t on drugs and many I met that night told the same stories.
I wish I had an easy solution. Sadly, many in the area do not want to change.
One other word of warning to those who think it is only the homeless and druggies stealing…we lived in a nice area, our neighbors worked hard and some owned their own businesses. We had numerous gas cans stolen from us over a period of months. Imagine our shock when we found them in the yard of a local business owner who owned several very nice vehicles…guess they couldn’t afford the gas.
If something isn’t done to bring commerce to the area, it is going to wither up. There are people in the area with heart, with great ideas, with love for others. Homelessness is everywhere, I don’t have the solution, maybe they can sweep sidewalks, pick up needles, wash business windows, etc.
My grandmother once told me, being nice to someone, saying hello, smiling doesn’t cost anything. I was once in Jack in the Box, an older man ordered a burger, it didn’t come the way he ordered it and he was pretty upset. All the while he is ranting and cursing about a burger. a young man in front of me is counting his change, asking how much would this or that cost total. I am patiently waiting. The old man gets his burger and the manager gives his incorrect one back and he asks, ‘what am I supposed to do with that?’ At which time he told the manager to trash it. The young man, nicely dressed and I could tell homeless, asks him, ‘Excuse me sir, I would really like that burger if you aren’t going to eat it.’ The old man floored me, he grabs the burger, looks at the kid and snarls, ‘I’ll feed it to the dogs before I give it to someone like you.’ He stormed out and I watched him toss that burger in the trash. I bought the young man lunch that day. We all for the most part work hard, no one wants homelessness or druggies in their city, but it is a fact of life. Instead of complaining about it, work together Aberdeen, come up with solutions and show the world you can change.
First off you did not point out that the eviction was because it was a complete health hazard there. Tons and tons of garbage had to be cleaned up. The dumpsters there had not been used. Instead of having their laundry washed and folded for them for free, at the Mission, they would throw them in the mud and hit up the clothing bank for more. Stolen items were found there and the list goes on. On top of everything else they were on private property. He did tell the city he wanted them off the property.
I personally think the churches show have stepped in long before it came down to this.
True, I didn’t point out that it was because of health concerns, partly because I’m confused how forcing people to move is supposed to improve things in that department. Similar arguments could be made about environmental impact but that too seems problematic: Chris Herring, a PhD candidate in Sociology at UC Berkley the principle author of National Coalition for the Homeless’s Tent Cities in America:
A Pacific Coast Report (located here) wrote a piece about the Jungle the largest camp in the country at the time where he points out the flaws in both these arguments (and a few others).
Besides all this, at least the what I saw was that the demand for services in Aberdeen appears (Lord knows this is true for Portland) far outpaces the demand (here’s a link to a video of city officials telling residents they have to leave and not really having much of answers when the residents point out how services are inadequate)
i have lived in Aberdeen my whole entire life yes this town is full of underlining issue that the community as a whole aren’t wanting to sit down and talk about ways of fixing these problems. Now we have the community fixing the streets and making it look fancy instead of wasting money on that then why don’t they use that money to provide homeless a place to go like we have a freaking needle exchange for God f****g sake that’s completely condoning to their addiction and enabling them to keep using. Also their is a high rate of drugs and violence due to young teens have nothing to do to keep entertained no cool teen programs and so they become bored and the find things to do so that they can have fun and it’s drugs they turn to what else do you expect when parents these days aren’t paying attention as much to those things as they used to generations are going down hill. So maybe instead of trying to cover up the community and sweeping the stuff under the rug thinking it’s gonna go away why don’t people try to better the place in other ways to help the bad image this town has made for itself to never really been a good community honestly not even in the 1800s when Billy Gohl killed over 50 people and then Kurt Cobains suicide this town has a past but why not better the future.
Wow. You know, I’ve spent a lot of time in Aberdeen. To the local people in the area it’s fondly referred to as “scaberdeen”. It’s quite dirty and gross. I don’t feel bad for people on drugs. I’ve tried to help many and you can’t. It’s for each person to decide for themselves. I wonder when people will be accountable for themselves again. I bust my ass. I can’t afford to support other people. For you to assume that somebody should step in and save the day is pretty stupid. Why don’t you do it? Go ahead. Invite a junkie to stay in your house with your children and we’ll see how safe you feel. I bet you’ll be spraying everything with lysol too.
Please refrain from judging our small town until you live here…I am a fourth generation harborite who happens to love the city in which I reside…I am also a small business owner of a property that is near the area that the homeless camp….we are compassionate people who empathize with the homeless population, however it is difficult to maintain and operate a business when the homeless approach our customers in a threatening or drug induced state…owning a boat repair business requires us to protect the customers boats…the homeless were climbing the fencing and deficating in our boats…our buisiness supports many local families who will all be unemployed if we are not able to maintain our buisiness …there needs to be a better solution to this problem..I went to high school with Kurt Cobain….he was living under the bridge due to his life choices which eventually left him dead…it was no better when Kurt lived under the bridge…we should not be idolizing living under the bridge simply because Kurt Cobain became a famous singer…the problem is much bigger than Aberdeen and needs to be addressed in a compassionate supportive way where everyone is better off…when the states closed down mental institutions this issue escalated I believe we need to start addressing the real issues…help the underserved and take care of our own…but first there needs to be funding and a plan that teaches people to help themselves if they are mentally stable and if they are not c as pale of helping themselves then we need to provide housing with helpers to care for them..they say that the sign of a great society is based on how well they treat their disabled and elderly…we as a nation need to redirect some of those War dollars to help here at home.
Keeping in mind the health hazards they created and the fact that this was private property owned by citizens and that the “concept schematic” that the author puts up had nothing to do with the homeless people being ‘evicted’ the rest of the article falls into place after that.
I’d suggest the Gus open up his home and properties to these people if he feels there is an injustice here.
I wanted to chime in here. Thanks, Gus, for visiting Aberdeen and for pointing out the deep sense of history and pride we have in this place. I grew up on the harbor and I deeply love it here. Aberdeen is dear to my heart.
Regardless of the actions of the city (in this case, the city is forcing the property owner’s hand to dismantle our largest homeless camp), I have been deeply blessed by the number of people who care about their neighbors here, who have stood with people who have nowhere else to go, and who have seen each other as human beings.
Even with the controversy, Aberdeen is the first town of its size to open a tent city and I have seen deep love and care surround it. We have tremendous leadership developing among people on the street, people who what to make this community a better place, and people who know that we are all struggling. After all, we have soaring poverty rates, we all know there are few jobs, and most of us are just trying to survive. I’m always heartened to see people who are all struggling in some way come together to make a difference and support each other. This, my friends, will save the world.
I for one appreciate the perspective of someone living outside the community and I thank you Gus for taking the time to meet people here and compare the struggles of your community with our own. Its this kind of mutual support that will make a difference in a country that is increasingly struggling with deep poverty. Despite some of the comments here, the citizens of Aberdeen are eager to make a difference in their town and support their neighbors. Thank you for acknowledging that in this blog and please continue to support and pray for us.
~ The Rev. Sarah Monroe
What I experienced in three days with “these people”:
*One of the best Bible studies I’ve attended, where people shared their personal stories in a very honest way.
*Working together to build a community garden.
*Compassionate community members who brought donations even if they were down on their own luck….and kind people from the camp who talked with them, thanked them…
*Someone from the camp who noticed my van door had not closed all the way, and waited and kept watch by the van until we returned, not knowing whose it was. Then he asked us to check if anything was missing from the car.
*Watching Harry Potter, crafting, taking care of babies, and hearing about people’s tenacity in finding employment and finding little ways to earn money.
Yes there is a high poverty rate in Aberdeen, and there is a special strength in the community from those shared hardships, as well as an honesty about its realities.
However Aberdeen is not unique. I hear the same degrading talk about Olympia where I grew up, about Portland’s east side where I live and work as a children’s pastor and mother, and Portland’s north end where I used to live. Drug addiction is part of the landscape of poverty. Some but not all of the people I met in Aberdeen are using drugs. They are also involved in their communities, trying to better themselves, trying to take care of their kids, and be good neighbors as they can.
For some addiction put them on the streets, and for others drugs are how they are coping.
I know addiction intimately too. My father struggled with heroin addiction for years and attended treatment in Aberdeen, where years ago I met many people from the local community who are working on recovering…the lucky ones who were able to get treatment that is…also many from the community who are working every day to help people beat the odds with their addictions.
I would encourage folks to look at problems like addiction, crime, and unemployment as community problems to address, and the people involved as the complex individuals they are. Not all street people use drugs. And among those that do, a great many are also interesting and talented and sweet people. And addiction doesn’t just happen one day. It happens in the context of failed coping mechanisms, isolation, and major heartbreaks. Every addict has a story. Shunning them from society is not tough love, its condemnation. And remaining in relationship with them and defending their human rights is not enabling. On the contrary, it is the kind of love that is very needed for people to be able to recover, though ultimately that is not something anyone has control over.
Jesus asks us not to condemn one another but to share one another’s burdens and love one another. That does not mean being codependent, but it does mean standing for the worth and dignity of all.
It is easy for me to stand for the worth and dignity of “these people”. I think it would be obvious to anyone who spends even a couple hours at the camp in a courteous way. Be open to the decency and potential of your neighbors outside. They may prove to be good friends to you as well.
P.S. Please do not feel that I am judging the citizens of Aberdeen! On the contrary. Despite the problems you are facing, I saw so many wonderful people stepping in to make things happen. Your local people like Rev. Sarah, and like the many other people I witnessed who open their homes to one another, share what they’ve got, pray for one another, speak the truth, work hard, volunteer, and show hospitality are to be respected and admired for sure.
Favorite comment I’ve seen on Facebook as others have posted and reposted this piece:
“Glad I’m not kicked out of my home every 90 days!”
Amen. Amen to that.
I also have family members and friends who have struggled with addiction and use of drugs that are not legal (sometimes because they can’t get better medical care and often to treat severe pain). The level of drug use is the measure of pain and struggle in a community. I’ve found that people are people. And all people need love. All people need to be treated with dignity and care and respect. Some of the most courageous people I know fight through pain and disability, struggle through drug use or addiction, and still come up fighting. I’m so proud to stand with them. So, so proud.
The ignorant comments about this article is the underlying problem with Aberdeen and nothing else. What people are saying here was the mentality that most of middle class America had 20 years ago but no longer. That we in Aberdeen have not been able to move into the current decade is the real reason we see all the problems with our community. No one that I know who lives here calls it “Scaberdeen” either, that’s a word used by some who have no idea what living in a bad area really is.
The solution is for the community to adopt policies that other communities have 20 years ago regarding low income and homeless. Also the stealing and the drug use are not indiscriminately with the homeless. If you go and sit by the needle exchange you will see the vast majority are not homeless. It’s ignorance to the fact that drug use is not just a problem for the homeless that is another issue altogether.
How about instead of showing such lack of compassion towards your fellow man you try and figure out ways to help them? By helping them we help ourselves. Projects like, Housing First, have made huge impacts on communities by giving homeless people a place to live, what they are finding out that once given a place to live a majority of them integrate back into society as productive members. That’s a solutions, spouting hyperbole is not.
I was born and raised in Aberdeen, left it at age 22 because I needed to live in a town with a different mind set. Now mind you I lived in neighborhoods where we didn’t lock our doors, every mom never knew how many kids were going to be there for dinner because we all roamed from house to house as if they were all our own. I walked to school and home from work in the middle of the night, it was a great way to grow up. That being said, the mind set of the “power players” hasn’t changed for 100 years. If you don’t fit into their idea of what is acceptable, then you are not welcome. They did it with trap doors and a shove off the dock, they did it with the unions so who’s surprised they are doing it with the homeless. The only way to bring a city out of the economic tough times they have gone through is to lift its people up, to help and encourage positive change. I am sure they think tourism is the only thing they they have left (timber and fishery jobs aren’t doing it anymore) and they have to latch on to it or the city may die but does anyone really want to come to Aberdeen if it is a city filled with homeless with no where to go? There are so many vacant buildings that could be made into shelters, heck even a few empty hotels that could be made into sleeping rooms.
And for those of you who abhor the homeless, I pray you are blessed enough to never be there. We are all just a few steps away, it can be just a fraction of a second and your life can change. Every city has them, it’s how you deal with them that sets the tone for the future, sets and example to the children of the town.
I love the idea of cleaning up the waterfront, it will be beautiful, but pretending that they can just push the homeless out without another option is pretending the problem doesn’t exist. Ohhh maybe they can give them one way bus tickets to another state like they did back east, that would get them out of there and be cheaper then providing services….come on Aberdeen, step up and see what is truly important. Turning your backs on your own and inviting others in for their money is pretty cheap.
Most of the homeless here in Aberdeen are there by choice. They choose not to be sober or clean. We support the mission where they can get food and housing IF they obey the rules.
Aberdeen is no different than any other city; we all have our homeless problem, we all have some unfriendly problems, we all have some poor customer service. But we all have folks working hard to make a living, we all have friendly, welcoming people and we all have stores offering excellent customer service.
Life is what we make it: yes, America is the land of second chances but folks have to be willing to do their part!!!
It has been this way for more than 20 years, I know I moved 23 years ago because it was becoming the meth and heroin capital of the world and no I don’t support giving them a 10th and 20th chance to live free! Replace the majority of the community leaders look into the police who when called about a meth addict take and hour but if someone calls cause your dog is barking in the middle of the day they get there in 5 min flat, if that. I lived there half my life and wouldn’t move back if you paid me. The Dea needs to go in and clean up because the police sure don’t seem to know how to do it. If there is an empty house within the city limits they find it trash it and bring down the property market for every other home owner in the area. They have illegals who travel with boxes of tide in their trunks, guess what folks it’s not tide and I know this from relatives who had succumbed to the hellish nightmare of meth and herion. I live in a different state and have had to call to protect my family that were still there and the police act like it is no big deal. I am not saying all the police are corrupt, but quite a few look the other way, or give you a ticket for spitting on the sidewalk which I agree is gross, but when you ignore people calling you about drug abusers and you take your own sweet time, but rush to any petty complaint then it shows that somewhere inside your department is a big part of the problem, The only way you will clean up the harbor is if you clean up the city council and higher ups in the police department investigates its own officers, They could also use a great bit of help from the DEA all other agencies to confiscate guns, drugs and help them clean up. Aberdeen, Hoquiam, the beaches and all surrounding areas!
Decent article. I’m from Aberdeen. I’m also filming a documentary here. Aberdeen and the timber industry–it’s like the ex-girlfriend you keep texting to come back, but won’t because it’s been 30 years and she doesn’t love you anymore. She’s not coming back, dude. Give it up.
The criticism made me a little mad, but I agree with what Gus had to say. There are plenty of “homeless” people in Aberdeen that are alcohol/drug addicts that are panhandling, yet many people I know have said they’ve seen those people going into homes, or to their places of work. That’s what makes me mad. Yet, I believe that the solution to this epidemic is a caring heart. Yes, it was probably their own mistake to get into bad stuff and lose everything, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t human beings anymore. I am all for earning your own way to success, but who has EVER been successful without the helping hand of a friend or a family member? I’ve been in contact with many children in homeless situations while being in the school district in Aberdeen, and those kids are sweet and most undeserving of their situation. The kids are the future, and we HAVE to support them. I’ve seen so many of my peers who go home to a bad home-life become addicted to drugs and alcohol because they have NO support. These people need help. They need love. They need to know someone cares about them enough to help them get through the hard time they are having. It’s not easy for someone to help, yet it is easy to promote a healthy community by loving others. There’s no reason to act negatively towards a homeless PERSON. No one knows or understands the trouble they have gone through and the help ANY human being deserves. I applaud the church. I do wish it was farther from the high school, just because of safety for students. I just wish people could be NICER to each other. I’ve lived in Aberdeen for my entire life, which isn’t very long, but I am just as capable of making a difference in this town. They may not deserve handouts of money. They DO deserve the support and help ANYONE IN THE WORLD can give them, which is love.
I’ve lived in Aberdeen for ten years and I work right in the middle of downtown. The homeless are in and out of my work all day long every day. I constantly have customers complaining that they were harassed in our parking lot. We’ve had many people chose to stop shopping in our store because they no longer feel comfortable or safe just walking from their car. The theft problem there is outrageous.
Its infuriating to read about how these people were “kicked out of their home”. That it’s our fault as a city that they chose to live on the streets and do their drugs and steal from homes and businesses. They have options. We have two homeless shelters in town that will give them food, shelter, clothing and not to mention help to kick their drug or alcohol problems. Free of charge no questions asked. But these people don’t want to stay in the Mission or the Friendship house because they are drug free and alcohol free facilities.
Just because they don’t like the options doesn’t mean they’re not there and available to them. They choose to stay on the streets.
Sorta off topic. But CURT COBAIN DIDNT LIVE UNDER THAT BRIDGE. He hung out there and probably got high. His moms (Wendy) house was just a few blocks away.
Fair enough, most stuff I’d read on the subject had taken Cobain at his word (I hadn’t seen anything that challenged this notion till after I’d posted the piece). At least the local history museum leaves it as a point of ambiguity: “Whether Cobain ever slept under this bridge as he claimed is not certain…” http://www.aberdeen-museum.org/kurt.htm
Over half the homeless here have serious mental issues and need help not a boot in the a$$
I Have lived in Aberdeen for 14 years and have not even locked my doors in 6 years, maybe its my neighborhood.
well you sure got a slice of aberdeen culture in the comments here. i’ve lived here for seven years and absolutely hate it. the only reason i stay is because i love my old home. but the people here SUCK. the town is totally corrupt. the county is getting sued by the ACLU because of how they treat children in juvi. it’s a disgusting, low-class, scrapper mentality here. my next door neighbor assaulted me and her friend across the street is a powerful person in the community who supports her harassment of me and both of them have interfered with my getting work and even volunteer positions helping people. the problem is not the panhandlers, it’s that the folks here were born and raised here. they don’t know how to drive because they’ve never driven outside their little bubble. they are willfully stupid, ignorant, and devoid of any real culture. these comments don’t surprise me at all. aberdeen was described as ‘post-apocalyptic’ in the seattle times for many reasons. just look at the people! they are like zombies! every man for himself here, and those ‘helping’ others are just putting a band-aid on the problems the rich, corrupt people here on the hill create.