[Old School Hound]

I really would like to hear from more people on this issue than just my good friend, Jetpilot(who doesn't want me around his family because he says I'm dangerous... lol) Whether you live in Hazard, Russell Springs, Bowling Green, or Louisville, you see evidence of the homeless problem every single day. Where do you fall on the issue of the homeless?  Should they be run off from public streets, parks, grocery stores, diners and truck stops?  Should they be arrested and taken to jail? How about shot and killed for wandering upon private property? 

When you see a homeless person , do you hand them money, buy them a sandwich, or look the other way? I'll be honest, as a good progressive , sometimes I feel bad for not handing out cash but there seems to be a lot of homeless who also fight addition, and I hate to contribute to furthering an addiction. But buying them food or other items is something that seems wholly benevolent and worthwhile. I would imagine the first century lib, JC(Jesus Christ) would concur. 


HB5, The partisan Republican-led  bill, which some call the Safer Kentucky Act, but others call the Dehumanization Act takes a tough approach to the homeless. It takes an outdated, disproven, tough-on-crime approach to public safety by delivering harsher punishments, mandating longer sentences, making it impossible for homeless people to find a place to sleep, and many other provisions that will have far reaching consequences for everyday people.  Some feel the most heartless part of the bill, the "Shopkeeper's Privilege" provision ,  is a provision that criminalizes homelessness and makes it easier for a homeless person to be murdered. It  grants store owners the authority to use any level of “reasonable” force they deem “necessary” to apprehend suspected shoplifters.

I'm sure that, like me, you see these people on an almost daily basis. I know in Corbin, you can't go to certain floor areas of the hospital after about 8 pm because homeless people had started to flock to certain areas to sleep. I go to a local fast food restaurant/gas station pretty often to have coffee and get some work done. I see many homeless regulars there all the time ,. hanging out, sleeping at the tables inside the restaurant. Do you have any thoughts on how to best alleviate this problem?  I doubt if shooting and killing them for stealing a candy bar is the best way to deal with the problem. I don't think the GOP's HB5 would be Jesus' solution to the homeless problem.