P.T. Schimtz writes: > As for April Wooster's article, I thought it was a mixed bag. > > On the plus side, it made me aware for the first time of City Hall's > unwritten HOMELESS CONTAINMENT policy. A mandate rather similar to crime > containment in the poorest parts of North and South Minneapolis.
Thank you. I thought that was interesting, too. >On the minus side, Ms. Wooster perpetuates many of the negative stereotypes of >homeless people perpetuated in our popular culture. >Consider the following detail about Martin, one of the island's citizens: "He growls when he >gets mad." Nice job, April. From now on I'll think of poor Martin as an animal. This is where most of the criticism so far loses me. Like Jim Mork's, P.T.'s is a highly selective and out-of-context example. To argue my point, here are the two major sections on Craig Martin in the piece. You tell me if you think he's an animal after reading them: <begin excerpt> Craig Martin, 43, is known to Islanders as the "Protector" or the "Big Man." He watches out for folks on the Island and works to keep the place clean. "Everybody on the Island is like family," he says. "We get along most of the time, and sometimes we get into a little 'thorn.' But we don't do anything to anybody [outside the Island]." <snip non-Martin stuff> The Protector stays behind to share his story. Martin prides himself on having a kind heart, a willingness to give away whatever food or supplies he has to anyone who asks. He has made attempts recently to clean up the Island that even a nearby business owner and the police have recognized. "Once I started cleaning up, the police mess with us less," Martin says. Martin has epilepsy, bronchitis and a damaged heart that prevents him from doing much physical work, he says. He is waiting to see if he can get Social Security benefits in Minnesota after recently moving from Chicago, where he refuses to return for fear of being killed. Martin has been on the Island all summer and has survived three or four fights, which the 6'5" boxer skilled in martial arts always wins, he says. Island spats often occur between one person wanting something another person refuses to give. "I break up a fight or try my best to stop it because it's not worth anything," says Martin, who has a scar on one arm from being hit with a piece of cast aluminum. "Some people come down here and they want to cause trouble. And I say, 'Not while I'm around you ain't.' And they ask, 'Who the hell are you?' And I say, 'Ever had a bad nightmare? I'll be the worst nightmare you ever had.'" He growls when he gets mad. Despite the fights, Martin says that the Island is mostly a safe place to sleep. "Only thing you have to worry about is mosquitoes and the ants," Martin says. He stays under the blankets to keep the insects away. Others buy cheap bug spray they have to lather on several times a day. Around his blanket area, Martin has several books about mysterious places and events, including alien encounters. He thinks science fiction can provide an accurate prediction of the future. Right now Martin is writing a story called "The Hasslers and the Harassment." It's about life on the Island. He won't let anyone read it until he's finished telling a story that isn't over yet. <end of examples> Re: P.T.'s criticism of the bloodshot eyes... > Now David, in case you may be tempted to respond to my take on Homeless > Containment (after all, good journalists report what they observe without > imposing their conclusions on the reader) consider Ms. Wooster's remark: > "Other Islanders claim they don't use drugs, yet their bloodshot > eyes--and the smells--suggest a different story. > > Now I don't know about the rest of you folks on this list, but my eyes > can get bloodshot for any number of reasons: I'm sure they do. And had bloodshot eyes been the only physical indicator, it probably wouldn't have made the story. But I'll bet we've all smelled alcohol on people's breath, and April did. Hers was a reasonable reportorial conclusion. I continue to be baffled by the notion that it's not ok to say that people on the Island are drinking. It's ok to say they're mentally ill, but not alcoholic? > . . .squabble among themselves. The children!!!! While I realize we violated a p.c. notion here - no discouraging words - April did see this and she should have reported it. In my world, P.T., adults squabble too (for example, see this list). Perhaps you are perpetuating stereotypes of children? <ironic humor alert>. > Paragraph 3 of what Jim Mork rightly calls "Fantasy Island": A few > blocks away from the well-to-do pace of Downtown, homeless adults have > found an open-air haven on three consecutive\utive medians of well-trod > grass along the Royalston Avenue. > > Several paragraphs later: "The garbage incinerator and city police garage > are also nearby. > > <snip> What a deprived existence this > journalist must lead if she thinks "open-air havens" can actually exist > next to garbage incinerators. That's open-air, P.T. - not clean air, or fresh air. Open air - a.k.a. outside - is not a measure of air quality, but location. I'd appreciate hearing from others, especially those who don't weigh in as regularly on these issues. Am I off-base in my defense...too defensive? If you feel this discussion is boring the list, please email me off-list. If your comments are wider in scope, I'll hang in here. David Brauer King Field Editor, Skyway News and Southwest Journal TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
