REMOVE SAN JOSE'S Sanctuary City Status pleads (the wilsons! & the micks!) among many others
We do LOVE the WILSON'S! united in this good fight of faith.. and tom mention's in letter below, 'go back to enjoying retirement'
the micks & the wilson's are retired; and we do enjoy being retired.. however, we also recognize, having lived it.. when you are working full time, raising children, volunteering, taking care of family.. children's activities, homework, sports, appointments, keeping a house, grocery shopping, cooking.. cleaning.. day to day life for the HTLC Community.. [Hard Working, Tax Paying, Law Abiding, Contributors]
you are too busy doing the right things to fight this fight,
too busy doing the right things to show up for weekday, mid day meeting
too busy doing the right things to show up at night, sit hour upon hour waiting to speak for 60 seconds, where no one on council is required to answer or respond or even listen to your comments or questions
you are too busy doing the right things and we "Thank You!"
but the san jose city council members, and santa clara county supervisors, and calif governor, have taken great advantage of that truth. they know you are too busy, and are steam-rolling you behind your busy, righteous, upstanding HTLC backs..
so, we do, also feel 'blessed to be a blessing' that is, we are retired, and we can devote a certain amount of time to fighting on your behalf
we did this during NOTonNOBLE -but that did take a toll.. that was 24/7, non stop, all consuming..
so we are also careful to balance this out.. to help; but not let this consume our lives; or tax and compromise our health, as the NOTonNOBLE fight did
in this regard -we are so grateful to see OTHER PEOPLE SPEAKING OUT.. adding to the numbers; the voices, the effort.. anyone who can help; please do!
-from Tom
BNF's (Best Neighbors Forever),
What you wrote in your email, and what you explained in last night's meeting, sums up the futility of the homelessness issue, and the futility of how the government is addressing it. Every giveaway attracts more homeless individuals to our City. And, because we now have a reputation for helping the homeless, our city has become a "mecca" for the entire homeless nation. We have become a "magnet city," in the worst possible way!
We give so much, we are hurting ourselves, and there is no end to the needs. Our City services have been cut back for decades because the largest share of our revenue and resources have been dedicated to the least productive "citizens" (using that term loosely). I agree with Robert's position that our tax revenue would be better spent on preventing homelessness, rather than using it to shower the existing homeless with incredibly expensive shelter and services. Prevention is short term help, but once people fall into homelessness, they need long-term support the City simply can't afford.
The liberal council members, and their constituents who voted for them, are addressing homelessness with their hearts, not their minds. Most human beings, like ourselves, have a heart and want to be charitable to others in need. However, when dealing with mental illness, addiction, and criminal behavior, we must use our intelligence. Both social science and medical science (psychology) indicate that "tough love" is what's needed. We're not going to reduce the homeless population in San Jose with kindness. The path of least resistance, allowing the homeless to dictate the terms of their care and existence, won't get them out of their predicaments. Like kids, they need structure, education, and limits...they need tough love.
So, how can us "wee-little-people" make a difference? One way is to label the City leaders and their non-profits and advocates "enablers." We have done so in many of our emails, letters and public comment opportunities, but perhaps we need to step it up and encourage others to focus on doing the same. We need to press for programs that rehabilitate, educate, medicate (for depression, bi-polar, schizophrenia) as opposed to the current programs that only feed and house the homeless. And, we need Dignity Acres to immediately get the homeless off the streets and out of the parks and waterways!
The concept of not enabling the homeless is akin to the "teach a man to fish" parable. However, if a homeless person refuses to "learn to fish," they shouldn't be helped otherwise. Then, if they are not getting what they seek in San Jose--total freedom--they'll have to go find it somewhere else. The word needs to get out..."Homey don't play dat!" It may also help to repeal our "sanctuary city" status. The City could make headlines by becoming the first sanctuary city in a sanctuary State, in a sanctuary County, to drop it's sanctuary designation.
Like you guys, I'm tired of attempting to move the needle at City Hall. It is so pegged to the far left that we may never be able to inch it somewhere toward the middle. I'm torn between wanting to bring some intelligence to the debate vs shaking my head in disgust and disbelief and walking away. It's hard to determine when to keep performing CPR and when to call time-of-death.
If we want to keep banging our heads against the wall in an attempt to affect positive change, I recommend doing any or all of the following:
1. Lobby the County to step-up and provide the mental health and addiction treatment services they are required-by-law to provide
2. Put an end to the sanctuary status of both the County and the City through ballot initiatives
3. Work on the Dignity Acres concept. Address the concerns regarding land use. Explore alternatives like "Dignity Enclaves" (rather than one giant tent city--ten smaller ones--one in each District). I doubt we can ever get support for one large tent city because it will be fought hard against by neighbors wherever it is proposed.
Taking on any of the above could be a full time job, but, maybe we pick just one and see if we can make headway on it? Or, we say "f-it," put on blinders like most, and go back to enjoying our retirements!
Stepping down off my soap box, Tom
-from elva,
Praise the Lord for the Micks!!!
***
Wonderful letter and points. Sandra and I agree 100% with removing San Jose and the country sanctuary status. We feel one Dignity Acres facility in the outskirts away from all neighborhoods. A State built Dignity Acres in the middle of no where would work great for all California. Robert and Sandra. Tom, Can Sandra post your letter?
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Dear Every Single San Jose City Council Member, Mayor, and Santa Clara Board of Supervisors, -and Trump Administration
We do have to experiment with different approaches in responding to our ongoing homeless crisis.
The experiment of taking land near our newest, nicest Safeway and small business plaza, and making it a 'safe parking site' for EIGHTY FIVE RV's,
has NOT REDUCED the number of RV'S on Berryessa. Rather, the result is: there were 12.. you added new space for 85.. promising to relocate the 12.. Berryessa re-filled up in no time, so now we are approaching 100 -with ZERO enforcement on the promised 'no return' zone ordinance.
This clearly demonstrates, in a very visible and factual way, the addition of acres and acres for 'safe parking sites' does not reduce; but ATTRACTS even more RV's.
We plead you will recognize the results and try something new.
It is my opinion, you should each revisit the Dignity Acres Emergency Campground proposal. I'm under the impression you are currently wasting lots of time, money and human resources on -predictably- unsuccessful non-solutions, only to exhaust your every effort and conclude Dignity Acres has been the most cost-effective, efficient, humanitarian win/win solution all along.
With respect and hope,
Robert & Sandra Mickanen
I like it...a state funded and operated Dignity Acres! Get me the hotline to Newscum!
Although, it could bring back bad, societal, collective memories of the internment of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor. In reality, however, the tent cities used for internment could be a model for Dignity Acres.
Lobbying the County to provide mandated mental health/addiction services is important too, and since three of us are ex-County employees, we might have some insight and pull that could help pursue this. We can form a self-proclaimed, citizen advisory panel to pester the County into action! Playing off of "Not on Noble," we could call it "Yes on Sanity" or "Citizens for Sanity" or "Citizens for Sane Citizens." I know all this sounds ridiculous, but, so is the issue. The government's handling of mental health has been unconscionable, and now "we the people" have to suffer for their incompetence!
You guys are always welcome to post my letters. I'm thinking I can boil it down to the essentials for a future public comment as well. I very much feel the need to push the "no sanctuary," "no enabling," "no Mecca," "no magnet," "tough love" "teach a man to fish" narratives!
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YES! Remove San Jose City's Sanctuary City Status, We will sign that petition too! The Micks
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