Bothell ...home to heartless uncaring people?

What is with the people in Bothell? Why are they so scared in having a tent city so people can live someplace? First they were going to have on public land, the neighbors complained with this "not in my backyard" attitude. Then a church offered space and still the same people are screaming about it.

I can understand they would be angry if King County failed to notify them. I will fault them for that but still I get the impression that these people simply do not want any homeless in the community. I saw some local news about it and from what I had seen and heard, many of the people complaining about it are your typical KVI listening, "pull yourself by your bootstraps" sort of people. These people are in another world and do not want to face the realities of the here and now.

Just my take on it.

John

listen to Bush say over and over "love your neighbor." People who pretend to believe that if government eliminate social programs, churches will step in to meet the need.

On the other hand, many of these people probably have most of their net worth wrapped up in their home and they are worried about the value of that house. Nowadays, homebuyers usually have 3 days to do a "neighborhood review" and can back out of a sales contract just by saying they didn't like what they found in the neighborhood review. That's primarily a result of all of the publicity about sex offenders and the publication of their home addresses on the internet, I think. The people running this country work very hard to drive every wedge they can between us and to make us live in fear.

Just so happens, I live in Bothell, 2 blocks from St. Brendan's where the homeless camp will be set up. My mother was homeless for years when I was a kid. She was mentally ill and lived out of her car for years. So, I have nothing but compassion for these people.

Bothell IS a conservative area, more churches than bars by a mile. Our neighborhood has its share of liberals and we all connect.

I think it's great that the church has offered to take them and the city is up in arms. I'd like to go down there and talk with some of the folks and see if maybe I could help 'em out a little. Maybe I could get arrested for feeding the homeless.

Also, I'd love to get a tv interview as a local Bothell citizen so I could counterract the NIMBY shit.

Here's what I would bring up...

What if this was you and you had no where to stay ?

How is it that we can afford $200,000,000,000 poured into a sand rathole of death and destruction and not be able to find a roof these folks can sleep under ? For the cost of one cruise missile, all these people could be well-cared for.

Homeless, tent city ? I say BRING 'EM ON :-)


Magical

is like a bunch of Sociopath's. How come Americans cannot see how close they all are to becoming homeless themselves? One or two disasters and we all could be on the streets. Do we really believe that we are that insulated from a disaster?
Americans don't want to see the homeless. If they see the homeless it brings to light how precarious their very own situation is and causes fear and anxiety. Creating fear is what our government keeps pushing everyday.

And it's not just Bothell, I'm afraid, but all through the US. Cascadian points out "Then a church offered space and still the same people are screaming about it." while barbaraann speculates that "People who pretend to believe that if government eliminate social programs, churches will step in to meet the need." These people don't want the church to help the homeless. Why? Is the negative stereotype of homeless people the reason? Besides showing Bush's failed promise of church and 'faith-based' organizations taking up the slack in charitable 'social programs', we can also see that these people's love for one another has run cold. 'Good Christians', indeed! loftycity asks a good question: "How come Americans cannot see how close they all are to becoming homeless themselves?" Asking this may point close to the root of the problem. These people are afraid of seeing themselves in the homeless people.

Now, Magical, you be careful when confronting authority. You are brave, my friend.

City. Within a one mile radius of here there are at least 9 Christian Churches. Cedar Park, The Baptist, Foursquare, Korean, Church of Christ, Lutheran, The Happy Church which appears to be now affiliated with Cedar park not one of these churches offered Tent City a home. I am not sure where the Evangelical Lutheran church is that did. I do know where St. Brendan's Catholic Church is who also offered. But what about Cedar park which has a lot of land. Or Happy Church which is right across from the fire station, they are sitting on several acres. Where are all the good Christians? What was it that Jesus said: So shall you do it unto the least of these; so shall you do it unto me.

Christians make me want to puke as do many of my asshole neighbors!!!

My old company relocated to Bothell from downtown Seattle in 1994. Worked up there from 1994 until I got a job closer to home in 1997. They moved most of the operation to Wisconsin recently. Amy memories of Bothell I have were that it is a pretty conservative-leaning place. I did not feel very comfortable there and I hated the communute since I was living in Seattle.

Haven't been back since.

John

but what's ironic is that if you give people a place to live and a hand up, they're much less likely to resort to crimes out of sheer desperation. Most of the homeless who need the tent cities aren't criminally inclined, but a few bad apples make all the suburbanites afraid.

My dad's lived in Bothell for more than 40 years. I know the community pretty well. It used to be extremely rural, but over the last 15 years or so, has been suburbanizing like mad, to the point now where it's an H2-owning, latte-drinking, yuppie haven. Those, more even than the conservatively-inclined old folks like my dad, are the ones who are NIMBYs - they fear their property values will be negatively affected. As if having homeless without anywhere to go was good for a community.

I think a well-maintained tent city can be an asset to a community. The key is to keep it clean, keep it half-decent, and do something to help the folks in it find help and hope. Just closing down tent cities does nothing for anyone.