What you’re trying to explicate is a the idea of a communitarian society.  This kind of society is based on the neighborhood model of neighbors looking after each other, encouraging and expecting a certain level of behavior and respect,  But it also relies on honesty and forthwrighteness of community members who realize that they may be as much a part of the problem, as the solution.  The federal policies, for example, that propped up the value of your home may result in inflation that hurt the less affluent in your community.  But no, communitarism doesn’t involve the heavy hand of the state intervening, nor does it involve herding the less affluent into prisons where they can be “rehabilitated” to fit some arbitrary definition of what is acceptable behavior.   

Not true. The RVs have been there since 2015. I checked two adjacent parcels at 28th/Yancy. Both have increased in valuation by more than 50 percent since then. – TR

Let’s make sure the first class passengers on the upper deck of the ship are most comfortable and have music and tea and their concerns are heard, before we rescue the 3rd class passengers below.

Well said, Snowskier.

Derek said ‘compassionate solutions’ then followed with ‘or leave them alone.’ Did you all miss the point here? The only way to really help people in such difficult circumstances and suffering is with compassionate solutions. Criminalizing, punishing, and hatefulness of the homeless and poor, adds to their heavy load of difficulty and suffering, which works against them bettering their lives and situations. Consequences for actual crimes, yes, compassionate solutions for homelessness, poverty, and suffering.

You do need to set the rules and consistently enforce them.  Without any enforcement, you end up in the situation we are in where the broken vehicles and trash overwhelm the street adjacent to those neighbors that play by the rules.  We need to continue with the “carrots” of treatment, services, etc but we also need to bring out the “stick” of towing, no living in the parks, etc if we want to see actual change.  The current ‘offer help and hope for the best’ situation isn’t working for anyone.

That’s the LEAST I would ask for… what about the fact that I don’t ever feel safe outside or I can’t sleep bc EVERY night I hear a cart rattling down the street pushed by an encampment resident looking for stuff to steal from properties?? How are we supposed to ask for anything when the bare minimum of safety and respect from these fellow neighborhood “residents” isn’t even considered???