Homelessness is inevitable in a capitalist society. It is the unfortunate product of an unequal country in any major city, and is one of the most tragic, troubling elements of the world that I have had to witness in my 21 years here. Perhaps the most frustrating part of this problem is its seemingly unbreakable pattern. How do people sporadically obtain jobs and housing to escape from the depressing, poverty-stricken street corners? What specifically can bring an end to homelessness is a deep discussion for a different day, but when it comes to Madison and its politics, there needs to be a different attitude toward addressing homelessness and its presence.
As I mentioned, it is extremely difficult to completely extinguish homelessness, but we can certainly agree on methods that are going to minimally decrease its strength and consistency. We must assist both sides in dealing with the current downtown circumstances: the homeless, and those being affected by the homeless. Unfortunately, the recent proposal passed by Madison Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, does not help either side.
Konkel originally rejected the mayor office's solution to place cameras in areas to deter inappropriate or illegal activity, as well as increasing police presence, specifically in Brittingham Park. She opposed it because it strips rights from the homeless population.
In response, Konkel then passed a proposal to allow homeless people to urinate and sleep in public places. This will do nothing more than feed an injurious cycle of the homeless suffering through the same standard of living, and the students being bothered by them.
The actions of Konkel and others only continue the cycle of issues. This merely opens more doors for people to live the homeless life. I am not saying that I have a problem with the legal tolerance of the homeless urinating and sleeping in public. I understand that if they are homeless, they obviously have limited options to complete a large bulk of everyday actions. But to implement this as only a substitution to a mayoral plan that would have disciplined many homeless people, a move that may prompt them to pursue a lifestyle outside of panhandling, is an opportunity wasted.
Konkel's attitude is linked to the same belief that any restrictions on panhandling violate the right to free speech. Becoming a strong proponent of negative liberty since the political theory class I took my sophomore year, and living so close to the Peace Park neighborhood this year, I am fed up with the annoyance and stigma of panhandling while walking down the street.
By continuing day-to-day without any changes in the downtown panhandling situation, each time I walk I am stripped of my constitutional right to linger freely without being summoned, harassed or attacked. This same consistency of liberty to panhandle will continue to move the homeless in the wrong direction rather than encourage them to seek legitimate assistance, as well as protect the panhandlers who actually have housing, something difficult to track.
Cities such as Atlanta have gone so far as to completely outlaw panhandling in the downtown sector and have in turn substituted donations"" that will go directly into homeless funding centers. While that may seem like a giant leap for downtown Madison, passing a proposal that negates any hope of change will do nothing but promote the homeless to drag themselves down, as well as endanger the safety of our students.
Dan Josephson is a senior majoring in political science and legal studies. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com
