I love the Opt Ed section of the paper. I believe we all need to write at least one letter on something we’re passionate about in our lifetime. In saying that, I applaud this reader
“In a ruling Friday, Judge Robert Bryan said Clark County’s work crews violated the constitutional rights of at least a half-dozen homeless residents when they threw out their tents, stoves, medication, documents, and photographs during sweeps from 2012 to 2014. A trial is set for Oct. 3 to determine how much the county must pay in damages, but settlement talks are also planned. If they hadn’t been abandoned, it said, the workers were to give one-hour notice that the residents had to vacate the area and take their belongings with them.” An hour is not enough time to clear one’s belongings. It also raises my question “what are the signs of an abandoned encampment?” What if campers left to eat meals at a local shelter, then returned to find the work crews seizing their property and refusing to give it back? Among the items taken were dentures, a photograph of a deceased child, and legal documents such as Social Security cards and disability insurance papers. One homeless resident, Terry Ellis, left a backpack at a bus stop while he offered to help a woman whose car had broken down nearby. Even though Ellis was within sight when the work crew arrived, the crew took it, ignoring his explanation for why he left it there, Ellis said in court filings. Inside the backpack were new clothes he had been given so he could apply for a job, he said. Peter Fels, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, said he learned of their plight by volunteering at a legal clinic at the shelter. I am unsure what the solution is to this problem, but I go back to the basics of what I learned as a child “Treat people the way you wish to be treated” even those who get evicted from their home, are given proper notice.
