Anti homeless spikes are popping up in different places to deter homeless from sleeping or sitting in different areas.
Another Way Of Saying Stay Away
A lot of cities are concerned about the loitering of homeless people
Trying to keep the homeless away from public spaces and business storefronts is a challenge for a lot of the big cities.
An Unacceptable Solution
Montreal and Tokyo are two of several places that have put a focus on designs that will help to keep the homeless at bay
The Protests
The Homeless may not have a voice, but there are a lot of other people that do
There have been ongoing protests by artists as well as others that donโt agree with this new approach of preventing the homeless from laying down or even sitting to take a rest.
Space Not Spikes
This is a movement that has formed that is adamantly against this type of approach
Leah Borromeo is part of this group and says, โThese anti-homeless spikes are brutal. We need to get rid of themโ Better Than Spikes.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Space Not Spikes put words into action when they gave one area a makeover.
They covered a spiked concrete area with soft items like pillows and blankets. Then took it a step further and put a bookshelf with a few books on it to be enjoyed.
Music Artist Supports Cause
The word is getting out about trying to reduce this type of stance against the homeless
Music Artist Ellie Goulding took a stance against the treatment of homeless people.
According to the Guardian: โSinger Ellie Goulding has challenged British councils for their treatment of the homeless, expressing her โdisgustโ at a public space protection order (PSPO) that aims to crack down on rough sleeping in the London borough of Hackney.โ Source: The Guardian
The Negative Outlook About the Homeless Is Not Just Restricted to London
The United States has its own issues with the way the homeless are treated
There are a lot of anti-homeless laws that arenโt that well known except by many of the homeless people who are subjected to them. These are bi-laws like bans on sleeping in cars. Or prohibitions on panhandling.
Using Music To Keep The Homeless Away
Playing Childrenโs songs just might be annoying enough to keep the homeless awake
One Park in Florida plays childrenโs songs like โBaby Sharkโ throughout the night in the hopes it will stop homeless people from sleeping out in the front area of the facility.
Opera Not Appreciated
One 7-Eleven Store in California plays opera music to send a not welcome message to the homeless.
More Subtle Approaches
Is this architecture or just a sneaky way to prevent the homeless from resting?
Are armrests for convenience or a subtle way of keeping the homeless away? This fellow activist got into trouble with the law for removing these deterrents.
So Do The Spikes Work?
For those who are keen on using the spikes as a deterrent the question is, do they work?
The Fakirโs rest demonstrates the many different types of homeless barriers used in Paris to help deal with the homeless problems. Itโs obvious by some of the demonstrations that they may not be all that effective. Perhaps only effective at displaying how disgusting this approach is considered to be by many.
All The Homeless Get Painted With The Same Brush
Unfortunately it is a common practice to stereotype the homeless
Too many people think that all the homeless are the same. That they are lazy or are spun out on drugs and they have chosen this way of life.
How about the man who lost his five-year-old son? This father went into depression and lost everything to the point where he ended up on the streets. Then managed to get life back together and moved in with his fiancรฉ who died a few months later. As if this wasnโt enough, he lost another son while this son was serving his country. A few days later this same manโs brother was murdered. Is this enough family tragedy to drive a person to the streets? If not then maybe a diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer will be.
More Listening May Create Better Actions
Perhaps if more attention were spent on listening to some of the homeless more could be done for them. Also, it might cause some re-thinking of using spikes to make life just a little bit rougher.
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