Published with permission of the author.
Please note -- Officer Strada is expressing his personal opinion gleaned from experience; he is not acting as a spokesman for the City of Evanston, nor in any official capacity.
October 28, 2008
RE:Homeless Shelter
Dear Aldermen, Paul Chevlin & the Greenwood-Busse Neighborhood Coalition,
I have been a Park Ridge home owner for the past twenty eight years. I live on a nice quiet block & have nice neighbors. I would like to keep it that way, but I know that if the City goes forward with it's plan to open a homeless shelter at the end of my block life as we know it will be gone forever.
Let me explain. I am a police officer in the City of Evanston & have first hand experience in dealing with the homeless. Evanston has a homeless shelter, a battered women's shelter & about six soup kitchens. The homeless shelter has rules & lets a person stay there as long as he/she is in need, is actively looking for work & is not intoxicated by drugs or alcohol. If the person is in violation of the rules the person is not allowed into the shelter. This puts the person in the neighborhood & is now a problem for the residents. The homeless subject usually wanders around until he finds somewhere to sleep off his intoxication. I am called frequently to remove some one from a back yard or front porch of some unsuspecting citizen. We have frequent complaints of the homeless urinating & even defecating in private back yards & alleys.
We have increased domestic disturbances as the men & women "hook up" at the shelter. We have panhandling all over the downtown area & the citizens constantly complain about that. There is increased retail thefts, residential burglaries & car burglaries. Remember they are homeless, jobless & penniless.
Many of the homeless have extensive criminal histories. Not all homeless are bad people. But, some make being homeless a career. They don't want to live as we do & have told me so. I have seen the same faces on the street for the past 10 – 15 years. Once you open the door to this type of community service you will never be able to close it again.
Park Ridge has always been known as a quality community with good schools, good property values & a lower than average crime rate. If the City persists in its plans, the property value in my area will plummet & the crime rate will sky rocket. The children in my area play freely outside now, but how safe will they be if Mayor Frimark has his way?
The other thing that the Mayor should consider is the cost. Even if the City did not have to donate a building it is going to cost us, the tax payer. There will be more calls for service to the police department& more ambulance calls for the fire department. More calls for service means more police & fire personnel will be needed & more equipment & more salaries & benefits etc. And lets not kid ourselves, the City will wind up kicking in some money every time things get tight for the shelter. There goes even more of our tax dollars.
Please, consider this step carefully. Do what is right for Park Ridge!
Robert Strada
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October 29, 2008
Late Edition -- Soapbox!
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13 comments:
Thank you for being the voice of reason.
3 cheers for Officer Strada!!!
Please send this to the local newspapers so your opinion has a larger audience.
Alas, the only voices that our contemptable Mayor listens to are . . . the ones in his head.
I agree with you. Most of your concerns where discussed in the past meetings. The mayor and a majority of the alderman don't feel those are valid concerns. Public safety is not a concern, receiving funding is $$$. They say the guests that will be attending the shelters are not felons, just people down on their luck. Are they in for a surprise. Time to move to Winnetka.
You should go to the next city council meeting and show your support.
thank you too. unfortunately, pads is the guest that's been invited by some spoiled children and now apparently we can't uninvite them. Or they won't let themselves be uninvited.
Even though there is no stated need even by pads that they are beyond capacity, or turning people away. I volunteered at pads just before christmas in desplaines St. Mary's last year and we brought food for 40; only appx 17 people showed up. We had to dispose of all the extra lbs of food. I've been looking on the internet and the shelter at st.mary's has a capacity of 40 but usually only 20-25 show up. Where is the necessity? Can't our 3 able bodied homeless take the train to desplaines, get off and walk 10-20 feet to st. Mary's?
But that might not make the mindless googoos feel good about themselves. They are desperate to make themselves feel worthwhile and not have to leave the neighborhood because they are lazy. Why don't they just entertain those 3 in their homes? Or adopt them as a weird uncle and let them live in their guest bedrooms or summer or winter home?
Can't our 3 able bodied homeless take the train to desplaines, get off and walk 10-20 feet to st. Mary's?
Best quote I've heard all week!
finally ! been waiting for the practical public safety costs( both police and fire) to be discussed. too bad the issue has to be presented by an evanston cop instead of our own 'acting" police and fire " experts"
In light of Officer Strada's letter, I thought this was interesting...apparently the guy was homeless...
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/evanston.police.shooting.2.852588.html
Did you know, that our two homeless people that hang out by starbucks on prospect, are all ready defecating behind the pickwick? Guess what's going to happen in the neighborhoods of Park Ridge!!!!!
Good Luck Everyone...
anon 4:50:
May I ask how you know this. It is facinating to me the diversity of the view of the life in PR. On the other blog I see people who question the existence of Mr. Olsen saying that they have never seen him. Now you have him crapping in the alley.
I have never seen and "evidence" that anyone is using the alley as a restroom. I have seen them use the bathroom at the Starbucks and the library. I am sure this is not what many in PR want but I do not think they are using the alley.
Talk to maintance supervisor for Gillick. He made a police report about. Mr Olsen and his friend set up a little housing unit in the alley.
PLEASE SEND THIS TO PIONEER PRESS!!! THANK YOU FOR WRITING THIS PIECE FROM YOU POINT OF VIEW.
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