New Challenges for Homeless People: Election Induced Enforcement
It was almost 9:30 p.m. yet we were still preparing the boxed noodles, soup and oranges. We are going to distribute them during our outreach that night. The temperature had drastically dropped and the wind added to the bitter cold.
When we finally took to the streets, it was past 10 p.m., we were a bit late than usual. We decided to go Tungkuang Road Park on the east, however, there was not a single homeless person. Next destination was the Tzu-you park, amazingly, it was clear of the usual people we serve at night. We went to the Taichung Park, we saw a group of men and a woman, when we approached them, the group was not very friendly. I have seen the women hanging around the park few days ago. We walked inside the Taichung Park and its vicinity, again, there was no one around, by this time we begin to wonder where were the homeless folks who used to rest in those areas gone. We went to the Taichung Station, walked around checking, again, there was not a single soul. Instead, a policeman approached us, asking who we were looking for. We told him that we are visiting some clients who sleep inside the station. He said, “There is no more homeless people here”. We asked, “Why not? Where are they?” He said, “They are not allowed around the Station and main thoroughfare, Mayor Hu, have given us orders to clean up the Station of the homeless people, they look dirty and pedestrians/passersby are afraid of them.” So, that explained the absence of all the homeless people in the vicinity. After realizing this situation, we started to think where they might be. Thus, we went out of the central area, and there we found most of the folks, sleeping out in the cold. We found most of them towards the northern section near the railroad tracks. We spotted a middle-aged man sleeping in one of the bench at Tungkuang Park, we gave him some food and sleeping bag. He was drunk, he barely responded to us. While we were talking to him, a group of policemen stopped by and came to check on us. They immediately asked the man to get out of the park, even he could not stand. One of the police officer told him to go to the Men’s temporary shelter in Da-kong Street. I asked the police officer if he knows whether the shelter is open at that hour and will accept the man. He said he does not know for sure. The police said they want the street sleepers to go to the shelter because they could die of cold.
It was already past midnight, so we decided to end our night outreach. I wondered where that man went to sleep, after the police asked him to leave the park.
Although, it is true that some homeless men are drinking around the area of train and bus stations, it is not true of all the homeless population. The well-lighted train and bus stations are places of safety for them, from cold and other hate crimes against homeless. Homelessness is a delicate public issue. Election is coming and politicians will use them to measure how the incumbent government served its population. Mayor Hu of Taichung City has done so much to ease the suffering of homeless people in Taichung by encouraging homeless service providers to exchange views and experience through Social Welfare Department meetings. We hope that he will continue to support them and their service providers and not crackdown on homeless.
December 3, 2009
It was already past midnight, so we decided to end our night outreach. I wondered where that man went to sleep, after the police asked him to leave the park.
Although, it is true that some homeless men are drinking around the area of train and bus stations, it is not true of all the homeless population. The well-lighted train and bus stations are places of safety for them, from cold and other hate crimes against homeless. Homelessness is a delicate public issue. Election is coming and politicians will use them to measure how the incumbent government served its population. Mayor Hu of Taichung City has done so much to ease the suffering of homeless people in Taichung by encouraging homeless service providers to exchange views and experience through Social Welfare Department meetings. We hope that he will continue to support them and their service providers and not crackdown on homeless.
December 3, 2009
