Anti-homeless spikes and other 'defensive urban architecture'

[AthenaAwakened]

If you don't like the stench of the homeless, install shower heads. Better even, slyly lure them away from the benches. With homes, or at least small rooms with the space for a cot and hardly anything more (if you're penny wise--or penny cheap).

A few years back the paper here had an article about the homeless situation when we had what is for us a very cold snap. They were asking some of the people on the street why they didn't go to the shelters. One answer: Too many rules--things like "take a shower every day".

do you ever talk to street people?

 

[credoconsolans]

Hey, here's an idea: how about instead of using spikes to combat homelessness you use, oh, I don't know, homes?

Look at the homeless thread on here. Many of the homeless are afraid of becoming part of the system again.

This spike treatment was done by a private home in the UK. The UK has an even bigger social safety net than the US. If there are still homeless in the UK with its massive social services system, I daresay the problem with the homeless there isn't the homeless not having homes.

In France I remember the benches at taxi stands and bus stands being a very narrow ledge. Enough for people to temporarily sit waiting for the bus or taxi, but too uncomfortable for homeless to sleep on.

As much as I feel for the homeless in their situations not caused by their own actions, in my city, we have the homeless to thank for the hard wooden benches and stiff wood chairs in our big lovely main library and the lack of chairs in the big bookstores. The homeless came in and started sleeping in the previous big nice comfy chairs and sofas...passing along piss and body vermin. Those chairs were taken away.

 

[Valjean]

If most of these people are psychologically unable to care for themselves, might they be assigned social worker supervisors to keep an eye on their welfare, or even taken into supervised group housing in extreme cases?

 

[AthenaAwakened]

Hey, here's an idea: how about instead of using spikes to combat homelessness you use, oh, I don't know, homes?

Look at the homeless thread on here. Many of the homeless are afraid of becoming part of the system again.

This spike treatment was done by a private home in the UK. The UK has an even bigger social safety net than the US. If there are still homeless in the UK with its massive social services system, I daresay the problem with the homeless there isn't the homeless not having homes.

In France I remember the benches at taxi stands and bus stands being a very narrow ledge. Enough for people to temporarily sit waiting for the bus or taxi, but too uncomfortable for homeless to sleep on.

As much as I feel for the homeless in their situations not caused by their own actions, in my city, we have the homeless to thank for the hard wooden benches and stiff wood chairs in our big lovely main library and the lack of chairs in the big bookstores. The homeless came in and started sleeping in the previous big nice comfy chairs and sofas...passing along piss and body vermin. Those chairs were taken away.

do you ever talk to street people?

 

[Derec]

As much as I feel for the homeless in their situations not caused by their own actions, in my city, we have the homeless to thank for the hard wooden benches and stiff wood chairs in our big lovely main library and the lack of chairs in the big bookstores. The homeless came in and started sleeping in the previous big nice comfy chairs and sofas...passing along piss and body vermin. Those chairs were taken away.

Central library degenerating into a homeless shelter is a problem in Atlanta as well. The Forsyth Street branch is a disgrace in that regard.

 

[ksen]

Hey, here's an idea: how about instead of using spikes to combat homelessness you use, oh, I don't know, homes?

Look at the homeless thread on here. Many of the homeless are afraid of becoming part of the system again.

So we should spike them?

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If most of these people are psychologically unable to care for themselves, might they be assigned social worker supervisors to keep an eye on their welfare, or even taken into supervised group housing in extreme cases?

No way, spiked benches are cheaper.

 

[Togo]

...and the objective fact of the high levels of communicable diseases that homeless people often carry...

I'm not sure this is an objective fact. In fact, I'm a little suspicious that it's one of those things that get made up because people think it is probably true, and don't want to bother with evidence.

From what I remember, the people the highest level of communicable diseases are, perhaps unsurprisingly, charity workers and medical personnel. Homeless people themselves don't mingle with enough people to be efficient carriers.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

If most of these people are psychologically unable to care for themselves, might they be assigned social worker supervisors to keep an eye on their welfare, or even taken into supervised group housing in extreme cases?

You're still assuming they'll cooperate. That's the big problem--most of them won't.

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As much as I feel for the homeless in their situations not caused by their own actions, in my city, we have the homeless to thank for the hard wooden benches and stiff wood chairs in our big lovely main library and the lack of chairs in the big bookstores. The homeless came in and started sleeping in the previous big nice comfy chairs and sofas...passing along piss and body vermin. Those chairs were taken away.

Central library degenerating into a homeless shelter is a problem in Atlanta as well. The Forsyth Street branch is a disgrace in that regard.

Yeah, we have a couple of libraries like that also.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I don't understand the tie-in between prevention of skateboarding in certain areas and deterring the homeless from using a facility. I know that skateboarding can be physically destructive to some structures and extremely annoying/dangerous to pedestrians

Benches with spikes retractable upon receipt of payment is an interesting combination of heartlessness and ingenuity.

Looks like Cousin Kevin grew up and got a job.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

This is a pig ear:

Funny... it looks more like an elderly tripping hazard.

 

[Jarhyn]

This is a pig ear:

Funny... it looks more like an elderly tripping hazard.

generally the elderly stay away from curbs, where they usually get installed. This is because the curb itself is a tripping hazard. And of course it looks like something you could trip on; tripping assholes who would otherwise ruin the sidewalk with their use case are the whole reason they were put there.

 

[credoconsolans]

Hey, here's an idea: how about instead of using spikes to combat homelessness you use, oh, I don't know, homes?

Look at the homeless thread on here. Many of the homeless are afraid of becoming part of the system again.

This spike treatment was done by a private home in the UK. The UK has an even bigger social safety net than the US. If there are still homeless in the UK with its massive social services system, I daresay the problem with the homeless there isn't the homeless not having homes.

In France I remember the benches at taxi stands and bus stands being a very narrow ledge. Enough for people to temporarily sit waiting for the bus or taxi, but too uncomfortable for homeless to sleep on.

As much as I feel for the homeless in their situations not caused by their own actions, in my city, we have the homeless to thank for the hard wooden benches and stiff wood chairs in our big lovely main library and the lack of chairs in the big bookstores. The homeless came in and started sleeping in the previous big nice comfy chairs and sofas...passing along piss and body vermin. Those chairs were taken away.

do you ever talk to street people?

I have in the past. I stopped when I was offered abusive or obscene comments and invitations and others drooled while they tried to speak to me.

 

[Nexus]

Central library degenerating into a homeless shelter is a problem in Atlanta as well.

We should build more homeless shelters that are designed and run like libraries.

 

[Perspicuo]

 

[Jarhyn]

And none of that has any effect on my point previously: either advocate shooting them humanely or advocate installations which can house them and where they can get clean without placing arbitrary obstacles in front of them.

 

[AthenaAwakened]

Hey, here's an idea: how about instead of using spikes to combat homelessness you use, oh, I don't know, homes?

Look at the homeless thread on here. Many of the homeless are afraid of becoming part of the system again.

This spike treatment was done by a private home in the UK. The UK has an even bigger social safety net than the US. If there are still homeless in the UK with its massive social services system, I daresay the problem with the homeless there isn't the homeless not having homes.

In France I remember the benches at taxi stands and bus stands being a very narrow ledge. Enough for people to temporarily sit waiting for the bus or taxi, but too uncomfortable for homeless to sleep on.

As much as I feel for the homeless in their situations not caused by their own actions, in my city, we have the homeless to thank for the hard wooden benches and stiff wood chairs in our big lovely main library and the lack of chairs in the big bookstores. The homeless came in and started sleeping in the previous big nice comfy chairs and sofas...passing along piss and body vermin. Those chairs were taken away.

do you ever talk to street people?

I have in the past. I stopped when I was offered abusive or obscene comments and invitations and others drooled while they tried to speak to me.

well then you know, since you actually have talked to people who are living on the street that in order to do that, there are rules. And those rules don't jive in polite society but may be the only things that get you from one winter to the next. You know, for example, that everytime you take off your clothes, you run the risk of having them stolen, especially if they are mended and smell nice. You of course know that people posing as social workers regularly prey on the indigent and steal their disability checks. And in these conversations you surely learned that street people are regularly rousted by the police, rolled by thieves and and general molested by some of us fine upstanding citizens, because who can they depend on to protect them, except themselves.

Of course you know all this because you have talked to street people. Gotten to know them and actually given a shit about them.

Right?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

This is a pig ear:

Funny... it looks more like an elderly tripping hazard.

Anyone in shape to get up on a bench and walk along it shouldn't be in danger of tripping over it.


You often variations on this theme in airports because of jet-lagged travelers that want to sleep during long connections.

 

[Jarhyn]

This is a pig ear:

Funny... it looks more like an elderly tripping hazard.

Anyone in shape to get up on a bench and walk along it shouldn't be in danger of tripping over it.


You often variations on this theme in airports because of jet-lagged travelers that want to sleep during long connections.

I dunno. I manage to sleep damn need everywhere, every airport I have been in.

 

[ksen]

I have in the past. I stopped when I was offered abusive or obscene comments and invitations and others drooled while they tried to speak to me.

Shouldn't that lead you to wanting to put things in place to help them instead of putting things in place to shoot spikes into their bodies?

 

[Sabine Grant]

There was a time when physically handicapped persons were placed out of sight. It was such a discomfort to some to have to see and even be in contact with them. Out of sight, out of mind. Of course , we have come a long way. But we still have a long way to go when it comes to our willingness to provide shelter, food and basic resources to our fellow human beings know as homeless. We dismiss them as fellows. We are not like them. And god forbid we would ever place ourselves in any situations where we would stoop down to their level. We are way too dignified to ever reach the point of depending on a homeless shelter and a soup kitchen.

Some of us even expect them to follow the same rules and social fitness as ours. Might as well expect a feral cat to behave like our typical house cat, well fed, well cared for, well protected, well loved and if not loved at least the minimum of being well liked.

So, some of us have decided to drive homeless people away. Out of sight, out of mind. We can then enjoy that first sip of a cappuccino we paid 6 bucks for, on a cold morning, without the sight of a homeless person shivering on a bench disturbing our moment. We can enjoy our cities while they keep up the appearance of the absence of human misery. We drive human misery away. Out of sight, out of mind.

We then can ignore the ugliness of our own humanity. Homeless persons are not hanging around anymore to tickle our conscience into the knowledge that we could make a difference ...but we do not want to. Out of sight, out of mind, out of our conscience.