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As Progressive Cities Are Overrun with Homelessness, Will Enabling Democrats Face a Reckoning?

Posted on Tuesday, November 23, 2021
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AMAC Exclusive – By Andrew Abbott

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Millions of Americans across the country are emerging from the pandemic to find their streets filled with tent cities, drug needles, and, in some cases, human feces. In fact, since the pandemic began, homeless encampments and slums have exploded in size following a series of progressive-led initiatives. While many liberal media outlets have attempted to downplay these concerns and shift blame, voters are increasingly skeptical of Democrats’ ability to solve the crisis. Across the nation, Democrat politicians are increasingly concerned that the problem is weighing the party down—as voters of all political stripes are asking how it is possible that our greatest cities have been overrun with homeless camps.

There is no one single reason for the steady increase of the urban homeless population in public parks and spaces from coast-to-coast–but the evidence suggests that a series of progressive policy decisions have been the driving factor.

While deinstitutionalization efforts in the 1970s and 80’s directly led to a rise in homeless populations, the overall rate of homeless individuals had been declining nationally in recent years. Then, in 2018, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled that “the Eighth Amendment’s cruel and unusual punishment clause prohibited cities from penalizing people for sleeping outside when they lack access to indoor shelter or long-term housing.” This made it largely illegal for police or social workers to remove encampments or assist homeless individuals who refused to move. In conjunction with progressive efforts to increase illegal immigration and the release of thousands of prisoners from state prisons, this new ruling led to an explosion of homeless tent cities across California.

Throughout the country, even areas that were more equipped to handle homelessness were hobbled by pandemic CDC guidance that demanded cities allow “people who are living unsheltered or in encampments to remain where they are” if there’s no place to house them. The rationale for this guidance was that, should the homeless be dispersed, they may carry COVID into surrounding areas.

Even as vaccines became readily available and COVID rates began to decline, homeless encampments in left-leaning cities continued to expand. Journalist and author Michael Shellenberger, a former California homeless advocate, believes that liberal leaders in major cities are directly responsible for creating and exacerbating many of the issues urbanites now face. In his latest book “San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities,” he reveals that, between 2015 and 2018, San Francisco had to replace 300 lampposts that had been so corroded by urine that one collapsed and destroyed a vehicle.

Shellenberger also argues that San Francisco’s many liberal policies aimed at helping the homeless actually exacerbate the problem significantly. He refers to this as “pathological altruism,” pointing to things like the fact that homeless individuals are given over $300 a month with no strings attached, “safe injecting zones” for heroin addicts, and cities’ refusal to prosecute or even arrest people for shoplifting. As noted by columnist George Will:

“An “advocate,” says: “We can’t end overdoses until we end poverty until we end racism.” So, in 2020, the city put up two billboards promoting the safe use of hard drugs (heroin, fentanyl): “Change it up. Injecting drugs has the highest risk of overdose, so consider snorting or smoking instead.” “Try not to use alone. Do it with friends. Use with people and take turns.” Last year, however, San Francisco did ban smoking in apartments.”

Instead of acknowledging the fact that these programs clearly are, at minimum, less effective than originally thought, liberals are pivoting. They instead blame the homeless problem on a lack of affordable homes. While cities like New York and Chicago have large and comprehensive shelters, California’s “Housing First” advocates are aggressively opposed. Instead, they demand the city provide free houses to the homeless, with no stipulations that recipients are tested for drug use or even obey the law.

These radical policies are already starting to affect elections. Earlier this month, for example, Republicans won several races for local government in New York City, despite Democrats outnumbering Republicans seven to one in the Big Apple. One of the biggest causes for the success cited by Republicans was “dissatisfaction with quality-of-life issues such as homelessness and crime,” which made even some Democrats break ranks and vote red. In Denver, Democrats predict homelessness will be the “No. 1” issue in the upcoming mayoral election. Even in far-left California, experts predicted that if Newsom was recalled earlier this fall, his failure to address the homeless crisis would be the reason why.

Some Democratic leaders, likely recognizing the political disaster this issue could become, are beginning to address it. In Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser has begun clearing homeless encampments and relocating the homeless to hotels and low-income apartments. Los Angles is making a similar move, but is already facing stiff pushback from progressive media outlets for “playing politics.” The fact that these homeless encampments have been overrun with drugs, disease, and sexual assault is not acknowledged in these criticisms. But even if progressive leaders do make efforts to clean up their streets, it may prove to be too little, too late.

Andrew Abbott is the pen name of a writer and public affairs consultant with over a decade of experience in DC at the intersection of politics and culture.

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Philip Hammersley
Philip Hammersley
2 years ago

Ninth “Circus” court needs to be disbanded or fixed! How about the gangs of Biden’s voters doing “smash and grabs” at high-end stores? Joe’s welfare checks aren’t enough for them!

Retired Military, Baby Boomer
Retired Military, Baby Boomer
2 years ago

Just got back (to the Midwest) from a trip to California. Was ridiculous the homeless folks laying around, littering, sleeping, pooping and peeing anywhere they felt like it. This is what the Socialist Democrats are bring to us, along with the $6.00 a gallon I paid for gasoline. Why would any red blooded American vote for this kind of Communist economy?

Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen
2 years ago

Homeless ? Try worthless. You can NEVER re-hab those ‘folks.’
They want to play with needles ? Inset it at the base of their skull.
ALL major metro areas are no THIS. What this country needs is a
good political enema.

Jeb
Jeb
2 years ago

There will come a time when even the progressives will abandon them. Money only has so much value, no matter how much you print, during times of inflation.

Tom
Tom
2 years ago

What is super nice is that all this crap is happening in the liberal democrat cities and states. Just keep them there and the rest of us will be fine.

Darrel
Darrel
2 years ago

You know, these are choices that the homeless people make for their lives. They choice to do this and they choose to stay that way, just like everyone else in society. The democrats are enablers of bad behavior. There is not one thing positive or good that democrats do. They are who you read about in Revelation as the wicked that disregard everything that God is trying to communicate to them through His saints.

Stephen Russell
Stephen Russell
2 years ago

The recall effort of Newsom shows Yes alone
How & when??
Until enough locally get ticked then Nothing changes
Need massive Rise up to Revolt

Boz
Boz
2 years ago

When bread lines start and hamburger is $500/pound, maybe then most people will wake up and do something.

Chuck L
Chuck L
2 years ago

Why not follow the illegals and place these homeless in the same type homes that illegals are getting into. They are not sleeping o the street, I bet…

Anthony Dell'Isola
Anthony Dell'Isola
2 years ago

I’s causing a mass exodus from these Democratic run cities and prices in Republican run cities to skyrocket.

Mary Ann Johnston
Mary Ann Johnston
2 years ago

Yes the Democrat run cities and states (and RINO Republicans with no Conservative values) are entirely at fault and homelessness is just one of many issues that plague our society they can be held accountable for, not to mention our open borders. It is just amazing how there are still people out there that can’t put 2 and 2 together and keep voting for these individuals who hate our country and have no morals about destroying this great Nation.

Walter
Walter
2 years ago

WE the People are not represented by the Biden administration. It is terrible that in our Great Country, there are homeless people. I know that whatever positive measures that could be done to help these unfortunate people, I suspect there would always be some homeless but maybe not as many. Our homelessness and our open border allowing more and more Illegals and drugs to come into our country coupled with defunding our Police-Biden and his screw up Socialist team is having our Country circling the drain. Perhaps we should not fund and provide security for the Socialist Politicians. Many of the judges are not much better. How can they be left or right, I believe their job is just to interpret the laws not lean to one side or the other. I find this not to be the case and many of them seem to lack CONSTITUTIONAL ETHICS. We need to rid our Great Country of these Corrupt Socialist Politicians before they totally destroy US. As an old Red White & Blue vet, I hate to say this but these days I am lacking confidence in this Government of our Great Country.

Kyle Buy you some guns,and learn how to shoot
Kyle Buy you some guns,and learn how to shoot
2 years ago

Put all these Homkess bunch in and on abandond militery bases. That would be just fine for them. Kyle L.

jocko
jocko
2 years ago

SEND ’em ALL TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND pelosi’s HOUSE

Joe M
Joe M
2 years ago

Want to clean up this country and it’s problems ??
VOTE THE BIBLE !!!
Vote for the candidate that follows the word of GOD according to the Scriptures !!

BAE
BAE
2 years ago

President Biden, Pelosi, Schumer, and the list goes on have never built anything. They are takers, all of them. They DO NOT serve the people, we serve THEM.

Skeptic
Skeptic
2 years ago

The people who voted them in deserve it.

Larry W.
Larry W.
2 years ago

It doesn’t matter what the Liberal Democrats say, this is one of many examples that show they DO NOT care about people, only their agenda. WAKE UP AMERICANS

Morbious
Morbious
2 years ago

First, the media eliminated the use of the word vagrant. Thats what most of them are. The homelessness results from bad decisions. Im not referring to the mentally ill, but to the sort that refuses to punch a time clock. The more they’re catered to the more there will be. Duh.

Hal
Hal
2 years ago

As far as the Democraps are concerned, the homeless are grove of human citizens ripe for settling for Communism (with, of course, a guarantee to vote Democrap … multiple times in the same election, if possible).

Garye
Garye
2 years ago

The democrat failures should and I hope their so called supporters are bright enough to see how useless and anti American , destructive , lying and self serving they are.
How can people with their eyes open not see it???

Patriot Adam
Patriot Adam
2 years ago

Free money, the opioid for Marxist rule

Tim Toroian
Tim Toroian
2 years ago

It isn’t Democratic failure, it is Democratic stupidity, deliberate stupidity.

Hal
Hal
2 years ago

I think all the illegals (Democraps call them “rigged voting candidates”) crossing the Southern Border ought to be dropped off in Vermont with the provision that they may not leave the state for any reason, and if they do leave for any reason, they will be automatically returned to the Nation state of their legal citizenry and not allowed to return … ever to the boundaries of the USA or its territories without incarceration and immediate return to their homeland. And no special funding should be made to VT for handling them (they will probably get funded for participating illegally and secretly in a vote rigging scheme). I’m sure the citizens of Vermont will thank homeboy Joe Hidin’ Biden for providin’ such an action.

SimpleObserver
SimpleObserver
2 years ago

Like it or not but the Democrats outnumber the Republicans by at least 10 Million folks.
The USA has been trending towards liberalism ever since we entered the 21st Century.

The Question is… Who is to Blame? The Answer is: The Republicans.
The Republicans really did screw up badly under Bush43. Going to Iraq was a big mistake. It cost us around $5 Trln and thousands of dead and wounded. Under his leadership we also had the housing bubble which was entirely preventable. On the top of it, we had so many things that the (R)s did and say that pushed younger voters to the left. The (R)s lost the messaging battle.

Well, on the top those mistakes we had Donald Trump – the 45th and the absolutely dumbest President of the United States. And even though Trump had some good ideas on how to sort things out his articulation was dumb. On the top of it, his many personal faults were responsible for the losses that the (R)s suffered in 2020. Again, the (R)s have been losing on the messaging front.

Don’t get me wrong – I think the Democrats are a disaster of epic proportions too. But they have the numbers on their side and the media. Things must go horribly wrong before those numbers start switching to the Republicans. As the article has pointed out, this is already happening. However, celebrating such a shift at the expense of the damage the country is suffering for decades is not a strong position to have, I think. We must root for competent people – both Republicans and Democrats that work for the good of the country.

M-1
M-1
2 years ago

Good! It could not happen to a more deserving group of mentally challenged goofballs. I hope their property values drop to zero and the crime rate grows to 1,000%! May they tread on hypo needles and deification forever.

Richard Sanders
Richard Sanders
2 years ago

There is a basic MISUNDERSTANDING, lack of caring and a disjointed disconnection of the hedonistic, unread American public from those that they have entrusted the management of America, We are in Deep Trouble…….

HocasPocas
HocasPocas
2 years ago

Sounds like we should all quit fending for ourselves and our families, get hooked on drugs, loot (rob) stores and burn down cities. Maybe we’ll get some of this free stuff that’s being given out to people who haven’t learned how to live in society. Oh I forgot to add quit working to the mix, that way someone else really does have to foot the bill.

Myrna
Myrna
2 years ago

People in tents cannot be selling the expensive merchandise they are stealing. Some of these destruction & theft operations have to be well organized — the only ANTIFA meeting I ever saw when somebody filmed it on a phone was held in nearly total darkness with those attending almost all disguised so nobody would know and the end of the meeting was an admonition to not tell anyone about anything covered in the meeting and to look at Black Lives Matter meeting announcements to know where and when to go late at night after the BLM marches. The attempt has been made many times — broadcast after the riots in Ferguson, MO and again in Minnesota etc to start a revolution. That is what the Marxists hope will usher in their taking over America. So far — no real revolution, but there are dreams that it is coming. Caving in, bowing down, and over-reacting will not put it off. We need positive strength applied at the right time. Heaven help us use good judgment…

Hal
Hal
2 years ago

No surprise in increase in Homeless situation. And sidin’ with Joe Hidin’ Biden will insure that trend continues. How are the Democraps going to get voter riggers in sufficient numbers to win upcoming elections otherwise??? This is just a preliminary illustration of one tactic that the Democraps use to sweeten the number of votes they get in future elections. Often the Democraps need actual people to cast votes from their recent tombstone list, especially if the can procure ballots sent thru the mail!!!

George
George
2 years ago

If liberals are starting to blame homelessness on high cost of housing rather than their policies, I guess that is why blue states will be outlawing single-family dwellings. I have to admit they are creative in their blame games.

Mandy
Mandy
2 years ago

All these libs and they won’t help their homeless people.

Denise
Denise
2 years ago

Open borders, homelessness, deliberately weakened police, “liberal” judges, deliberately manufactured “pandemic”, deliberate destruction of energy sources, increasing crime, “supply chain shortages”…un-Constitutional lock downs ( NEVER in the history of this nation has there EVER been a “lock down”!) illegals pouring across our borders, all part of the traitor left plan to reduce this nation to a dump…so they can rule on the rubble…BUT…a thorn in their yellow sides…the Second Amendment … and true Americans ready to employ it…the attack on our Second Amendment is paramount to these traitors and wannabe “rulers”…think about it. George Washington: “Firearms are the liberty’s teeth.”…none of this is by accident…none of it.
Fauci…bought and paid for?? More are also “curious” to say the least, about Barack Hussein Obama’s greedy claws possibly pulling the puppet strings of the less than lucid Biden…and who, perhaps, is behind the now uber wealthy Obama who once opined “there comes a time in your life when you’ve made enough money” unquote. Now of course a multi-millionaire and owners of 3 multi-million dollar mansions…curious A wot?

Garye
Garye
2 years ago

What is wrong with these useless democrats ability to think and reason??
Evidence clearly shows that the cities and states run by marxist democrat are TOTAL FAILURES! ,
Three questions come to mind.
What moron thinks that providing addicts access to illegal drugs that will kill them is a good idea??
At what stupidity level is ANY individual who would vote for these failures???
Are there that many lazy,ignorant or clueless people with their hand out for freebies that are democrat supporters???

Obviously homeless encampments, lawbreakers in sanctuary cities, crime and drugs are BAD for America!!
Throw the failed,corrupt,lying democrats out now!

Karen
Karen
2 years ago

Ignorance is BLISS!

Garye
Garye
2 years ago

IF our Country had a TRUE free press that was not controlled by the Anti American, marxist, radical corrupt democrat party this homeless,sanctuary desecration of cities would not be accepted.
It’s just another scourge thrust upon Citizens by a political class who cares NOTHING about the people they work for!!!
THROW THESE INGRATE LIARS OUT!!
Make them earn a REAL living ,stop living off and fleecing the taxpayers!
ANY/ALL who voted for the BIG LIE infrastructure pork should be REMOVED.
A list exposing them all must be shared daily so people wake up and see what these losers have done!!

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