Last week, I heard a person ask, "How can you recognize the homeless?" The answer is simple. They are human beings crossing all races, nationalities, and religions. They are packed like sardines inside a big yellow house called the Share House on the corner of 13th and Lincoln in Vancouver, Wash. Others are tucked inside the basement of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, up the street on 13th and Franklin in Vancouver, Washington, in need of not only a home, but other social needs as well.
Some are homeless because of marital problems. Others are homeless because of dysfunctional social problems. Nevertheless, the workers and volunteers at both the Share House and St. Paul's Lutheran Church realize that to solve the homeless problems in this country takes grocery and gas vouchers, bus tickets for job searches and medical appointments, showers and clothing and other household accessories. And, yes, sometimes, food and shelter.
These workers and volunteers realize, while many are blessed in this country with no such worries, the homeless go through tougher times than people who have been victims of such disasters as hurricanes or earthquakes.
Another helping hand for the homeless in Vancouver, Washington is called Friends of the Carpenter, who sponsor large woodcraft events at both the Share House and St. Paul's Lutheran Church, where they give the homeless and others who participate their choice of a "love gift." (However, I am not going to say what they are.) My point is that they are there to lend a helping hand to the needy whether through woodwork activities or working as volunteers serving breakfast at the Share House.
Indeed, there is much work to do to solve the homeless problem in this country. In order to provide support for these organizations through tax-deductible contributions or even becoming a volunteer, please contact:
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
13th & Franklin
Vancouver, WA
(360) 693-3531
The Share House
13th & Lincoln
Vancouver, WA
(360) 695-7658
Friends of the Carpenter
1600 W. 20th St.
P. O. Box 65358
Vancouver, WA
(360) 750-4752
David Welton,
Portland
In at least two weeks, I have witnessed two people dying. One was a young person who died of an overdose; the other had been a murder. These are some of the things I am aware of in our supposedly "civilized" society. The police do not treat the homeless with the dignity and respect they deserve for just being alive, human and one of God's creatures. And, on the other hand, the homeless do not give the police the dignity and respect they deserve.
The reason why I have mentioned these two deaths is because I want to explore with you some of the things police officers have to do and some of the qualifications and talent these people must muster to get their job done. Also, how many people are involved, the training, the schooling, the masters degrees and the hours and years they have spent to do the jobs they do.
The first responder to the scene of the crime is a police officer, not a criminologist, homicide detective, forensic pathologist or forensic scientist. The police officer has to protect the scene, look for further criminal activity, find out who the witnesses are and get phone numbers and addresses. The police officer determines the status of every one, calls for back up, medical personnel, and physically secures the area until the appropriate authorities arrive, such as technicians, forensic scientists, and the coroner. Then they have to take pictures of the crime scene and collect evidence. The body is taken away for an autopsy. Some evidence can be seen; some cannot. Some of the evidence calls for experts in the study of blood stains, tire marks, fingerprints, smells, drugs and alcohol, chemicals, cigarettes, hair, fiber, soil, spit or a telephone receiver with an abundance of DNA. Another aspect to look at is the time and location of the crime. Guess what? We are not done. A person comes along who specializes in wounds and injuries, and the victim's body holds lots of evidence on the inside and out. DNA can be found in blood, urine, feces, saliva, hair, skin cells, clothes, toothbrush, blankets, hats.
Now come the homicide detectives and forensic scientists. These investigators have years of experience and technical knowledge that can solve a case with one little strain of thread. What they do is start with the victim; the victim's life style, where they lived, who they hung with, where they went, criminal history, where they worked, and drug and alcohol history, which gives these very talented and educated investigators a lot of information. They need to piece together a case, solve the crime and apprehend the suspect. So, these people are very talented and have lots of knowledge.
So, if you do the crime, you just might have to do the time. And, speaking of time, guess what you get when you go to jail? Once you get arrested, this is what you get: free housing, your own room, a bed, a toilet and a sink; you get photographed and fingerprinted. Then you get to see and talk to lots of cops, you're told when to get up, what time to eat and when to go to bed. You get your own attorney and you get to see lots of doctors, get medicine and maybe even a lethal dose.
So, in our civilized society, we do need to give the police a bit of gratitude for trying to keep our communities safe, and credit for all the long hours of work they really do! But we need not credit them for all the harassment when your civil rights are being trod on or for your just being homeless, which I comment on for eternity! We live in a free society, supposedly, where no one respects or cherishes their freedom. People take their freedom for granted, and in a free society that does not mean you have the right to do whatever you want, like murder, steal from or hurt other people. But living in a free society does give you the opportunity to make choices to be happy and make yourself happy!
Desiree Booco
Portland