Friday, March 28, 2014
If Jesus still cried for Americans
He would have long ago run out of tears, for the cruelty of Americans to their fellow citizens in this century alone is astonishing if you think we are a civilized nation. Consider the fate of those who are homeless.
In 2013, homeless Americans experienced a 23 percent increase in violence compared with the year before, according to preliminary figures by the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH). The U.S. homeless population declined over the same period, with 610,000 people going without shelter on any given day in 2013 — 20,000 fewer than in 2012.When the authorities are as big a threat to the homeless as private citizens, we are truly descending into depravity. Tbogg has a related post.
The homeless “are targeted solely because of their circumstances,” coalition director Jerry Jones told Al Jazeera. “People who are in shelters and marginalized are often preyed upon.”
Because the NCH bases its research on reported crimes covered in news media, the actual number of violent attacks targeting the homeless may be much higher, since many go unreported.
Jones said he is unable to determine whether the reported increase in violence is due to more attacks targeting the homeless or more reporting of crimes.
While Florida has long led the nation in violent crimes against the homeless, California took the lead in 2013. The Golden State has the largest homeless population in the United States, with more than 130,000 people living on the streets, according to an estimate by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Nationwide, both civilians and authorities have perpetrated violence against the homeless.
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