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WPCNR THE DAILY BAILEY. News & Comment By John F. Bailey. July 4, 2007: The Spano Administration is fond of mouthing the phrase, Government that works for Westchester Families, and the city of White Plains Democrats praddle about “Putting People First.”
Well, we learned yesterday, those slogans don’t apply to you if you’re homeless, scruffy, proud and sick and don’t have money.
Yesterday, we learned that if you’re homeless, you’re someone to be used to score political points.
Kindly old Uncle Andy Spano decided, based on what great humanitarian’s advice, to close the 85 Court Street Drop-In Shelter in White Plains which he opened in January 2006 without telling White Plains because he for some strange reason had to close the shelter at the airport. He also as of this writing has not told the Mayor’s Office officially that he’s closing 85 Court.
In retrospect, now that Andy has a very safe and secure airport after blowing through $5 Million for the fence system,( just ask the coyotes), isn’t it time to ship the homeless back to the airport, perhaps have them sleep in the WestAir lounge….giving them identification passes? After all, what safer place could there be? Uncle Andy never did explain why he closed the airport drop-in shelter in the first place, and now that’s so safe, he can issue them i.d.’s to get them in and out…and keep track of them.
But, this closing the shelter and not running busses to move the homeless to other drop-in shelters around the county is a really bad thing. It reverses about 14 years of history. The county has traditionally run buses to drop in shelters ever since a poor person froze to death shocking the truly concerned, if memory served me right 14 years ago.
Now we’re just going to let these people roam around White Plains all night – in 90 degree humidity; in thunderstorms; In 25 degree days in September and October (they do happen) – and let them urinate, defecate, drink and sleep in the streets and alleys and doorways? Talk about your quality of life issues!
And where are they going to bathe? In the Renaissance Fountain? That’ll look really good.
And how come the genius editor at the Journal News misses this part of the story: White Plains swarming with these poor psychotic people, many needing medication, begging – there but for the grace of the taxpayer go you – our elected officials.
So the Democrats put people first? What crap! The Democratic Councilpersons have not reached out to White Plains organizations to find places to house the homeless now that their peerless leader, Uncle Andy has decided to close the shelter? What happened? Did the Volunteers of America contract run out? (Volunteers of America drives the buses that will pick up the homeless until August 5, then they fade off into the night, and the homeless will rack out at The Galleria, the Fountain, park benches, the White Plains mall and beg.
More to the point. Where are the housing coalition organizations that suck away government money and advocate for the homeless while drawing salaries? Could they step up here? For the truly needy?
And how about the churches of White Plains?
Ask yourself what Jesus would do?
If every church in White Plains took on one or two homeless persons to stay in their sanctuary, clean it, do a little work for a place to sleep, as an experiment, how great would that be? Don’t count on it. The churches pride themselves on their compassion. But unless you pay them $600,000 worth of compassion a year in county money, a year to do it, they don’t want to do it. Taking care of the homeless is business.
Well, that attitude should change. Making money off the homeless, the handicapped, the affordable housing issue is what is wrong with government.
Closing the shelter is Uncle Andy playing politics and using the down and out as a political football.
The city is equally to blame.
This reporter suggested to the Mayor’s office months ago, that they be proactive in attempting to find a place to house the homeless away from the downtown, since the county wasn’t doing it, and the Democrats on the Council weren’t doing it. The Mayor’s office was shortsighted, they said it does not belong in White Plains and the county and other cities and towns should consider the problem.
The Mayor’s office just pounded out the rhetoric: we have to relocate the shelter, not close it, and they used the excuse that White Plains already has three shelters: Open Arms, the Coachman and the Grace Church operation.
Well, I am sorry, Mr. Mayor: how about twisting the arms of the churches and synagogues of White Plains? Ask them to take two at once. That would show some thought. How about housing the homeless in a gym at the Middle Schools or the high school? Or one of the private schools – or how about the St. John’s Church school on Main Street that is now closed?
Again, nobody cares about the homeless at the political level. The homeless are just used to throw an issue out.
Politicians only care about themselves and their pathetic posturing to make their perceived political enemies look bad.
It is despicable closing that shelter. And not busing them someplace to sleep.
And do not forget, this reporter was the only reporter to tell you what it is like to be homeless at the 85 Court Street Drop-In shelter. You have to wait an hour for your bus to be taken two blocks to the shelter. You cannot get to sleep before midnight. You sleep on paper sheets. No showers. Two bathrooms for 40 people, if I recall correctly. They are lucky they had no serious incidents. You put the average commuter railway car full of people in that situation and you’d have a riot. I have great respect for those people who put up with the county’s idea of humanity. They have great quiet dignity. They get treated like cattle and stoically accept it.
Equally despicable is the Council of Governments – all those compassionate community officials whom Uncle Andy could not persuade to agree on at least two places to put the hardcore homeless. Not one community stepped up to attack the homeless problem by saying “we’ll take them Andy. They’re people.” What leaders! How pathetic. How revealing. How bereft!
What a leader Uncle Andy is: he has all this power but no clout. And no guts.
Everybody is afraid of him and his inept, overpaid flacks. I tell you, if I’m the County Executive, I tell Valhalla, a year ago, look it’s going there and you can sue us, but do not expect anything from the county.
If I’m the County Executive, I do not make the Mayor of White Plains look bad by closing a shelter. I make him look bad by personally going on a walking tour with various citizens in White Plains and lining up shelters in White Plains. That’s leadership. (The Mayor could have done that. Councilpersons Malmud, Boykin, Roach, Berstein, Hockley and Power – the great homeless advocate—could have done that, too. But they did not. Have not. Will they now? Or do I see a setup coming on?)
Where is County Legislator Ryan on this homeless issue?
Like every leader, he is missing in action, and on most issues, Mr. Ryan is waiting to see which way to jump. He said he would be willing to work with Mayor Delfino to solve this, calling the Mayor’s bluff. The Mayor did not call Ryan’s bluff. And so nothing has been done.
Ryan never returned our call on this issue. He so badly wants Uncle Andy’s do nothing, spend as much as we can job – he is afraid to speak out against the ludicrous spectacle of winos and druggies and psychotics, and genuinely needy people lounging in the parking garages of White Plains, the Renaissance Fountain, and begging at the Ritz-Carlton – that will play really well. And it is his County Executive who has decided to create this scenario.
Get some new advisors, Andy, they’re killing you, kid. Absolutely killing you.
But wait – here’s another suggestion. Let’s bus the homeless to Indian Point. That is very secure. You can even blow a siren if one homeless person leaves. Are they working, Andy? It is so wonderful your administration is so good at siren testing, and detecting finite traces of radioactive substances.
Man, it is time to call the Journal News and tell them to crank out some Indian Point exposes again. We have not had one in at least two days. Quick get me the Editorial Board of America’s worst newspaper.
Oh – another place to put the homeless – the White Plains Performing Arts Center. Since there’s nothing performing there lately – or for sometime. Perhaps we could start a Homeless Theatre Troup…with an original play or musical, you could call it “Homeless Blues.”
Or is this just another setup? Will Uncle Andy in a week announce he has made an arrangement with some place to bus the White Plains irregulars someplace?
I hope so.
The county says they are going to work very hard at getting the homeless who enjoy the 85 Court Street amenities to agree to seek help in the county Department of Social Services system.
Does this mean they have not been having councilors come in daily to help these people and win their confidence?
I mean the county just hired a ton of new DSS employees. Let’s put them to work. Now.
Put people first for change.
Government puts people last, but your wallets first.
