by Jack Patterson
Monday, Jun. 07, 2004 at 12:43 PM
LB attempts to ban homeless people from city hall, library in attempt to lure yuppies.
In their ludicrous campaign, worthy of Don Quixote, to turn downtown Long Beach into another Old Town Pasadena, Long Beach "authorites" are trying to drive the homeless out of city hall and the central branch of the Long Beach library at Ocean and Pacific. The scam they are attempting, in an effort worthy of their limited intellects, is to require the homeless to leave any bags, even small plastic bags, outiside City Hall or in the lobby of the library. Needless to say, the homeless often find all their worldly possessions gone when they leave these buildings. Which is exactly the point of the campaign, of course. The bureaucrats hope that this tactic will intimidate the homelsss from entering in the first place. Not surprisingly, people in business suits are allowed to bring in bags of any size or description, and city employees are warned not to hastle the suits in any way. Certainly this is a tactic right out of the late 19th century, when class discrimination was accepted as normal and just. And is is not surprising, in the least, since the 19th century is where Long Beach city administrators get most of their ideas in the first place.
Long Beach library workers have informed me that security guards in the library as well as library clerks at the service desk in front have been told to hassle the homeless even if they have a tiny plastic bag in one hand, but to let yuppies with bags so heavy they must be trundled in on wheels in the building with no problem. This is all part of an effort to lure yuppies and the "business community" into the library, with the homeless seen as a hinderance that might spoil the mystique of lovely downtown Long Beach for the suits.
Ironically, most of the yuppies they are attempting to lure are not even city residents; when they are through making money at the end of the day they head back to their homes in Malibu, Palos Verdes Estates or southern Orange County.
If this situation angers you as much as it angers me, get in touch with the Long Beach City Manager, Jerry Miller, and ask him what he has to say in defense of the city's class discrimination policy. His email address is citymanager@longbeach. gov.; don't let it stop you if you are not a Long Beach resident - the yuppies whose behinds the city is kissing are not residents either.