This letter, written by Robert Semak,vice president of Love Thy Neighbor was published in the Sun-Sentinel on
February 27, 1999 and addresses the need for another "Safe Zone"
now that Tent City is closed.
With the opening of Fort Lauderdale's Homeless Assistance Center (HAC) which can help 200 people at a time for a 60-day stay, "Tent City" has been closed, dismantled, and its occupants dispersed to the streets, without a safe zone.
City and county officials, although asked repeatedly to provide a safe zone, have advised us that "one is not needed since HAC will solve the problem of homelessness in our area."
Instead the problem will be exacerbated. These folks, will have no place to go, except the streets of Fort Lauderdale and its public buildings.
To make matters worse, Mayor Jim Naugle and Chief of Police Michael Brasfield have announced a "no tolerance" policy stating that those not enrolled at HAC caught wandering or congregating will be arrested.
First off, "Tent City," imperfect as it is, has been a court-mandated Safe Zone - a place where the homeless can stay free from police harassment, with a modicum of dignity, in relative safety, and a place where health services and social workers can reach them.
Let's explore the possible consequences of not providing a safe zone. This is where we draw a negative response, or no response at all, from officials. When you have fed individuals
twice a day, seven days a week, for five years, (Webmaster's note - thats 3652 meals!) and you suddenly dismantle their support system without a central place to reach them, you create a setting for putting the public and businesses in jeopardy.
If Love Thy Neighbor has done only one thing for the homeless, we have instilled in them a feeling of self-worth, and simple dignity, which would preclude their resorting to living out of grabage cans and Dumpster-diving, which was how they survived in the past. They will not do that again. So how will they survive? The answer is frightening. But survive they will. And they will eat. Even if it is by stealing, robbing and grabbing purses. Without a safe zone and groups like ours that dare to love the unloved, they will do what desperate people do.
And a period of lawlessness will result. It boggles the mind that those entrusted with protecting persons and property cannot understand the potential for a breakdown of law and order in Broward County, particularly Fort Lauderdale, where the majority of the homeless are, and where they will stay.
Your readership must show its concern for the homeless, who are a cross-section of society down on their luck, and selfishly indicate a desire to maintain the status quo, a continuation of peace and tranquiliuty that has pervaded downtown Fort Lauderdale since "Tent City" was established. And, most important, we emphasize the need for immediate action to forestall the possibility of major disturbances causing unnecessary problems on the streets of Fort Lauderdale.
Establishment of a safe zone will preclude a lot of dangerous ugliness from happening.
ROBERT M. SEMAK
vice president
Love Thy Neighbor Fund, Inc.
Fort Lauderdale