Sometimes "NO" is the Best Mercy

Homelessness for Stupid People

The foibles of the most pampered homeless population in the Bay Area..

Sometimes the word “No” is the most merciful thing one can say.

This last week the Livermore Independent published a very interesting article this last week by Ron McNicoll titled Libraries Are Recourse for Homeless (Thursday, October 3, 2013)

From that article:

(Livermore Human Services Director) Prashure said that she also talks to (Livermore) Library workers about such things as how to deal with someone who is unruly , or has “not taken a bath in a significant amount of time,” which might draw complaints from other library users.

I'm not going to name any names today, but if you frequent the Livermore Public Library, you know exactly who Ms. Prashure is speaking of.

On this very morning, this man did, in fact, take a shower. He was given fresh clothing and politely asked to change his cloths... very politely... for about the 100th time this year. I can't count how many attempts there were last year. But, when he came out of the shower, he still wore the same things he wore going in... it was not pretty, though it was... fragrant!

While we're at it, why don't we politely ask alcoholics to stop drinking and meth addicts to stop doing meth...

I told one of the volunteers about it, and her response: Pray about it...

Okay: Lord God, you are the great teacher and the great provider of wisdom... please help these volunteers get a clue... in Jesus' Name, Amen!

I started this blog largely out of frustration for exactly this sort of thing. Everyone who's followed it knows it's about bad behaviour... is stinking to high heaven bad behaviour? If you're invading a small room with lots of people in it: YOU BET IT IS!

But this particular man has problems. He's very quiet, peaceful, and keeps to himself. He rarely speaks. When he does he usually utters one or two words at most. What caused him to become this way, I can only guess. Nobody seems to know for sure. Last season at the Warming Centre, Bob and Donna McKenzie called an ambulance for him, and he refused to get on it even thought he'd suffered some sort of seizure. The Ambulance Crew could not act. Nobody had any power to do anything.

Christians act out of compassion for the individual. It's their mission. What is usually left out of the equation is compassion for those around that individual. Everyone else can go to hell and suffer because we must all have compassion for that individual... and this is where the vast majority of Christians and I part company.

Compassion is counterproductive when you allow anyone to inflict harm upon themselves or others. Was it Christ's message to let this go on? Really? Someone show me where in Christ's message rest of us have to tolerate it at any level.

At what point will this man be told to change into clean clothing that doesn't reek to high heaven or leave?

The problem has made the front page of one of Livermore's most respected news outlets. I've seen post after post to this blog from people looking for a reason to complain about the homeless and bring the hammer down on the lot of us.

Well: here's an excuse!

Forgiveness and compassion are just dandy... but Christ said: Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. (Book of John 8:11) How long before it's appropriate to tell someone “No More!”?

To all you people out there who have kept us alive and clean and clothed, thank you! Do not mistake me, you truly are doing the Lord's work.