August 28, 2017
So here we are. We have that prosperity. Burlington’s economy is hot. Everywhere we shop there is a need for cashiers, wait staff, and salespersons, and we hear of companies which have hired someone who cannot find a place to live because the rents are so high. And the unemployment rate is below 2.5%.
But something is wrong. Whose life feels secure? Who feels happy that their business is safe from the broken and destitute members of the community? Who can afford another dollar of taxes and who can really afford to raise the family they have or dream of? Who among us celebrates that there are members of the community whose lives have fallen to such disrepair that they live on the streets and salve their pain with alcohol and narcotics? Who among us wishes for a life so at risk, that they feel a need to carry and use weapons? What happened to the promise that a prosperous economy would work for people throughout the economic spectrum?
Here is my riddle: How is it Burlington is so prosperous, yet people feel so uncertain? Who in fact benefits from this prosperity? At what point and in what manner is this prosperity harvested to meet the needs of those who are not at its apex?
But let us remember what that means: The broken and sick, the formerly criminal, the unlucky and those who are victims of domestic violence, need help. They must be assisted, and some of these members of the community must be supported for the remainder of their lives, because damage to their psyches or bodies is so severe. It is the promise of assistance and support, the promise of the dignity of membership in the community, indeed, the promise of love, which gives us, the mentally ill, the sick, the unlucky, the alienated, the once incarcerated, reason to love our community, and seek its tranquility. It is the promise of assistance, safety and dignity, in ways that are sustainable for everyone, that generates healing, that calms the social soul, that induces the communal tranquility which our constitution promises, and is our shared aspiration.
In a narrow conception, the end of homelessness is seen cynically as a simple bribe: “We (the responsible citizens) will give you (the destitute and dangerous) housing, and in exchange, you will stop committing crime, you will stop threatening us and our comfortable lives.” But in fact, being welcomed into housing, housing which is safe, secure, sustainable and imparts membership in the community, undermines this cynical interpretation. When we make the effort to initiate our destitute into community, we remove the causes of alienation, anger, and hate. So it is not merely a bribe. Housing is a treatment for divided community.
To develop community capacities for addressing crime, conflict and dispute resolution [and] strive to enhance community safety, improve quality of life and increase citizen participation in the criminal justice process.
Based on principles of restorative justice. In fact, the homeless many times occupy the position of victim, and we can reasonably include the homeless, and the impoverished, as citizens whose participation is to be lauded. Thus since
The Grantee will champion and incorporate the following restorative justice principles:
• Place those who are harmed affected at the center of the resolution process
• Seek to understand the harm done
• Work to repair the damage
• Re-build relationships, to the degree possible, with all people involved
• Recognize the solution as a community responsibility
• Give choice and opportunity to speak and be heard, especially for victims
• Recognize that stakeholder participation is voluntary
• Use collaborative methodologies to resolve conflict and crime
The city has already agreed to principles whose purpose is to build community, invite healing, and emphasizes the responsibility of the community to implement these principles. And again, most homeless members of the community can be placed on the victim side of this equation, not automatically as victims of a crime, but as victims of the human condition. In a list of methodologies, the contract includes:
citizen panels, group conferencing, family group decision making, circle processes, mediated dialogues, Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA), mentoring, etc.
Which all emphasize the compassionate response to injuries to persons and the one community, and again, can be applied to healing the lives of the homeless. Given that most homeless people are not criminals or former criminals, these principles may seem not, at first, to apply to the homeless. But the homeless are stigmatized, and the recent crimes in the downtown contribute to the impression in the larger community that the homeless community is a group of dangerous people, the proper response to whom is more control. In fact, this is an uneducated conclusion. Homeless people are largely people who would like to participate in the life of the community by having a safe home and a secure job. These principles of compassion and restoration can be extended to everyone who is homeless, understanding the homeless person as the victim who is in need of restoration to secure, dignified housing. Whether a homeless person has committed a crime or not, the goal is and remains restoration to full, dignified membership in the community.
As a response, social healing is slow answer. But it is the only response that holds the promise of maintaining freedom next to unity in the structure of our community. Is the only response which holds the promise of healing, and building one community, in which everyone can live with dignity, with as much freedom as the community can afford, for everyone.
Riddle
The Promise of America is prosperity for everyone who is willing to work for it, that with a strong work ethic and responsible citizenship, a person can live a secure, fun, comfortable life. An implied promise is that a prosperous economy can afford to take care of its less fortunate. Thus the incantation, “So let us all pitch in, work hard, participate, and prosper together!” If you are sick, a divorce divides your property, you are a veteran with PTSD, you suffered persistent childhood trauma, you suffer from schizophrenia, someone hit you with a bat and left you with permanent brain damage, the prosperous economy can afford to keep you in that minimum of safety, dignity and comfort which might command your loyalty and love of the community in which you live. It is to this that the Pledge of Allegiance bonds us.So here we are. We have that prosperity. Burlington’s economy is hot. Everywhere we shop there is a need for cashiers, wait staff, and salespersons, and we hear of companies which have hired someone who cannot find a place to live because the rents are so high. And the unemployment rate is below 2.5%.
But something is wrong. Whose life feels secure? Who feels happy that their business is safe from the broken and destitute members of the community? Who can afford another dollar of taxes and who can really afford to raise the family they have or dream of? Who among us celebrates that there are members of the community whose lives have fallen to such disrepair that they live on the streets and salve their pain with alcohol and narcotics? Who among us wishes for a life so at risk, that they feel a need to carry and use weapons? What happened to the promise that a prosperous economy would work for people throughout the economic spectrum?
Here is my riddle: How is it Burlington is so prosperous, yet people feel so uncertain? Who in fact benefits from this prosperity? At what point and in what manner is this prosperity harvested to meet the needs of those who are not at its apex?
Mckinney-Vento
In 1987 McKinney-Vento was passed with a mandate to house the homeless. The fact that homelessness was seen as a problem is a great step forward toward a just economy and society. Today, the goal is to end homelessness. Imagine this vision in its totality: All people would be housed. Through whatever means are required, everyone will be inducted into possession of a secure dwelling. Has America ever seen a day when there were not unlucky, sick, broken, men, women and children treading the streets and back-woods in search of a secure place to dwell? What an audacious vision! The end of homelessness! Imagine! An America that is one community, in which everyone is welcome. Astounding and historic in its potential.But let us remember what that means: The broken and sick, the formerly criminal, the unlucky and those who are victims of domestic violence, need help. They must be assisted, and some of these members of the community must be supported for the remainder of their lives, because damage to their psyches or bodies is so severe. It is the promise of assistance and support, the promise of the dignity of membership in the community, indeed, the promise of love, which gives us, the mentally ill, the sick, the unlucky, the alienated, the once incarcerated, reason to love our community, and seek its tranquility. It is the promise of assistance, safety and dignity, in ways that are sustainable for everyone, that generates healing, that calms the social soul, that induces the communal tranquility which our constitution promises, and is our shared aspiration.
In a narrow conception, the end of homelessness is seen cynically as a simple bribe: “We (the responsible citizens) will give you (the destitute and dangerous) housing, and in exchange, you will stop committing crime, you will stop threatening us and our comfortable lives.” But in fact, being welcomed into housing, housing which is safe, secure, sustainable and imparts membership in the community, undermines this cynical interpretation. When we make the effort to initiate our destitute into community, we remove the causes of alienation, anger, and hate. So it is not merely a bribe. Housing is a treatment for divided community.
Mandate of the CJC
In fact, the city of Burlington already embraces the principles of One Community. In its contract with Vermont’s Department of Corrections, the City agreed, through its Community Justice CenterTo develop community capacities for addressing crime, conflict and dispute resolution [and] strive to enhance community safety, improve quality of life and increase citizen participation in the criminal justice process.
Based on principles of restorative justice. In fact, the homeless many times occupy the position of victim, and we can reasonably include the homeless, and the impoverished, as citizens whose participation is to be lauded. Thus since
The Grantee will champion and incorporate the following restorative justice principles:
• Place those who are harmed affected at the center of the resolution process
• Seek to understand the harm done
• Work to repair the damage
• Re-build relationships, to the degree possible, with all people involved
• Recognize the solution as a community responsibility
• Give choice and opportunity to speak and be heard, especially for victims
• Recognize that stakeholder participation is voluntary
• Use collaborative methodologies to resolve conflict and crime
The city has already agreed to principles whose purpose is to build community, invite healing, and emphasizes the responsibility of the community to implement these principles. And again, most homeless members of the community can be placed on the victim side of this equation, not automatically as victims of a crime, but as victims of the human condition. In a list of methodologies, the contract includes:
citizen panels, group conferencing, family group decision making, circle processes, mediated dialogues, Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA), mentoring, etc.
Which all emphasize the compassionate response to injuries to persons and the one community, and again, can be applied to healing the lives of the homeless. Given that most homeless people are not criminals or former criminals, these principles may seem not, at first, to apply to the homeless. But the homeless are stigmatized, and the recent crimes in the downtown contribute to the impression in the larger community that the homeless community is a group of dangerous people, the proper response to whom is more control. In fact, this is an uneducated conclusion. Homeless people are largely people who would like to participate in the life of the community by having a safe home and a secure job. These principles of compassion and restoration can be extended to everyone who is homeless, understanding the homeless person as the victim who is in need of restoration to secure, dignified housing. Whether a homeless person has committed a crime or not, the goal is and remains restoration to full, dignified membership in the community.
Vermont, Freedom and Unity
From its founding as a republic in 1788, the people of Vermont have held to a unique and paradoxical vision: we would respect each other’s freedom, while responding to each other in need. As a result, the people of Vermont demand from their government uniquely compassionate policies. As an advocate working inside the system, I have seen this compassion in operation, and observing the policy making in Montpelier from a distance, I feel proud that the legislature decided to fund services for the homeless. We, the people of and the State of Vermont, have largely chosen the path of taking care of each other and of building one community. This is in marked contrast to most of the rest of America, where the poor are not helped, homelessness is criminalized, and an aspiration to living in one community is absent. I ask you to stay focused on the principles which have made us a compassionate people who strive for justice.The Proper Response of a Compassionate People
There is no good response to the recent crimes and violence. We live in America where we do not put enough resources into the social safety net, and inevitably there are people who are angry, alienated, and have not learned how to live with the tensions of conflict and betrayal without recourse to violence. But violent assault is already a crime. The perpetrators of these crimes get arrested and will be subject to our justice system. Our best response, as a community, is not to apply more police power, in an attempt to disperse the perpetrators, an effort which cannot succeed, but to double up our commitment to social healing.As a response, social healing is slow answer. But it is the only response that holds the promise of maintaining freedom next to unity in the structure of our community. Is the only response which holds the promise of healing, and building one community, in which everyone can live with dignity, with as much freedom as the community can afford, for everyone.
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