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The Unhoused
A Partisan Rorschach Test
A local story highlights the different realities experienced by both sides of the political divide. The unhoused are trapped in the truth.
“It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
- Abraham Lincoln
The burned-out hull of a camper parked along the main street that leads to my house was jarring. The damage done to the trailer was nearly complete which left me immediately wondering about the fate of its owner. Was this camper one of the many throughout the city that has become the final refuge of our fellow citizens facing a life on the streets? If so, was the person able to escape the flames? Were all of their worldly possessions consumed in the conflagration?
Others in my neighborhood viewed the fire in more personal terms. On the cesspool of humanity that is Nexdoor.com, Allen Altoun posted a video of firefighters mopping up the fire with commentary that complained that this was “too close to my home.” While Altoun claimed that his “heart really aches for those who have lost their homes,” he demanded that they “move out of our neighborhood”. Apparently, the unhoused should never be seen or heard, and they certainly do not have any claim to the neighborhood where they rest their heads at night.
For the most part, the dozens of comments in reaction to the post agreed with…
