March 19, 2015

The San Francisco cathedral with a sprinkler system to repel human beings who sleep in its doorways...

... has given up the practice — apparently because it violated the city's water-use regulations (and not because the church got scourged in social media).

22 comments:

Bob Boyd said...

What would Jesus tweet?

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Fine. That's a step in the right direction.

Now take away the plastic pigeon spikes and let the little dears roost to their hearts' content.

Laslo Spatula said...

Put a bar of soap on a chain and it becomes an outdoor shower for the homeless. Compassionate.

I am Laslo.

Gahrie said...

Making it easy for people to live on the streets is not compassion.

bleh said...

San Francisco is so stupid.

The homeless problem there is an outrage, as is the reflexive SF attitude about it.

On Market Street, you can hardly go into a store or restaurant without a "doorman" standing there asking for money. The business owners do not seem to care. I once complained to a manager about how it affects the customer experience, and he treated me like I was a fascist for complaining.

And the conventional wisdom there was even worse 15 years ago. Before Gavin Newsom, SF paid homeless people money each month ... which of course supported the illegal drugs market. The "Care Not Cash" program has changed things for the better, but the problem persists. Homeless people are still drawn to SF for the weather, the generous public benefits and the belief that the citizens are guilt-ridden and wealthy.

It makes the experience of visiting SF, a beautiful and charming city, sometimes miserable.

Anonymous said...

Laslo Spatula said...
Put a bar of soap on a chain and it becomes an outdoor shower for the homeless. Compassionate.


That's how we took showers in Vietnam during Monsoon season

Anonymous said...

OT: SF gets its water through a private water system from Hetch Hetchy.

The SF Liberals demand that the big Federal water projects divert water from meeting irrigation contracts, into the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers so the Delta Smelt can take showers. Farmers pay for water they don't get and go bankrupt.

Water is rationed everywhere fed by the public water projects, but

The Hetch Hetchy system doesn't get tapped for the Smelt and SF doesn't have a water shortage.

Save the Smelt. Drain the Hetch Hetchy :)


Big Mike said...

@BDNYC, I don't much like San Francisco either. Quite a bit too full of itself.

Simon said...

"Who are we to judge."

Hagar said...

and sleep is not all they do in the cathedral doorways?

bleh said...

@Big Mike: I live in a city that's also full of itself, but it's a big, chaotic, high-energy city. Very few people here in NYC have time to care about you or what you think. It makes you feel lonely and insignificant at times, but hey, at least people leave you alone. By contrast, SF is more of a bedroom community, which makes it feel more exclusive and socially oppressive.

lonetown said...

Can they still use the sprinklers to dilute the pee?

another big problem in san fran

dbp said...

Two thoughts:

1. If the church turned on the sprinklers every night, one would expect sleepers to make note of this and adapt as they see fit.

2. The church is insuring each visitor both a wet dream and a much-needed shower.

n.n said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n.n said...

With a multi-trillion dollar welfare economy, multi-trillion dollar deficits, and a progressive immigration policy, there are, ironically, but predictably, Americans sleeping in church doorways.

Big Mike said...

@BDNYC, glad you agree about NYC being full of itself. It's another city I don't like. Come to think of it I also don't like Chicago, Washington, Boston drivers, and traffic in LA. Only thing good about LA is the La Brea museum. A major paleontology site on Wiltshire Blvd just blocks from Rodeo Drive! Amazing!

I'll be retiring a more rural area this summer. I hope to never have to go to a major urban center again.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

The church should just put up a sign: Free Baptisms Nightly.

Problem solved.

bleh said...

The church should install an iron gate to close off the entrance area from the public. Lots of churches do that in places where degenerates roam at night looking for places to sleep or do drugs.

The Godfather said...

When I was living in DC, the federal buildings that had gratings that were accessible from the sidewalk were all fixed with spikes so the homeless couldn't sleep there.

You really have to remember that the vast majority of homeless people are not you or me but without a home. They are mentally ill, drug- or alcohol abusers, or both. If we as a society really cared about them, we'd round them up and put them in institutions. We might cure a handful of them (it isn't easy), but at least the rest would be clean and dry.

But we don't and we won't.

FullMoon said...

The Godfather said... [hush]​[hide comment]
....

You really have to remember that the vast majority of homeless people are not you or me but without a home. They are mentally ill, drug- or alcohol abusers, or both. If we as a society really cared about them, we'd round them up and put them in institutions. We might cure a handful of them (it isn't easy), but at least the rest would be clean and dry.

But we don't and we won't.

That is pretty fucking ridiculous.
Saw a movie, "Bedlam".
Evil Dr. Boris Karloff runs the joint.
Approaches pretty young virginal as she is singing songs, talking to the birds, having a good time on a spring day.

Eventually, during light conversation, she mentions she is perfectly happy and has no need of money.
Ol' Boris fails to get this piece of fluff into his boudoir, so he claims she is insane and hauls her before the judge.

When he gets down to only a crazy person has no need of money and would talk to the animals, he closes the sale and she gets locked up.

So, Godfather, have you ever talked to your dog, ya crazy bastard.?

The Godfather said...

@Full Moon: I talk to my dog(s) all the time. They don't talk to me, though.

You've chosen an apt handle.

chickelit said...

Suppose its real function was not to repel "human beings who sleep in doorways" but rather to flush the urine and feces of "human beings" who leave them there?

Wasn't there a problem like this at the courthouse in Madison?