Homeless people should give back to society, right here in Boulder, CO

By Max R. Weller

It starts with having respect for yourself, respect for others, and respect for our fair city.

Staying clean and sober (it’s a personal choice, one you can make at the start of each day); practicing good hygiene (free showers with free soap, free shampoo, free deodorant, etc. are available every morning year-round at Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, 4869 N. Broadway); being kind and courteous to those around you; showing consideration for the welfare of the broader community; picking up after yourself (the amount of litter in areas frequented by the homeless in Boulder is off the charts); volunteering in some capacity to make life better for another person; setting a positive example in everything you do and say. And, the list goes on . . . Use your common sense (it increases remarkably when one is sober).

It would also be of great benefit to everyone if those who claim to be “homeless advocates” would encourage their protégés to follow the course of conduct outlined above.

Projecting this sort of negative attitude gets you nowhere fast:

Likewise, attempting to mislead the press, public, and those in authority by playing the VICTIM card is counterproductive — as we’ve seen here in Boulder recently. Most people don’t buy being poor and/or homeless as a legitimate excuse for bad behavior, and a few uncouth souls like the Homeless Philosopher call such rationalizations fertilizer:

Getting the scoop from Bridge House’s Isabel McDevitt 

Compassion is NOT the same as enabling, something we all need to bear in mind as we continue to be bombarded with propaganda in support of the worst-behaved transients.

No question, there is a lot of room for improvement in the attitudes and behaviors of some homeless people: April, 2014: Transients in Boulder, CO.