by Rob Johnston
The following refers to Carlos Mesquita’s latest column, “City doesn’t care about the homeless, just PR”:
Carlos Mesquita regularly blames the City for not doing enough for the “homeless”, and, while his dedication to his "homeless" is apparent, so is his inability to see the big picture.
John Maytham interviewed JP Smith on the recent storm damage in informal settlements and the lawlessness of people building wherever they like having exacerbated the flooding.
City teams have to move illegal structures to get to pipes to unblock them. Are these shack dwellers also “homeless” – they seem to settle where they like?
The flooding affected over 100 000 people; way more than the “homeless” of Mesquita’s rants, as well as stretching City resources.
Why is he not condemning the shack dwellers for diverting attention away from his group?
And why is he not tearing into National Health, as many people are homeless due to drugs and mental issues?
His narrow view of blaming the City damages his credibility.
* Rob Johnston, Tokai.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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