Appeal to the Mayor on the issue of the Homeless...

I have read with some dismay that the Mayor of Port of Spain plans to continue rounding up the homeless in Port of Spain, and while I applaud his determination to solve this problem once and for all, I am totally against the way in which it is carried out.

While I completely agree that this problem has been ignored for far too long and that something must be done urgently, collecting these people with nowhere really to hold and treat them with the dignity and respect they still deserve as human beings comes across as reactionary at best and could be considered cruelty.

Based on our discussions with the Mayor I do not think him either cruel nor reactionary in these instants and want to believe that he is frustratedly trying to get the systems of government to work harmoniously in the solution of this problem with still little or no success.

The members of the Jericho Project offered a working solution to the plight of the homeless, the drug addicted and petty criminals in our society in the form of the 2nd Chance Foundation & Institute, and we are waiting on confirmation as to intent and support on the part of the government so as to estimate a launch date to plan for the gathering of those in need of treatment.

This may take a little time as it requires legislation to allow for the holding of persons for their respective treatments, and there is no way we can accomplish this without significant partnering with the State. There must be more humane alternatives tried before we resort to knee jerking and heavy handed policies, and this proposal would be a much better alternative than the prison system and the mental hospital for those who have really committed no crime or are not diagnosed as mentally ill in the first place.

We are willing to work with the Mayor and the Minister to arrive at the quickest most effective solution that guarantees the best results in the long term, and we sincerely believe that our solution will not only solve the problem of the homeless and the drug addicted 'vagrants,' it will go a long way to easing the burden on the Magistrate's Court and reduce the population of the prison.Success for this initiative requires reconditioned people graduating from a facility that re-engineers and empowers, giving them hope and opportunity to become functional members of society once again.

This and other solutions like this should be the only one considered in these enlightened times as they deliver positive results to all concerned parties and creates contributing citizens where the bothersome flotsam and jetsam of society once stood. 

Until such time Mr. Mayor, I would like to urge that you demonstrate restraint and hold your hand, as true power needs little demonstration of itself.