MAILBAG: Lagunans are generous to homeless

Often the public hears of lawsuits that seem incredible.

For example, the Islamic passenger who got $240,000 for being compelled to “cover the Arab script” on his T-shirt during his flight as a Jet Blue passenger.

Our beloved Laguna has been targeted and insulted by a new lawsuit for its activities as a government involving homeless folk.

Alice Graves, a longtime Lagunatic and local travel agent was a co-founder of the Local homeless Friendship Shelter. She would be outraged and concerned about the new ACLU homeless lawsuit against our city and its taxpayers. Her shelter in the middle of our city has provided a major step to hundreds of displaced homeless persons to get their lives back together and productive.

Did the ACLU inform the court that the “shelter” is on the ocean side of Coast Highway and has been a social pilot project encouraging local governments and social activist about how to allow homeless people to have dignity and a fresh chance at life?

The multitude of Laguna citizens’ generosity and coordinated efforts to reach out to strangers and locals would fill our entire newspaper. The homeless in Laguna get free food, free transportation, free medical care, free Internet service, etc.

To my knowledge our city does more for homeless than some large cities in America. Unlike “trashed” Santa Monica we do not advertise the quiet gifts and huge generosity Laguna gives to those in need.

Statistically, the homeless as a group, not as individuals, violate laws more frequently than non-homeless persons. Or perhaps the violations are more noticed because they happen in the open?

The police should be encouraged to stop wanton and reckless homeless activities in our public areas. The ACLU seems to think that being homeless creates a right to unrestricted criminal behavior.

Not all homeless are afflicted by mental health issues, substance addiction, or criminal acts. Yet, by the nature of the ACLU homeless litigation against our city, all homeless persons in Laguna are pawns to a cadre of ignorant and self-serving lawyers.

PAUL MERRITT

Laguna Beach

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‘Why’ Laguna is target of lawsuit

In last week’s Coastline Pilot, the question was raised in reference to the ACLU lawsuit on behalf of the homeless, why Laguna? Since Laguna Beach has generously provided services that evidence the care and concern we have as a community toward our homeless it seems unfair that we should be a target for such a lawsuit.

The answer to “why Laguna,” despite our compassion and generosity as a community to the plight of the homeless, is this. Homelessness is not a crime. This answer can be found in the 2006 landmark ruling by the 9th circuit court of appeals Jones v. the City of Los Angeles.

Homelessness is not a crime. To treat it as so through the selective enforcement of a city ordinance that bans sleeping on public property runs counter to the constitutional protections of the 8th Amendment when a municipality does not provide adequate shelter for those who have no other place to go at night.

As stated by the 9th circuit, “Human beings are compelled to rest, whether by sitting, lying or sleeping. Nor may the state criminalize conduct that is an unavoidable consequence of being homeless.”

Too often the enforcement of these laws have been used to merely push the problem out of public view rather than provide productive solutions to the problem. Consider the logic involved in citing a homeless person for violating the ordinance. They must go to court although they have no way to get there, they are fined but they have no money.

They also have no choice as to where they sleep, and to punish someone on that basis lacks a fundamental humanity that we as a community should be above. Perhaps the real question should be why Laguna, which has no problem spending millions on a new senior center, does not have the resources to provide shelter at night for our citizens sleeping on the streets.

If the power and political influence that made it possible to build a $15-million senior center were brought to bear on providing shelter for the homeless perhaps we wouldn’t have to ask, “why Laguna?”

CINDALEE PENNEY-HALL

Laguna Beach

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Homeless lawsuit can be found online

In response to the editorial, “Good deeds punished” and the Sounding Off, “Homeless lawsuit has wrong target,” printed Jan. 2, readers might be interested in reading the full complaint currently available at www.aclu-sc.org.

FAITH OZAN

Laguna Beach

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ACLU suing Laguna has irony of its own

The delicious irony of the extremely liberal ACLU suing the extremely liberal city of Laguna Beach: Have these lawyers no idea of how important “art” is? The non-wine-and-brie set don’t even know who Piet Mondrian is, much less Basquiat.

JOHN JAEGER

Irvine

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Wendt exhibit a must-see at museum

Whatever you do between now and Feb. 8, see “In Nature’s Temple, the life and art of William Wendt” at our Laguna Beach Art Museum.

Not only is there a street named for Wendt but he lived and painted in his studio-home for many years in the 1900s in Laguna. One time, when he and his wife returned to Laguna from a trip abroad, the Art Assn. had a parade and gala dinner for the couple.

Our Laguna Beach Art Museum needs our memberships, donations and volunteers more than ever. If you are a “Lagunatic,” part of your blood runs William Wendt, whose beautiful paintings of Laguna and the world are colorful and different. We are compulsive about our gardens, computers, cellphones, diets etc.”” why can’t we be compulsive about our art museum?

You can attend the Wendt show free Feb. 7 and 8 “” the show’s last two days. Call (949) 494 8971 for more info or visit www.lagunaartmuseum.org.

ROGER CARTER

Laguna Beach

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Cable TV is out of touch in this economy

I see in the newspaper that all three local cable TV service providers are planning fee increases.

What part of the word “Depression” don’t these outfits understand?

People are out of work, taking wage cuts, many businesses are losing money or even shutting down, and inefficient governments are increasing fees and taxes; but these guys want to increase TV fees.

Hey cable guys, wake up and get real. You too should be cutting costs and fees.

DAVE CONNELL