Sherman R. Frederick/Properly Subversive
Homeless encampments have long been a burr under the saddle of public officials in Marin. No elected official in Marin that I know of likes it or encourages it.
The latest hotspot comes out of the small town of Fairfax, where homelessness has grown into the parks and encroaches on summer baseball leagues. A group of citizens have petitioned the Town Council to put this issue on the council agenda. They want to talk about the kids being able to play baseball without being subject to the gritty elements of a homeless encampment.
It’s a righteous request.
And it can be granted with a little bravery on the part of elected officials using some good old fashioned common sense. We know it can be done.
Consider San Francisco. When that city had foreign dignitaries visit the city for a meeting last spring, the mayor there ordered the streets swept of homeless encampments. Presto! It was done. El Paso city officials did it when President Joe Biden visited not long ago. The migrant camps there were swept away in an instant. Same thing happened when Vice President Kamala Harris visited.
If it can happen in San Francisco and El Paso, it can happen in Fairfax. Baseball fields in Fairfax are made for baseball. It is not unreasonable to ask that the fields be cleared of the homeless and – let’s be honest about this – the very bad behavior that comes with a homeless encampment. There is a reason that the Fairfax police keep a closer eye on the homeless encampment. It’s because bad stuff happens there.
Look, I don’t want to downplay how hard a problem homelessness is. But it can be solved without sacrificing summer youth baseball.
Sadly, the Town Council in Fairfax has this on their agenda until April, after baseball starts. A lot of people in Fairfax think this kind of slow reaction is par for the course with the current council. I’m not going there. I’m giving the town’s moms and dads the benefit of the doubt on this one. Do this administratively. Talk to the baseball folks and come up with a solution — now!
Grow a backbone. Do the right thing. The kids deserve it.
You can reach Sherman R. Frederick at shermfrederick@gmail.com.
Thank you Sherman – all is true and I (we) all hope this Town Council can see outside the box. They have postponed this Petition until 4/6/24, a month past baseball “Opening Day” festivities! I hope WMLL stands up to them too – This has gone too far!
No camping in the town! Simple. Stop feeding them! Also, send the illegals back to Mexico. Ten million people is something no country can handle.
Free speech!!!!!