Protesters continue to show up at Irvine City Council meetings warning council members they’ll be voted out if city leaders do anything to help homeless in Irvine.
Mayor Pro Tem Christina Shea is adding fuel to the fire urging residents to call Irvine Police if they see homeless people on the street, unaware that being homeless is not a crime.
From the LA Times story Wednesday:
Meanwhile, Councilwoman Christina Shea urged residents to “get a good description of the homeless” migrating to Irvine “in increasing numbers” and call the police.
“We have not had a homeless problem in years because we take care of our low-income and needy populations,” she added. “It’s very troubling to have the county shove their housing responsibilities to the cities.”
Shea seems to forget it was she who made the motion to zone county-owned land near the Great Park for a homeless shelter and her hateful comments about the homeless show her philosophy of governing. Wet your finger and stick in the air to see how the wind is blowing.
Shea and Mayor Don Wagner wear their Christianity on their sleeves and try to apply this approach to actual government policy. I’ll remind them Jesus Christ himself was a homeless man who hung out with thieves, lepers, and prostitutes. If only these elected leaders had the same compassion for the homeless that their Savior did.
So last week I actually encountered a homeless woman on a street by a Starbucks in Irvine. I bought her a coffee and asked if she would go to a shelter. She was very appreciative and said that she would love to but couldn’t get there. I called the Irvine PD. They said that they can’t transport the homeless and to call 211. I called 211 and was told to call the IPD. Circles. So I called back the IPD and they said well we can give her a bus pass. Failing any other option, I said sure. I walked to this location and didn’t have a car otherwise I would have taken her myself. So, after 45 minutes an officer shows up. We went through the story yet again. Keep in mind that all this woman wanted was to get to a shelter. The IPD responded with – and I have to quote here because the level of ineptitude is shocking – “only the chiefs have the passes, we aren’t allowed to carry them”. Excuse me but this is what I asked for when I called the IPD in the first place. I called the woman an Uber. Thanks IPD. Someone should get copies of the IPD recordings. It’s rather telling. So when Shea says “call the police”, give this a thought. She is doing nothing more than fear mongering and pandering for votes.
Call the police on a person walking down the street? Is this Nazi Germany?
Shea and Wagner are cruel, heartless people.
Santa Ana elected officials & staff urge residents to contact SAPD and/or Public Works to disperse homeless encampments – and there is an app for that.
On March 20th I watched the protests and language being used in City Hall with shock and shame. Since then, bern trying to change the dominant negative rhetoric. On April 12, we launched Irvine4Everyone Sign-On Sheet and last week we met with Mayor Wagner. https://medium.com/charis-research/i4e-meeting-with-mayor-don-wagner-c01962301c70
did Don ask for a contribution to his campaign? That seems to be the only way to get his attention