I will leave to other more politically oriented and outspoken writers to express their preferences in the upcoming city of Chattanooga run off elections for mayor and two council seats.
However, the continuous increase in population in the “tent cities” around the town needs to be discussed in greater detail than has so far been publicized other than a recent article in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
A trip in an eastward direction on East 11th Street just past the headquarters of our local daily newspaper beginning at the railroad overpass adjacent to the city of Chattanooga Wellness Center and a police precinct reveals a disturbing situation.
A large number of tents, uncollected garbage, unsanitary conditions, fire hazards, street hustlers, and homeless local and transient people are now part of our population and can be included in the regular designation of “Best” or “Worse” mid-sized cities’ subjective rankings in America.
Two blocks further towards Missionary Ridge the Community Kitchen provides food and shelter during inclement weather as part of their dedicated mission to support the needy of our community. However, Chattanooga should not be the destination for other cities to dump their homeless population into a community that is historically known to show compassion for the less fortunate.
Unfortunately, East 11th Street is not the only local site of the accumulation of the genuine needy, free loaders, or others with legitimate mental and physical disabilities.
One local business leader has related that he has been told that our city has become a dumping ground from other larger municipalities because we are a “caring community.”
The former Gateway Motel site near the Bachman Tubes going into East Ridge, St. Elmo, the base of Signal Mountain, and nearly every viaduct or underpass have often become campgrounds for the homeless.
Panhandlers soliciting money from our visiting tourist population in our downtown area also are not part of a favorable image of Chattanooga.
A lack of police presence also projects an eerie potential danger for the male and female joggers in the downtown area. Would one police officer on a motorcycle or squad car patrolling from Main Street to the River on Market and Broad Streets help to project a police presence of some safety protection to our visitors?
Maybe even a walking officer from Martin Luther King Boulevard to 2nd Street on Market and Broad with a welcoming smile and friendly greeting could make a positive impression for our city? Sounds old fashion but it once worked.
Is asking for an increased discussion on these ever-increasing issues of safety, sanitation, crime control, etc. too much of our slate of public leaders asking to be selected by the voters of the city of Chattanooga on April 13, 2021? As of March 22 this topic has not been a priority item for the mayoral and council candidates during both primary and general election campaigns.
Jerry Summers
* * *
Jerry Summers, a well know and highly respected attorney, is exactly correct about our homeless problem in Chattanooga. The shame of this situation should not be directed merely at those in our community who are trapped in this dilemma, rather shame should be directed at those in political power who have the authority and responsibility to curb this problem, yet they turn their back on it and allow it to grow. I called it a dilemma because a very high percentage of the homeless suffer some form of mental illness and are therefore faced with difficult choices, more than just where to set up their tent. They could be stopping traffic and robbing people, burglarizing and taking from others whatever they need to get by, but they are not. They are just suffering whatever the environment foist upon them.
Listen to me on this: I don’t like the victim card and/or playing it because it is done far too often by those who are not really victims of anything but their own poor choices or behavior. Homelessness is different because of the mental health aspect. Whatever we do (or don’t do that we could) unto these people we are doing unto our Lord. His words, not mine.
Tim Kelly has promised to follow in the footsteps of our current disaster of a mayor, Andy Berke. We cannot afford it or allow it. We have to have someone with Kim Whites skill sets, energy and ethics. I don’t mean to make this political because Mr. Summers did such a wonderful job of educating all of us on the blight that will define our city. I for one don’t want to be San Francisco but it’s the direction we are headed in. Former Mayor Ron Littlefield, thank you for trying to make sure we wouldn’t face this today. You did your best and I for one appreciate your efforts.
J. Pat Williams
* * *
Chronic homelessness actually got its start long before Andy Berke became mayor. Homelessness has always been a factor in Chattanooga as well as around the nation. The problem here, same as everywhere else, escalated and worsen under such initiatives as "weed and seed" initiatives and gentrification.
When Andy Berke was elected mayor he just inherited a problem that had already long existed through these initiatives and plans to chase the poor from the city, tossing them like uprooted "weeds" then "seeding" the city with more desirables with higher incomes.
Brenda Washington