Saturday, May 11, 2013
Civil Beat: Annie Koh on “A Park is for the Public—Unless They are Homeless”
“When the most vulnerable (e.g. homeless) or the most outspoken (e.g. (de)Occupy Honolulu) are ejected from our definition of the public, how we define democracy is sorely limited. When our belief in what tourists want overrides the very real needs of human beings, how we regulate public space is operating from deeply flawed assumptions.”
by Larry Geller
I’ve read Annie Koh’s A Park Is For The Public — Unless They Are Homeless? (Civil Beat, 5/10/2013) a couple of times. It is an eloquent essay on how the homeless have come to be viewed in Honolulu and how they deserve to be viewed.
Without patronizing the homeless, Koh (@spamandkimchi) has endorsed their status as fellow citizens of our fine city.
This essay could be a lesson in compassion for our civic leaders who have demonstrated nothing but intolerance for those so much less fortunate than themselves.
But enough from me. Please click the link and read this well-crafted article. I’ll hold my own thoughts for another time.
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