View From the Homeless Streets

Editor, The News:

I have been living in Abbotsford for 15 years now. As a homeless person, I travel the city almost every morning. What I see when I look around is not a very pleasant sight.

I see teenage hoodlums walking on the downtown streets. They move in packs as if tied together by strings. It is as if these adolescents pile up into herds like cattle wherever they see room available for them.

Just yesterday I saw a homeless man looking for pop cans from the garbage because these young miscreants are to lazy and thoughtless to bother recycling.

I see people every day, pushing buggies filled with the garbage these ill-mannered striplings litter the environment with.

These thoughtless punks make Abbotsford look filthy, unsanitary, and like it is an unpleasant place to live.

It is not only in the morning this is happening. It is through the whole day, mostly at night.

Is this the way we want people to see Abbotsford? I do not think so.

As we all know, Vancouver is hosting the winter Olympics in 2010. Many people will be coming to Abbotsford, and athletes may also be coming to use our arena to practise.

I don’t think many people who come here would like to see our streets filled with juvenile delinquents. These reprehensible hooligans are nothing but a bad impression on Abbotsford.

I used to see Abbotsford as the “City in the Country,” but I no longer do. My question really is: Why is city council not doing anything about these black sheep whippersnappers?

What’s happening in Abbotsford is not so great. It’s time that city council took action and started doing something productive for once so Abbotsford can be the “City in the Country” again.
James W. Breckenridge
http://www.homelessinabbotsford.com/
Abbotsford

PS: Perhaps G. Saini would care to correct the demonstrated ignorance on the subject of the homeless by leaving that nice sheltered existence, venturing out into the real world and learning a little about real life by volunteering at the Cyrus Centre for at-risk youth. More information on the Centre is available on the web at www.cyruscentre.com.


G. Saini's Original letter for you information

Editor, The News:

I have been living in Abbotsford for 15 years now. As a young high school student, I take the bus to school almost every morning. What I see when I look out the window is not a very pleasant sight.

I see homeless people waking up on the downtown streets. They have made clothing lines by tying strings to trees. It is as if the homeless pitch tents wherever they see room available for them.

Just yesterday I saw a homeless man looking for pop cans from the garbage outside my school.

I see homeless people every day, pushing buggies filled with their belongings.

The homeless make Abbotsford look filthy, unsanitary, and like it is an unpleasant place to live. It is not only in the morning this is happening.

It is through the whole day, mostly at night. Is this the way we want people to see Abbotsford? I do not think so.

As we all know, Vancouver is hosting the winter Olympics in 2010. Many people will be coming to Abbotsford, and athletes may also be coming to use our arena to practise.

I don’t think many people who come here would like to see our streets filled with homeless people.The homeless are nothing but a bad impression on Abbotsford.

I used to see Abbotsford as the “City in the Country,” but I no longer do. My question really is: Why is city council not doing anything about the homeless?

What’s happening in Abbotsford is not so great. It’s time that city council took action and started doing something productive for once so Abbotsford can be the “City in the Country” again.

G. Saini
Abbotsford