Illegal Burn on Cota Street

By an edhat reader

Illegal burn near Cota and Garden Street. The subject is in a wheelchair lighting newspapers on fire.

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Written by Roger

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12 Comments

  1. Would you like a perspective on Homeless, Inc.? Dial 211 and start listening to the rota of options, ALL social services paid for by tax dollars, all YOUR money dished out on salaries of well-meaning people to prop up the failures in our society. Jobs and cheap housing would solve most of the problems. Remember the Men’s Club at Carillo & Chapala where the Ralph’s is now? That took 100 men off the streets in dignity with single-room-occupancy.

  2. Roger, not to sound like Slick Willy, but yeah, I feel your pain. Try being here in Isla Vista where I am w/ the tent city down the street. Never a dull moment. BUT… that’s coming to an end here soon, seems like the parks district is going to reclaim the park that already belongs to them. The problems we’ve had here, assaults, OD’s, theft, shoplifting and recently… a rape. Where does it stop?
    The intersting aspect to all this is if you do a study of the comments for and against the “houseless neighbors” you WILL see that the majority of people ARE fed up w/ their antics and whom you refer to as “homeless inc.” in your comments.
    The excuses being made are nothing less than ridiculous. Here’s a comment made in defense of the “houseless neighbors” during a park district meeting:
    “some houseless residents want to stay outdoors and avoid enclosed spaces after experiencing PTSD or having bad experiences in homeless shelters.”
    Seriously? PTSD? Here’s a more adept and appropriate way of putting those words:
    “some houseless residents want to stay outdoors and avoid enclosed spaces after experiencing being told “NO! You CAN’T do that!” and having to follow rules or having no access to meth or smack in homeless shelters.”
    Seriously, the community is fed up and when you have these individuals wantonly going around and inflicting their harm on the community, let’s just say somebody’s going to take the law into their own hands, it’s already happened a couple of times here in Isla Vista.
    If you did scanner reports from here, you’d see it’s no different or maybe worse. Emergency response vehicles have to go to People’s Park at least 2 times a day for the activities going on there.
    As I said, I feel your pain. Those criticizing your points are part of the problem, the excuse makers and the perpetuators of this mess. Thank you for reporting it, not only how it is, but how you feel, the community NEEDS to know that.

  3. I was really lucky that I went to New House when I did in 1980 I was given the choice Work or Leave I chose to stay and work doing alot of the chores that were assigned to others who could not physically do them. At that time most of the residents were older men veterans of WW2 They were my Fathers something I needed in my life as my Father died when I was young 50 years ago the 21st of this month. New House was my Saving Grace….My solution is what worked for me “Work or Leave” Help the Handicapped, the senior citizens, the veterans, the mentally, and physically ill give the rest a choice “Work or Leave” For Room and Bored. I’d run Homeless Inc. out of town along with the ACLU…Those people are getting rich off Santa Barbara and they are helping themselves alot more than they are helping the homeless…

  4. Roger, I cannot follow your attack on what you call “homeless incorporated.” This just sounds like a lazy stereotype to allow folks to ignore the pain and reality behind the people on the street. For instance, the ACLU is not active in SB at present and has never had an economic interest in the success of its advocated goals. At the same time the number of homeless has grown everywhere. The idea that SB is unique in that is just short sighted perspective. The reasons are many, including the loss of even the least well paid work in the pandemic and the absurd increase in the cost of housing. Whatever percentage of the homeless have mental health issues (20-40%?) need intervention that does not exist. All the homeless need the opportunity for shelter (I know that they will not all take it). Then we can sort out what to do with the remaining population which might include designated camp sites, forced medical intervention and more traditional “loitering” type laws. But to just write this off as a peculiar Santa Barbara selfishness is not correct.

  5. F
    Roger has been there, done that…so, he writes truth. Grant money is wasted
    The director (s) make too much and their “success” is negligible, at best. Rolling Stone magazine published an article on the “Industrial Complex” natural of huge grant money given for homes addicts, revealing the pathetic failure of these rograms. The high functioning , nonaddicted homeless are ignored since they don’t guarantee big bucks in grants. Vancouver, B,C,, however, has a program that’gave $7,500.00 to HIGH FUNCTIONING homeless individuals….the success rate for this effort was over 80 percent! Compare this to the dismal “success” rate for the neatly packaged grant programs. Throwing money at so-called nonprofits is a fool’s errand. And , yes I do have specific, creative and workable solutions which I will be presenting formally. One is to give Vans and or/ autos to High Functioning homeless…especially the elderly ones who are ignored. If you’re alert , you will see them at night walking furtively with tidy rolling, small suitcases…trying to maintain a modicum of dignity. One thing addicts have in common with nonprofits is their love for excuses. Listen to Roger! It’s rude and mean to ignore the voice of one who knows …yet, ignoring such just means : throw money at the problem and hope a few will be truly helped. So far millions have been utterly wasted on stale programs. Fact.

  6. Really DOULIE Ha! It occurred this morning at Cota and Garden streets when posted he was taken into custody not sure for what but I’d bet on a violation of Arson what he has a warrant for and what he is on probation for..Are you really that ????? A person in a wheel chair cannot be arrested for Arson or be a registered Arsonist? Wow dude just Wow.. The police scanner is my source. I think your all nuts standing by and watching this town be destroyed while sucking up government grants I know 2 of you are employed by Homeless Inc aka the big con.

  7. I was told long ago that the ACLU threatened to sue Santa Barbara for treating the homeless bad among other things giving the homeless tickets for sleeping outside over night. Santa Barbara and Laguna Beach I believe. Is this city under siege being held against our wills to put up with bad behaviors of law breakers by those we are told are mentally ill? I think Santa Barbara is under siege by these so called programs who promise to help the homeless but instead leave them to camp out along the freeway and the rail road tracks with out help unless of course they jump through hoops like caged animals at the zoo….

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