Editorial
Homelessness affects Drexel students
Editorial Board
Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: Ed-Op
- Page 1 of 1
Bernard Johnson, a homeless man accused of robbing a number of Drexel students at knifepoint, was arrested outside the 7-Eleven right off campus Nov. 14.
That's definitely good news - students who often walk alone at night near campus can breathe a little easier. However, this arrest gives life to a dying argument - the areas around campus need to be cleaned up.
Most homeless people are not out robbing students; however, the collection of homeless does raise serious questions for quality of life and public safety.
Why was Johnson found near the 7-Eleven? Was he simply stupid to be there while there was a warrant out for his arrest? We don't think so. The 7-Eleven near campus is a hang out for homeless people, as any casual 7-Elven shopper can tell you.
This is a sad situation in two ways.
First, students may be exposed to some individuals who, like Johnson, are willing to turn to crime to benefit from unsuspecting students. Who knows how long it will be before another student is robbed with a weapon of crime?
With these sorts of individuals near campus, we can't be sure that students will be safe.
Second, the sheer number of homeless people in our area makes us question the facilities and services available for the homeless in Philadelphia.
More needs to be done to keep these individuals from turning to crime in order to survive.
This does not mean mass arrests but rather a proactive homeless outreach plan from the University City District and the City of Philadelphia.
Our city still has around 300 people living on the street and 3,000 living in the shelter system every day, according to media reports.
These numbers are alarming. More needs to be done.
This is not a question of college students being annoyed by begging, but rather a sign of Philadelphia's hands-off approach to quality of life issues.
Bernard Johnson also proves there is a public safety concern.
The University City District has started some initiatives to tackle this problem.
A Homeless Outreach Team has been put together to help these homeless people get to shelters and hospitals; in the past year, they have transported 168 people, according to the UCD web site.
While this is a good start, a lot more needs to be done. Once these people are at the shelters, the city needs to make sure that they are given the help they need to become independent, try to improve their quality of life and most importantly, don't fall back into begging for change outside convenience stores day in and day out.
If you think Philadelphia's homelessness issue is irrelevant to Drexel students, just ask Johnson's victims.
That's definitely good news - students who often walk alone at night near campus can breathe a little easier. However, this arrest gives life to a dying argument - the areas around campus need to be cleaned up.
Most homeless people are not out robbing students; however, the collection of homeless does raise serious questions for quality of life and public safety.
Why was Johnson found near the 7-Eleven? Was he simply stupid to be there while there was a warrant out for his arrest? We don't think so. The 7-Eleven near campus is a hang out for homeless people, as any casual 7-Elven shopper can tell you.
This is a sad situation in two ways.
First, students may be exposed to some individuals who, like Johnson, are willing to turn to crime to benefit from unsuspecting students. Who knows how long it will be before another student is robbed with a weapon of crime?
With these sorts of individuals near campus, we can't be sure that students will be safe.
Second, the sheer number of homeless people in our area makes us question the facilities and services available for the homeless in Philadelphia.
More needs to be done to keep these individuals from turning to crime in order to survive.
This does not mean mass arrests but rather a proactive homeless outreach plan from the University City District and the City of Philadelphia.
Our city still has around 300 people living on the street and 3,000 living in the shelter system every day, according to media reports.
These numbers are alarming. More needs to be done.
This is not a question of college students being annoyed by begging, but rather a sign of Philadelphia's hands-off approach to quality of life issues.
Bernard Johnson also proves there is a public safety concern.
The University City District has started some initiatives to tackle this problem.
A Homeless Outreach Team has been put together to help these homeless people get to shelters and hospitals; in the past year, they have transported 168 people, according to the UCD web site.
While this is a good start, a lot more needs to be done. Once these people are at the shelters, the city needs to make sure that they are given the help they need to become independent, try to improve their quality of life and most importantly, don't fall back into begging for change outside convenience stores day in and day out.
If you think Philadelphia's homelessness issue is irrelevant to Drexel students, just ask Johnson's victims.
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