Sacramento Homeless blog

A new article in The Atlantic looks at how heinous means are employed by some cities to make things uncomfortable for homeless people. It’s titled “ How cities use design to drive homeless people away ” with the subheading: “ ’saying you’re not welcome here’ – with spikes.” One of the total of two (identical) benches in front of Central Library. It is perhaps possible to sleep on, but would be easy to roll off of and crack your head. A prime topic in the article is in regard to bench construction that makes them difficult or impossible to sleep on, or, in some instances, even to sit on comfortably.   Without benches to sleep on, or sit on, homeless folk will “self deport” seems to be the intent of use of wayward designs. The entrance to Central Branch of  the Sacramento Public Library. Sacramento homeless folk who have been around awhile are aware of changes made to the benches in front of the Central Library on I Street. It was a clear case of “use of design...

In an email sent on April 8, we're told that Sacramento Public Library is a finalist -- one of a goodly number of finalists -- for the 2017 National Medal for Museum and Library Science. With the continual denuding of the third floor of Central branch of its once-upon-a-time satisfactory number of tables and chairs -- in an ongoing very stark effort to make known to homeless users of the branch that they are unwelcomed -- it would, for me, be an outrage if the library system were to win anything from anyone this year. SPL doesn't have the mettle to deserve this Medal . Sacramento Public Library is nice, but its less-than-welcoming attitude toward the homeless is a huge deal. SPL should correct its unfriendly ways toward homeless people and inform the Museum and Library Science folks that it will strive to be worthy of being a finalist for the medal NEXT year. In 2018. Hating a contingent of users of a library is not something that wins over hearts and minds. ...