About Violent Homeless People

Fewer images have enjoyed a more prominent pop cultural shelf life than that of the crazy, violent homeless person. Sadly, however, sufficient research suggests that the homeless may be more vulnerable than violent. An examination of the record suggests that much work remains to be done to humanize the homeless and render them less susceptible to violence.

History

A search of the current literature reveals a greater emphasis on the homeless being victimized by violence, but not all social scientists share this view. An analysis of 2004 crime statistics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, showed homeless people accounting for 11 percent of its total arrests, even though they made up just 5 percent of its population. Common offenses included simple and aggravated assault. That typically involved drugs, food or money against other homeless people. Other offenses dealt with eviction from public places--as well as auto and home break-ins, drunk and disorderly behavior, indecent exposure, public urination, and trespassing. Additionally, 11 percent of all suspects simply listed their address as "homeless" after the police arrested them--a figure, the authors contended, that would widen once the area's shelters were included in the count. Other criminal issues arise from runaway juveniles, who are too young to work full-time jobs--leaving them vulnerable to exploitation from drug pushers, pimps and pornographers.

Size

Equally strong arguments have been marshaled to suggest that homeless people have more to fear from the outside world. Studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that homeless people are increasingly caught up in violence. Figures contained in a 2004 report from the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) show the overall number of homeless deaths has risen by 67 percent since 2002, with non-lethal attacks increasing by 281 percent in the same period. Attacks occurred in 140 cities and 39 U.S. states, plus Puerto Rico, leading the issuers to suggest that the daily struggle to survive street life has literally become a matter of life and death, and one that merits consideration as a hate crime. For homeless advocates, these sentiments have only been fueled by accounts of lethal attacks like the August 2004 beating and stabbing of a disabled homeless man in Denver, whose killer returned to lick the victim's blood off the sidewalk.

Features

The growing incidence of violence against homeless people reflects an increasing tendency to see them as statistics and news stories trotted out at Thanksgiving and Christmas, or--on a far more disturbing note--the so-called "Bumfights" subgenre of films. "Bumfights" videos and DVDs typically feature homeless people put in dehumanizing or exploitative situations--such as being induced to physically attack each other for small amounts of cash--or tricked or coerced into performing abusive or illegal actions for the filmmakers' "benefit." In some respects, this is the logical consequence of the brutality depicted in higher-quality films, such as the stomping scene of "A Clockwork Orange" (1971). Oddly enough, however, Hollywood's depiction of the homeless has largely been confined to comic fodder, such as Nick Nolte's character in "Down And Out In Beverly Hills" (1986).

Effects

The increasing trend of ordinances aimed at limiting or criminalizing behaviors associated with homeless people--such as panhandling, for instance, or sleeping in public areas like benches and sidewalks--could also be viewed as a key factor in the upsurge of violence against them. A report by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, "Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind," showed that 86 percent of the cities surveyed had some kind of ordinance against begging or panhandling, while 73 percent passed laws against sleeping or camping. Some cities, like Tucson, Arizona, have even debated measures to lease downtown streets to businesses--in effect, ceding control over public areas and allowing them to drive off the homeless as they see fit. However, many attempts to mediate these situations have proven problematic--such as the Los Angeles City Council's September 2006 rejection of a proposal to loosen restrictions on people sleeping in Skid Row, its most notorious homeless area. Council members cited complaints about aggressive and disorderly behaviors, like those documented in the Cambridge report, as the primary reason.

Prevention/Solution

As far as solutions go, alternative outreach methods have been shown to pay greater dividends--as in Portland, Oregon, where its police work closely with local advocacy groups to transition people into housing. High-profile encampments are still removed, while lower-profile ones are allowed to remain, so as long their residents are making progress--in all, a remarkable turnaround from the highly-publicized May 2003 bludgeoning death of a woman that later resulted in 11 arrests. On a different note, Seattle residents approved a special levy to create housing for under served populations, including the homeless. If the litany of homeless-related violence proves anything, it's that more work must be done to understand them as people.

Resources

• Myths+Facts About Homelessness
• Hate Crimes Against Homeless People Increasing
• Homeless Crimes Reports