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Government Keeps the Homeless Homeless
photo credit: bzo
Larry Moore was a homeless man who got it together and started a shoeshine business. From his profit, he saved enough money to rent an apartment and get off the street. And then, the city of San Francisco slapped with him a bill for sidewalk vendor permit. The shakedown cost Larry hundreds of dollars, because in San Francisco, as is most places, offering a product or service that people are will to pay for and pulling your self up by your bootstraps requires someone’s permission.
Along Market Street, Moore’s supporters are indignant. Nothing happens when mentally ill men wander the street talking to themselves and drunkards pee in the alleys. Yet Moore creates a little business out of thin air, builds up a client base, and the city takes nearly every penny he’s earned.
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Moore is nothing if not dutiful. He attempted to work his way through the byzantine city government channels, although he didn’t get much help.
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When Moore found the permit application, he got a money order and headed down to the appropriate department to pay. But because he didn’t have a valid ID card, they wouldn’t take his money.
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twitter.com/sheffus on June 18th, 2009 1:07 pm
That really is so unnecessary. At what point does a bureaucracy lose sight of what is important? What is the ROI on collecting $XXX.XX from a soon to be contributing former homeless person? Seems like forcing them out of business and back to the street isn’t a good for business. Let alone the bad karma…
Rich on June 18th, 2009 10:39 pm
The key for Larry would to have stayed under the radar of the city government.
I doubt that the newspaper publicity helped his business.
And it would have been great PR if the city had allowed Larry to pay for the
permit in monthly installments.
RedHotFranchises on June 19th, 2009 3:07 am
In a free society anything not expressly forbidden is permitted;in a non-free society anything not expressly permitted is forbidden.
It is all about control.
Angela Shupe on June 19th, 2009 3:41 am
As surprised as I should be, I’m not. I could not imagine what it must feel like trying to play by the rules just for the government to step in and continually knock him down.
Here is someone who is trying to do good. He’s working his way out of the streets. Isn’t that what they want their homeless to do?
I actually think the article might help his situation. People might stop and say, “Hay, here is a guy trying to get off the streets and do something good for himself… maybe we should help him out a little.” This is the kind of story that will pull at nearly everyone’s heartstrings.
Sue James on June 19th, 2009 8:28 am
Great post, thank you! A sobering situation that needs to be redressed!
Red tape and bureaucratic processes can be so damaging – for everyone. Not only those who are the community ‘recipients’ or victims of such processes (such as Larry Moore) but also for those who are mandated by the sytem to enforce them.
I also know a number of government officials or employees whose spirits are disheartened and eroded by the systems operating in the departments in which they’re employed.
As a society I think it’s time we took a long hard look at the ‘officialdom’ we allow to be perpetuated and try to remove – or at the very least minimize – a lot of that red tape. Most rules and regulations are put in place as a ‘protection screen’ – often part of the ‘risk management’ policies that are so prevalent. Maybe we need to be prepared to take a few risks after all. :)
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