When a newspaper has a storefront office on the town’s Main Street, it is going to be a beacon of sorts for everyone with a question, concern or complaint – not necessarily in that order. Think about the places you have lived. Was the newspaper office in the center of town? Usually not, and there is a reason for that.
Community newspapers – like the Sun – occupy a prominent place in a small community. We are a bit of a target, and an easy one at that. Amid the births, deaths and other information, there may be something in each week’s paper that goes against one’s beliefs or vision for the city. But community involvement and even comments from visitors helps us learn what people are talking about.
Recently I was asked by a resident of Old Town if I had noticed the influx of homeless in our midst lately. I hadn’t, and she informed me that the homeless were now here in greater numbers and it was upsetting to her.
I reached out to our Chief of Police (Chief Joe Stilinovich, who goes by “Chief Joe.”) with the same question. I was taken aback when he answered in the affirmative. The caller had been right.
“The homeless population has increased significantly,” Chief Joe said. “And I believe I know why.”
He explained that many drug offenses that were previously felonies were now misdemeanors, and that means we no longer jail the drug users, or those who commit crimes to buy the drugs. And that means that the drug users are on the streets these days. This is not result of the police, but rather the legislature passing laws that keep “small time offenders” out of jail.
While I can’t paint a group of people with the same brush, police, social workers and others will tell you many of the people in the homeless population are substance abusers, or mentally ill, or both.
“Being homeless is not a crime,” Chief Joe said, “and we treat each person on an individual basis. We work with them to improve their individual lives and get them off the street. But they must want our help.”
Seal Beach is unique in that we have a Police Foundation, a group that fundraises for the police to buy them things they otherwise can’t purchase.
Chief Joe said that on more than one occasion, the Foundation has paid for plane tickets to fly a homeless person to a relative willing to care for them.
That is one fix to an enormous problem. But there must be more.
Dixie Redfearn is editor of the Sun Newspapers.
