It was the week before Christmas and Fremont had business. Council posted an ordinance with 5-day notice, were they hoping, just hoping, that no one would notice? They were making a choice, just giving their voice. Should new council members and the old city management, have a first meeting together and be rid of encampment. They voted on an ordinance spanning municipal coordinates, to take 612 homeless to make them now hopeless. No camping, no cars, no RVs, no bars, just pick up your tent if you can’t pay your rent. It’s time to move on, you people are gone, take your trash and spare cash, it’s the end of your song.
It’s been tough to enforce, help police reinforce. Give them rules to dispel these “encampments” of hell. So, businesses are happy, the streets are not crappy, and what if it’s you, your neighborhood too? Seventy-two hours not enough, 24 – now that’s tough! Newark, Union City, San Jose, even Hayward, just keep moving along so long as you’re wayward.
But alas, a ghost of those soft-hearted repliers, show up to protest including old timers. They warn of a graveyard, the words gotten out, and plead for a continuance, and they continue to doubt. Just delay so they say, don’t vote, there’s some hope! But the vote goes ahead, City votes four to two, spoken to homeless and that’s it for you.
The ghosts will return, next year’s coming term. Scrooge will listen again and decide who will win. Compassion or fashion, whatever the cause, the council will settle, there’s not too much pause. Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit, you’re facing the end, less street people find some new way to mend. They’re leaving this city, and won’t get much pity, don’t have a home, and they’re destined to roam. Score one Mr. Scrooge, you may feel alright, but look out for the ghosts, they’ll return for a fight.
Richard Godfrey
Fremont
It’s about time we do something to enforce the total disregard of following the rules. There has been in place for years a 72 hour parking ordinance prior to the pandemic that no one complained about. If it were enforced, we wouldn’t be in the situation we are currently in. Showing compassion did not help Fremont or the State of California. People took full advantage of this compassion. As we saw with the passage of Prop. 36, the recalls of Pamela Price and Sheng Thao, the people have spoken and it is time to swing the pendulum back to normalcy.