Why would anyone want to be a vagrant?

I am glad someone on the Fresno City Council has finally taken the initiative to address the out-of-control vagrant (not homeless) issue that has overtaken Fresno. Instead of wasting ink bashing Councilman Steve Brandau, Bee columnist Marek Warszawski should be interviewing the vagrants to find out why they choose to live that way.

Please ask them why they steal or damage other people’s property, defacate and urinate In public, and then leave trash strewn about in their wake. Seems like an awful amount of work to live on the street. Why can’t that effort be directed toward living a regular life?

No one is “throwing a blanket over an entire group of people” as Mr. Warszawski states in his article. There are people who find themselves homeless who battle through their difficultlies and eventually get back on track. They are not the ones who are being targeted.

The people Brandau is focusing on are those committing crimes and causing the most problems. Many are mentally ill, drug or alcohol addicted or just truly want to be there. Being compassionate, as opponents of the ordinance want us all to be, doesn’t mean we should accept the status quo.

This story was originally published August 21, 2017 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Why would anyone want to be a vagrant?."