What exactly was compassionate about the camp cleanup?

By Lethbridge Herald on July 23, 2022.

 Editor:

The Herald’s July 15th account of the “compassionate cleanup” of the homeless encampment in the Civic Centre left me with more questions than answers. 

What exactly was compassionate about it?

Did we find homes for all of them? Or did we find them a new campsite with a better location? Or did we just hand them a bottle of water and turf them out on the hot pavement?

Did we send their tents and belongings to the landfill, or did we transport them and their belongings to their new home? Or did we just send in the troops in full body armour, swinging truncheons?

How was this “cleanup” compassionate? We could use a little more information.

Our concern for the homeless in Lethbridge in the past seems to have yielded nothing of substance. And judging from the mayor’s tentative remarks, that’s probably where it’s headed again.

Let’s actually do something to help them this time. Let’s find places for them to live. It’s a basic human right. 

The present situation reflects badly on our city.

Dave Sheppard

Lethbridge