'Homeless spikes' installed outside London flats

[Dawnia]

One of the images I saw had spikes on a park bench. You feed the bench coins and the spikes retract into the bench for whatever amount of time.

To be fair it may have been a photomanip but if it’s not…

That’s just nuts.

 

[Digitonomy]

We are talking about spikes on planters and low walls adjacent to Public Sidewalks. Their sole purpose is to keep the homeless(or anyone else) from sitting down. it is demeaning to everyone.

I would suggest that besides pedestrians (whether homeless or not) a second group often being battled by the public and private entities installing such spikes is skateboarders.

Anyway, I don’t see why disciplinary architecture is demeaning to the homeless and skateboarders on the sidewalks, but not to the doctors at the hospitals.

 

[Hobbes42]

It seems this issue is being conflated into one of “You people hate poor people!” complete with hysteric trimmings.

The property owner stated that the spikes were there to keep people from smoking and drinking there. Not to hurt those poor, poor, poor rough sleepers.

As previously stated, it is the same as a locked door. There are many places for people to sleep, right in front of a door isn’t the only one.

 

[pnewton]

For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. -Mark 14:7

Key word is “wish.” Jesus did not mandate we “must” help them.

Not in this particular verse, but that is definitely done elsewhere. Specifically, the parables of The Rich Man and Lazarus and The Sheep and the Goats. Besides, it is Catholic 101 that helping the poor is not optional.

How we help the poor is the only thing that is optional, that is, left to our own judgment.