San Francisco, CA – St. Mary’s Cathedral is facing backlash after installing a sprinkler system to douse the homeless that sleep on the premises. They have since issued an apology with the promise that the system will be taken down.
The problem arose from the garbage left behind by the homeless, including hypodermic needles, condoms, and feces. The sprinkler system had been in place for about two years, and while the intention was to clean the area, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Nearly every morning soggy masses of blankets, clothing, and various other debris were left behind.
As well as receiving backlash from the public for installing the sprinklers, the church was issued a violation order from the city Building Department for lacking the necessary permits for the system. These charges will be dismissed as soon as the church provides proof of removal of the sprinklers. The system was comprised of a pipe system with holes located high in the alcoves of the building, releasing water every half an hour in all four doorways.
In a report from San Francisco’s KCBS:
“The shower ran for about 75 seconds, every 30 to 60 minutes while we were there, starting before sunset, simultaneously in all four doorways. KCBS witnessed it soak homeless people, and their belongings.”
Unfortunately, the problem the church is facing with the homeless continues to persist. The dirt and pathways around the church are still cluttered with needles, crack pipes, cigarettes, and other trash left behind by the unwanted campers. The heavy stench of urine permeates the doorways, and some of the homeless have stated that they are happy to return once the sprinklers have been removed.
“The problem is persistent,” stated Larry Kamer, church spokesman. “The first priority today was to turn the sprinklers off. But now we’ll have to figure out what to do next.”
The church claims the sprinklers were not put in place to douse people, but to act as a deterrent and automated cleaner.
“But the trouble was that you have people who wanted to be there even if the sprinklers were on, so it didn’t really work as it was intended.”
In a statement from Bishop William Justice, rector of the cathedral:
“The idea was not to remove those persons but to encourage them to relocate to other areas of the cathedral, which are protected and safer. The purpose was to make the cathedral grounds as well as the homeless people who happen to be on those grounds safer.
We are sorry that our intentions have been misunderstood and recognize that the method was ill-conceived. It actually has had the opposite effect from what it was intended to do, and for this we are very sorry.”
Not everyone who utilizes the premises abuse the property, and there were some who felt dehumanized by the churches actions.
“It’s trickle-down economics from the head of a sprinkler,” said Paul Boden, organizing director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project. “These are human beings, man. It reminds me of how people treat dogs if they’re in heat, spraying them with hoses. It’s just symbolic of how dehumanizing we’ve become as a society about homeless people.”
In a statement from Steve Johnson, 54, who has been bunking in nearby Jefferson Square after the sprinklers were installed at the church:
“Hosing us down like that was totally wrong, telling us we were not blessed, that we were the devil’s child. This is not caring from the church.”
Sources:
CBS. Mar 19, 2015. (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/san-francisco-catholic-archdiocese-dousing-homeless-cathedral/)
Fagan, Kevin. San Francisco Gate. Mar 18, 2015. (http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-archdiocese-will-stop-dousing-homeless-6143213.php#photo-7677625)
The Grio. Mar 18, 2015. (http://thegrio.com/2015/03/18/san-francisco-catholic-church-installs-watering-system-to-drench-homeless/)
I, recently read several articles about Pope Francis. POPE FRANCIS!!! He’s building showers and barber facilities to help the homeless. I’m going to post the link, I hope that is allowed. If not, I apologize in advance.
This church is wondering what to do about the whole problem. Here’s a suggestion for the churches..most of them are organized together for food pantries and donating funds for various things, if..you can get one to do that in the first place. Yet the problems are still there. Here in California, there are malls that have closed down, ware houses that haven’t been used in forever but taxes are still being paid on them…right? This confuses me to no end. A corporation will pay yearly taxes on a building that sits empty. HUGE taxes. Why not turn that into housing for homeless? Colorado is doing just that! There are all kinds of humanitarians out there would would be willing to help with this cause. They even contain doctors and nurses, drug abuse rehabilitation, etc. That is what will get these people off of the church property, get them help, and back on the right track. Jesus, according to the bible…often ate with prostitutes, thieves and the like. People will do desperate things when they are desperate. Here’s the link for the article about the Pope.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-builds-public-showers-and-a-barbershop-for-the-homeless-of-rome-10029984.html
Thank you, we will cover it.