Letter of the day
I was disappointed by the tone, language and spirit of Councillor Galloway's forthcoming homelessness motion ('˜Disgusting,
Terrifying And Wrong’; Ukip councillor under fire for saying he wants to remove ‘unwelcome detritus’ of homeless people, July 4)
In particular, I categorically disagree that the homeless men and women in and around Commercial Road are beggars. They are not. They are homeless.
Labelling them as detritus is sickening. They do not dominate the city - that is a ridiculous and hysterical statement.
The suggestion that that they are ‘placed in specific care whether they want to or not’ is, frankly, internment.
The motion advocates the active persecution of a vulnerable minority group by both the Council and the police. We are better than this. Or at least, I hope we are.
I volunteer and engage with the homeless in Portsmouth several times a week for many hours.
They are individuals: vulnerable, frightened, alienated individual people with personal histories that would shatter any of us.
A number are former servicemen.
Many are women. Many have mental health issues. They are among the finest human beings I have ever met.
Liesl Rose
Solent Road, Drayton