Today the Supreme Court will review a case that asks if it is cruel and unusual punishment (a violation of the 8th Amendment) to fine and criminalize homelessness.
My “hot” take is that homeless people aren’t an issue to address or a problem to be solved, but, rather people to be helped.
What good does it do to penalize someone financially—or worse—lock them up for being poor?
If you’ve ever seen a crane rip away all of someone’s earthly possessions or bulldoze their makeshift home then you know how cruel it is to criminalize and demonize being homeless.
That’s messed up.
At the drop of a hat, we can find trillions upon trillions of dollars to fight wars all around the globe, yet we can’t spare a dime to house someone who needs a home, care for someone who needs healing, or provide for someone who needs a hand.
That’s bullshit.
Read more about the Supreme Court’s action regarding homelessness here.
Follow the money.
One of the truest lessons my late father taught me was to always follow the money when it comes to societal issues.
War is—and has been for most of modernity—a lucrative proposition. There’s money to be made in fighting wars. Especially those that aren’t yours to fight. The same is not true of helping the homeless or even addressing poverty. Financially, these concerns have a much lower return on investment than creating killing machines.
But I digress…
Homeless people are people.
They are people to be seen. They are people to be heard. They are people to be loved.
We’ve dehumanized the homeless.
What if it was your son, your daughter, your sister, your brother, your grandmother or your grandfather?
Enough with the bullshit.
We, the people, can do better.
Praying for us.
Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™
The Devotional Guy™ 
Rainer, thank you for sharing about God’s true intentions. May we both continue to encourage and model for others as Jesus teaches.
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I think we label to help us understand who and what we know and don’t know. We like order because it gives us a sense of control. Naming everything was one of the first things Adam did in Genesis. But, because of sin, something that is intended for good gets twisted and we develop labels to shrink people and diminish their value. We have to learn to see people as God‘s image bearers and we can only do that through a Savior (Jesus) and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thanks for reading and commenting. I always appreciate your thoughts.
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Ranier, I agree with your perspective. People are people, regardless of any of the labels used to identify various demographic groups. Indeed, America (and the world) must do better.
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Thank you, David. I appreciate your support and encouragement.
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Agreed, brother. Preach on, and keep working on to help those living on the fringes of society. I’m joining you!
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You are welcome.
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Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. Blessings 🙏
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I say, woe to those that are insensitive, especially millionaires and billionaires.
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