There is a significant portion of the Madison population that experiences criminalization, neglect and abuse by both the populace and government. While they have an unalienable right to live in peace and prosperity, they are relegated to the lowest dregs of society, where both citizens and institutions look down upon them, ignoring the misery they suffer on a daily basis. I’m not just referring to the immigrant population; I’m also talking about the homeless.

There is no doubt that the homeless population has suffered greatly in Madison. With few resources, a lack of commitment from elected officials and a government that spends more time fining than supporting them, the homeless are stuck in a pit of both injustice and inequality.

Progressives on the city council have been attempting to come up with a viable solution on this issue, but the results have been mixed at best. Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, has introduced an ordinance that both protects the belongings of homeless individuals and, among other things, eliminates fines the homeless face when they sleep in public areas. According to Konkel, it is unfair to fine the homeless for sleeping in public when there are few reasonable and affordable housing projects in the city.

Sounds like a good idea, right?

Well, according to Joe Lindstrom, chair of the Student Tenant Union and member of Progressive Dane, Konkel’s legislation “will almost certainly not pass”. While the Progressive Dane caucus and a few liberal allies have been working feverishly to gain the 11 votes necessary to pass the legislation, several so-called liberals (read: Democrats) have refused to commit to supporting the legislation.

The city attempted to tackle both these issues last year, but was not successful. In particular, the city council debated a piece of legislation to increase funding for eviction prevention. After compromising on an amount of $10,000, the city council deadlocked on the issue with a vote of 10-10. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, a Democrat, then cast the tie-breaking vote. Against the funding increase.

When asked why he chose to vote against it, Cieslewicz “dodged the question” according to Lindstrom, failing to justify a vote against essential funding — funding that had the potential to prevent many more Madison citizens from falling into homelessness.

The issue of affordable housing projects has also been addressed in the council. This year, the federal government offered to give the Truman Olson Army Reserve Center on South Park Street to the city for free, with the caveat that the land and facilities would be used to establish 38 spaces for permanent and temporary housing for homeless individuals. Instead of accepting this grant and using it to help the homeless population, several members of the council, including Julia Kerr and Tim Bruer, requested the city move the project elsewhere and purchase the land from the federal government and use it for economic development. The proposed swap has the affordable housing initiative moving to a swamp on the east side, a site largely inaccessible to those without a car.

The concern many left-wing council members have with the potential swap is the cost. First, the purchase of the land could set the city back several million dollars, a figure which doesn’t even take into account the cost of the economic development project. Lindstrom states he was “shocked that the city would propose a project without a solid idea of how much it’ll cost them.” Additionally, budget restraints have made it such that if the cost does exceed the expectations of the council, there is little doubt that essential services will have to be cut. The twisted irony is that these cuts will undoubtedly have a further negative impact on the homeless community, an impact that could have been prevented if the city had simply used the site for its original purpose –helping the homeless.

Among those who voted on the wrong side on this resolution was student Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, who ran on a pro-homeless platform in 2007.

So the cycle continues. The denial of fundamental services to the homeless continues to be a sad, predictable trend in this supposedly progressive city. While several attempts have been made to address the needs of the homeless, obstructionist liberals and moderate Democrats have continued to drop the ball, favoring the needs of the wealthy over the needs of the oppressed.

In a city that prides itself on a progressive approach toward the welfare of its constituents, it is mind-boggling that the homeless population continues to be criminalized, abused and ignored.

Call your representatives and encourage them to vote for Konkel’s legislation. In the meantime, organizations like Progressive Dane are mobilizing around this issue and demanding an end to the unnecessary misery of those living on the street. It is important for us as a student body to fight for just treatment of the homeless.

Because if we don’t, who will?

Samir Jaber ([email protected]) is a member of Student Progressive Dane.