Police swoop on the homeless taking sleeping bags and food parcels in co-ordinated raids in Redbridg

Police swooped on the homeless, grabbing sleeping bags and food parcels donated by the public, in co-ordinated raids around the borough.

Adam Jaskowiak was one of the men targeted and said he pleaded with police to be able to keep his things but was ignored. He was sleeping with eight other people finding shelter for the night in the former Ilford Baths in High Road, Ilford. All of their belongings were bundled into a police car leaving the men, one in his 60s, stunned. A police chief told the Recorder the operation was carried out to “reduce the negative impact of rough sleepers”.

I think that this is disgusting, its not as if these people have a warm bed to go to.

But Mr Jaskowiak, 34, said: “They were just taking the sleeping bags and chucking out everything. I asked to keep it and the food, but they said ‘no’. “I just grabbed as many of my things as possible and put them into a bag and ran.” He was given the sleeping bag by the Salvation Army, Clements Road, Ilford, over the winter months after becoming homeless when his friend died. John Clifton, 26, corps officer at the Salvation Army, said: “I’m shocked and disgusted. Why would you take the only form of shelter someone has from them?

I really dont understand the logic behind this. I doubt that these people chose to become homeless, what little they have was donated to them from the salvation army and other charitable sources, only to have the police swoop on them and take their very sleeping bags and food. It's disgusting

Link

reply to post by Lady_Tuatha


You may think I'm a Nasty person when I say this but if you are going to come over to England, you should be sure to have some Qualification in something to gain work or at least have prepared somewhere to stay before coming over.....

Seriously, I'm sure this guys life was better when he was back in Poland!

I see this Albanian Woman outside the shops trying to sell 'Big Issue'... I'm sure she must have come here for a better reason.

reply to post by TruthxIsxInxThexMist


I am pretty sure that not all the homeless people in the UK are immigrants. There is plenty of English homeless people, have you no sympathy for them?

Originally posted by Lady_Tuatha
reply to post by TruthxIsxInxThexMist

 

I am pretty sure that not all the homeless people in the UK are immigrants. There is plenty of English homeless people, have you no sympathy for them?

This Thread is about a Polish guy who obviously came over here for something better than Life on the streets!

Any Englishman who is on the streets does have it bad of course.... the question is, how did they become Homeless?

There are many reasons I guess but he/she should have made sure they had a back-up plan like being on a Council Housing List! At least they would have received Temporary Housing.

Click here for more information.

Homeless people and bums (there is a difference IMO) are a real problem for society. This isn't a wide open mountain side where folks can chose to set up camp and make it home.

People spend a lot of time, money and effort to make their towns and cities a nice place to live so you can't blame citizens for not wanting them around messing it all up. They are dirty and live dirty. The beg for money and get it through soft extortion and badgering. They often are criminals and drug addicts. I don't want them around my house, kid's school or anywhere I might be going for walk quite frankly. It's we the citizens who complain to the officials which police answer to and eventually are ordered to use strong tactics to get these "undesirables" to move on.

But we all recognize that these people are humans too and deserve some compassion. I don't want anyone to be cold and hungry. But I truly believe most homeless people have zero desire to really work for a better life. I see them every day on every corner, pathetically limping and begging for money until the light turns green and the cars start moving...then they shout to their buddy on the other side of the street asking how much they got, counting their wads. This one "Homeless pregnant mother" (according to her sign) has been with child for three years now.

So, is there an answer? I don't know

About homeless :

Don't care about the reason they are homeless, just help them. We are not judges.

Originally posted by TruthxIsxInxThexMist

This Thread is about a Polish guy

Giving you the benefit of the doubt I'd take your offered perception/described ignorance as a politically motivated lie. This issue the story highlights (should you genuinely need it clarifying) is not a particular Polish man or the Albanian woman that may irk you as you pass by. Nor is it about any other Eastern European that has moved here and fallen on hard times - but then again I'm sure you're aware of that. It's hard to believe you cannot see further than you proclaim. That being so; I don't like the glasses you're wearing.

the question is, how did they become Homeless?

No, the question here is why was such a course of action taken? To take from those who have least was done to what ends? So they know the cops in a particular area will give them grief and the 'problems' are shifted elsewhere? Perhaps it was in hope of an unseasonally cold night permanently resolving the issue.

You may think I'm a Nasty person

I've no idea if you are a nasty person - although if your words are to be considered genuine it would appear you are either callously thoughtless or shockingly short-sighted. Congratulations though on joining the ranks of those today and throughout history who, in times of strife, walk on by trumpeting the myopic 'I'm all right Jack' while others around them fall to the wayside. I'm sure you're quite correct and that if something has gone wrong to such a degree then it must indeed be the fault of the individual. We should tut and waggle our fingers furiously at them or they shall never learn. After all, everything is fine with the perfect social safety-nets.

Although it would seem that a net, by definition, has holes. Indeed some are mostly holes. If someone falls through (and we like to think humanity, species or concept, worthwhile) then, ideally, they should be helped. Times can dictate though and they are tough so lets start with the very least: When those less fortunate amongst us fall into difficulties and find themselves trying to survive alone and in circumstances which the majority have had the good fortune not to have suffered - let's not nick their stuff.

reply to post by JAK


NOPE!

Afraid your assessment of me is totally wrong.

I am one of the most caring guys on the Planet, its just a shame I don't receive the same back.

You make assumptions when you have NO Idea what I'm talking about.

You Single my post out but what you failed to see was the post 2 above yours which goes way beyond what I said.

reply to post by TruthxIsxInxThexMist


This thread is about the police taking sleeping bags and food parcels from homeless people.

There is many factors behind someone finding themselves homeless.

from wiki stats 2007/2008

37% - Parents, family, or friends no longer willing or able to accommodate
20% - Loss of private dwelling, including tied accommodation
19% - Breakdown of relationship with partner
4% - Mortgage arrears
2% - Rent arrears
18% - other

You can be sure that the 'rent arrears' stat will be much much higher now with the governments recent changes in housing benefits.

heres an article from The Guardian in February -

Minister fears housing benefit plan risks rise in homelessness

It isnt exactly easy to get emergency housing at the drop of a hat.

and yes some people do come here to escape wars in their lands, maybe some of them are unqualified but does that mean we should turn them away?

reply to post by Lady_Tuatha


This Country is full, so I'd hope that the gates will be closed soon.

And have you seen what we have let into the Country? Radicals from the ME & Africa not to mention Right Wingers coming from East Europe. Yes, it seems like a great idea.

If I was the Polish guy on the streets, I'd go home or at least try to get the cash to go home.... he didnt just appear here which means he has Family back home.

I'm sorry but it hasn't been the greatest idea to let anyone and everyone into the Country.

Originally posted by TruthxIsxInxThexMist
reply to post by Lady_Tuatha

 

This Country is full, so I'd hope that the gates will be closed soon.

Your country-empire invaded so many countries for centuries, karma is a b1tch.

When you make homelessness illegal, you had better be prepared to offer everyone a home.

So when a person has lost their shelter, it's okay to rob them of their warmth as well?

Attempted murder. Plain and simple. And I'm not one to turn my pockets inside-out for any old sob story.

Since these officers have obviously lost their humanity, I suppose it would be alright to feed them to the starving.

Right?

reply to post by Trueman


That was many years ago when the thing happening in the World was War among people.....

Times have changed. We aren't Barbarians anymore. Well, most of us aren't Barbarians anymore.....

We know who the Barbarians are and at the moment they aren't stopping or prepared to stop and dont think for a minute that you are safe from harm because it could come at you tomorrow just when you thought everything is fine.

People need to grow up and accept that things happened. Those who were alive then, are long since dead!

Originally posted by TruthxIsxInxThexMist
We know who the Barbarians are and at the moment they aren't stopping or prepared to stop and dont think for a minute that you are safe from harm because it could come at you tomorrow just when you thought everything is fine.

People need to grow up and accept that things happened. Those who were alive then, are long since dead!

Who are the Barbarians at the moment?

Also, you don't seem to understand that you have a nice warm bed and others do not, based largely on the people that are long since dead.

Originally posted by TruthxIsxInxThexMist


People need to grow up and accept that things happened.

Perhaps you should take your own advice, grow up, develop some compassion and accept you absolutely have no idea why some of those mistreated people are homeless. Bad things happen to good people!!!

Deprival of property without due process of law.....police state tactics.

reply to post by Lady_Tuatha


Disgusting! They did this in Kansas City, Missouri, USA too -
discovered a system of tunnels in the "east bottoms" area just south of the Missouri river - and routed out the occupants and their belongings.

It angers me to no end. Tent cities get erected by the homeless, and they are chased out and their shelters razed. Appalling.
S/F for the thread.

reply to post by RedParrotHead


This is true. Some of them make a career of standing on the same corner with the same sign. When I was a working professional (social worker), we had an inservice where the cops came and made a presentation about how they were training their ranks to have "crisis management" skills (which is a good thing). They explained to us (the front line fighting for people's dignity and welfare) what techniques they were learning to deal with the homeless.

I had the audacity to raise my hand and ask them what they were going to do about the guy at 12th and Broadway who had been standing on the same intersection for years with a cardboard sign that said, "Going to Denver. Need help."
My boss chewed me out later.
That's only one of MANY incidents I could relate.

On the other hand, here there are so MANY unoccupied "foreclosed" homes and vacant buildings, WHY should these people not be allowed to 'squat' in them? ESPECIALLY the ones who were forced into homelessness by the rampant greed of Capitalist off-shoring of American jobs?