Human waste shuts down BART escalators

Oftencold · #1 (**permalink**) 07-26-2012, 03:04 AM

Quote:

When work crews pulled open a broken BART escalator at San Francisco's Civic Center Station last month, they found so much human excrement in its works they had to call a hazardous-materials team.

While the sheer volume of human waste was surprising, its presence was not. Once the stations close, the bottom of BART station stairwells in downtown San Francisco are often a prime location for homeless people to camp for the night or find a private place to relieve themselves.

All those biological excretions can gum up the wheels and gears of BART's escalators, shutting them down for long periods of extended repairs, increasing station cleaning costs and creating an unpleasant aroma for morning commuters

.

Quote:

"Nobody wants to be walking in urine and feces, I know that, (but) if we don't see it or the person doesn't admit to it, they can just say it was someone else," Jenkins said. "Certain crimes you don't see, you can't enforce."

BART police officers sweep "each and every stairwell at each and every station" before the stations open in the morning and ask people who spent the night in the station to move somewhere else, Jenkins said.

If they spot a mess, the officers alert cleaning crews, Jenkins said. Station surveillance cameras usually are not monitored when the stations are closed, she said.

San Francisco police officers also can check the downtown station stairwells, but they generally only respond when someone complains, which isn't often, said Albie Esparza, a San Francisco police spokesman.

In the old days, just a few decades ago, vagrants were sent to mental hospitals, poor houses or jail. But that was said to violate imaginary rights. Aren't we all glad to see the 100% predictable results of Leftist "thinking," specially in one of the World's premier Leftist cities?

cnredd · #2 (**permalink**) 07-26-2012, 03:07 AM

I thought this was a story on the Occupy protesters...

Oftencold · #3 (**permalink**) 07-26-2012, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

I thought this was a story on the Occupy protesters...

It could be, in part. We'll have to wait for the DNA tests.

Coyote · #4 (**permalink**) 07-26-2012, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oftencold

.

In the old days, just a few decades ago, vagrants were sent to mental hospitals, poor houses or jail. But that was said to violate imaginary rights. Aren't we all glad to see the 100% predictable results of Leftist "thinking," specially in one of the World's premier Leftist cities?

What imaginary rights would those be?

Oftencold · #5 (**permalink**) 07-26-2012, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coyote

What imaginary rights would those be?

That one has the right to be a constant burden on others while insane, lice-ridden, trespassing, disease bearing and refusing all forms of help that might alleviate the foregoing conditions.

In earlier, supposedly less enlightened times, people thought that compassion required providing shelter, treatment, and hygiene for the sort of people so lost to rationality that they can't tell an escalator from a toilet.

Mikeyy · #6 (**permalink**) 07-26-2012, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oftencold

That one has the right to be a constant burden on others while insane, lice-ridden, trespassing, disease bearing and refusing all forms of help that might alleviate the foregoing conditions.

In earlier, supposedly less enlightened times, people thought that compassion required providing shelter, treatment, and hygiene for the sort of people so lost to rationality that they can't tell an escalator from a toilet.

Wonder how many of them are republican? I mean they are obviously independants

Funny how you turn a story like this into a hit on the left. Because I guess if there was no left there would be no homeless people

BTW I don't think because you are homeless you lose the right to be insane, lice-ridden, disease bearing and having the right to refuse all forms of help

1069 · #7 (**permalink**) 07-26-2012, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oftencold

.

In the old days, just a few decades ago, vagrants were sent to mental hospitals, poor houses or jail. But that was said to violate imaginary rights.

Yes, and many of them were involuntarily sterilized there.
This systematic eugenics program continued up until the 1970s.

saltwn · #8 (**permalink**) 07-26-2012, 09:00 PM

I can't remember the city (maybe Tucson?

) that decided to dedicate an area of land to homeless who don't want to use shelters (or maybe aren't welcome there). I think they had outhouses and running water and that was about it. The transient could lay down his bedroll and not be harassed, but he had to provide his own necessities.

Coyote · #9 (**permalink**) 07-27-2012, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oftencold

That one has the right to be a constant burden on others while insane, lice-ridden, trespassing, disease bearing and refusing all forms of help that might alleviate the foregoing conditions.

Everyone has the same constitutional rights of freedom and liberty - whether they are a "burden" or not. I am not always comfortable with the inability to help people who badly need it but don't want it...but once you start deciding who is and who is not allowed to have those rights, you open the door to abuse. Historically there is plenty of precedent - forced sterilization, forced lobotomies (even on children who were just unruly), forced institutionalization in horrible conditions - even if only because you were a woman who did not submit to her menfolk.

The problem is that rights should not be dependent on cuteness, cleanliness, or whether a particular group has a cute poster child - they exist for everyone.

Quote:

In earlier, supposedly less enlightened times, people thought that compassion required providing shelter, treatment, and hygiene for the sort of people so lost to rationality that they can't tell an escalator from a toilet.

I agree we need to change some things and one of the worst things that happened (and is still happening) is the massive de-institutionalization movement without providing the funding or support within communities to help or follow up on the people released. That has been a great tragedy.

faithful_servant · #10 (**permalink**) 07-27-2012, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coyote

Everyone has the same constitutional rights of freedom and liberty - whether they are a "burden" or not. I am not always comfortable with the inability to help people who badly need it but don't want it...but once you start deciding who is and who is not allowed to have those rights, you open the door to abuse. Historically there is plenty of precedent - forced sterilization, forced lobotomies (even on children who were just unruly), forced institutionalization in horrible conditions - even if only because you were a woman who did not submit to her menfolk.

The problem is that rights should not be dependent on cuteness, cleanliness, or whether a particular group has a cute poster child - they exist for everyone.

I agree we need to change some things and one of the worst things that happened (and is still happening) is the massive de-institutionalization movement without providing the funding or support within communities to help or follow up on the people released. That has been a great tragedy.

Just out of curiosity:
I know a couple that BOTH have a genetic condition that has caused them to both be severely mentally handicapped. They have three kids who ALL have the same handicap and they have all been removed from their parent's home because their parents are completely incapable of raising them. The parents barely even know that the kids are gone, much less miss them. Now, they are pregnant again and the child will be born with the same condition (prenatal tests have confirmed this). This couple has enough going on mentally to like sex, but don't understand that it leads to kids.
Should they be allowed to have more kids or should someone step in and stop this??

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