Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I heard a report recently that claimed there are only around 300 rough
sleepers left in the UK. I don't believe that for a moment, but there
certainly do seem to be a lot less than there used to be, and then centered
really on the big cities. This has to be largely down to the effect of
things like "Big Issue".
Does that mean that homelessness has gone away here? Does it buggery. Just
that it's not as visible - there's probably at least as much misery in the
post-modern version. Hope that doesn't sound too smug...
Nick
----- Original Message ----
From: Douglas Sharp <douglas.sharp@gmx.de>
To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
Sent: Saturday, 20 January, 2007 2:13:11 PM
Subject: [Leica] photographing the homeless "smug Europeans"
>From a Brit who has been living in what is/was probably the smuggest
European country (Germany) for over 30 years
Larry,
homeless and particularly the homeless or unemployed with an alcohol or
drug problem are a common sight in most German cities. And if you don't
actually see them, there are enough reports of them being beaten up by
neo-nazis and young German-Russian immigrants - two cases alone last
week in Hannover.
Much is done here in the way of giving them a bed at night - if they
accept it, and quite a few don't on the grounds that what little they
have is often stolen by their bed-neighbours. Similarly there are
organisations offering free meals, a bath and medical/dental facilities
too (Salvation Army, Samaritans etc.) In the same way much is being done
on the drug addiction front - controlled methadone dosage, clean
needles, hygienic "fix-rooms" and Hannover planned the free and
controlled provision of heroin - cheaper and with less detrimental
side-effects than methadone, Federal Government has now scrapped this
plan in the course of cost reductions.
Similar to the magazine "Big Issue" (UK), there is a magazine project
here called "Asphalt" which attempts to get them back into an "ordered"
life. They sell the magazine and get a proportion of the proceeds, the
magazine publishers organize various measures for reintegration of their
sellers.
Although homelessness is a big problem here, the situation will get even
worse over the next few years, rising unemployment (at present over 4
million unemployed) cut-backs in unemployment and social security
payments mean that more and more people will be ending up on the
streets. The main reasons given by the homeless themselves are - in
order of significance - poverty after becoming unemployed - divorce
(alimony payments, supporting children) - deaths in the family - release
from imprisonment and most of these also in conjunction with
accompaniment of alcohol or drug abuse.
The police here do tend to keep the "Penners" out of the main shopping
areas and public transport by quietly requesting them to move along:
In earlier years there were a couple of cases of police transporting
them to the city limits (e.g. in Frankfurt) until two men froze to death
in mid-winter, that soon stopped it.
Begging as such is not forbidden here, "Have you got a Euro?" is common
in all railway stations and city centres, but aggressive begging is
considered to be on a par with assault, and arrests are common.
The general public and shopkeepers tend to more or less ignore them as
long as the aren't making trouble, in a country where becoming
unemployed no longer has its social stigma it is certainly a case of
"There, but for the grace of God - Go I", people are too worried about
their own situation to look down on them from the heights they used to.
It has become noticeable over the last 15 or 20 years how many stores,
restaurants, public transport operators etc. now employ security
personnel to stop the homeless entering their premises to get warm.
>From a civilized country
Douglas
larry.k@rcn.com wrote:
>
>
> So, what do the smug Europeans say on this subject? Do they have any
> answers
> to the plight of the homeless?
>
>
>
>
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