This Thursday and Friday Pittsburgh's streets will be full of volunteers, protesters and law enforcement teams during the G-20 Summit but the city is hoping that the over 400 chronically homeless men and women is one group that will not be seen.
According to outreach organizations and city officials, the reason for that hope is primarily the safety of the homeless. Aside from the possibility of unintentionally becoming caught in protests or outbursts, the homeless are at a greater risk of being stopped and detained because of the bags and containers in which they regularly carry their personal belongings. In addition, the only citizens allowed to enter downtown perimeters during the Summit are those who live and work in the city and have I.D. clearances. Unfortunately, the homeless might lay nightly claim to specific areas under bridges, along river banks and behind buildings but they do not have official permission to enter the area as residents.
In order to provide extra safety, support and shelter many homeless drop-in centers, soup kitchens and churches are opening their doors and extending their hours. Over twelve shelters are remaining open twenty-four hours a day during the Summit. Shepherd's Heart Ministry in the city's Uptown area runs a special program for homeless veterans and will be available to serve any person in need from Wednesday at 8 p.m. until Saturday morning. Reverend Mike Wurschmidt, an Anglican priest and rector at Shepherd's Heart is sympathetic to the difficulties the Summit presents to the homeless and understands that being displaced and feeling bullied gives way to frustrations and fear. In a recent DUQ 90.5 FM broadcast, he told reporter Erika Beras that he is encouraging individuals to remember that it is only a two day event and that support is available.
During the same broadcast, Richard Venezia, Administrator of the Allegheny County Bureau of Hunger and Housing Services said that there is "a mechanism in place" to aide the homeless in the event that they are inadvertently arrested and to facilitate their release. The Medical Director of Operation Safety Net, a Pittsburgh street medicine program told DUQ News that the primary focus of social service agencies in the city is the overall safety of the homeless population. He also believes that the G-20 Summit will be an excellent opportunity for Pittsburgh to, "show people how humane we are to each other".
That sentiment is not necessarily shared by those who are actually affected by the "safety precautions". A You Tube video shot by Paradise Gray and Teisha Stolich under the 9th Street bridge on Pittsburgh's North Side tells a different story. A homeless man known as Ted told the filmmakers that he and the others under the bridge were warned by a law enforcement official that they would have to vacate the area or face arrest. In addition, he stated that the bag lunches and various provisions usually given by outreach organizations were no longer being brought and that the word from some volunteers was that they had been instructed to temporarily cease the aide on days prior to and during the Summit because the promise of a meal will keep the homeless around. City officials apparently hope that by taking away the food the homeless will be more likely to seek help elsewhere and move out at the request of police. That request was made on September twenty- first and the men were told that they could not return until the Sunday following the Summit.
According to a quote given to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Richard Venezia said, "We can't force that population to do anything - it's still America- but we are giving them more options." According to Ted and countless other homeless individuals in the city, "that population" feels the force, fear and frustrations of being displaced from already deplorable living conditions and shoved under the rug during an event that is set to deal with the very issues of humanity, poverty and economic crisis that perpetuate homelessness.
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