Proverbs 21:13Â Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.
Psalm 106:3Â Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!
At the last minute, I decided to show up to this meeting. It was a packed house and held in the room where the men normally sleep.
I chose two biblical verses to start out this post, one about helping the less fortunate and one about fairness, because they both apply.
Did I go into the meeting with an open mind? That’s hard to say, but I left with some clarity.
The meeting started with the director, Chad Campbell explaining all the good things the house has done since it has opened in January. And those accomplishments took him almost 40 minutes to lay out, and they are great.
As the public began to ask questions, the lights went out (power outage) but the meeting continued. Several people commented on the great things they are doing, and several neighbors commented on improvements that could be made.
I commented that there is NO DOUBT the facility is needed, and doing good things. But I questioned the process in which the location was selected. Mr. Campbell did a fantastic job of explaining all the other services in the area as for picking the location, as did City Councilor Kenny Anderson. But I was disappointed that Mr. Campbell commented that those decisions were made before he came aboard. While that is true, I suggest that Chad studies those discussions and educates himself in what happened in the past. They will be very useful to him in the future. History teaches us to not repeat mistakes . . . most of the time.
I also commented that many who were in the room tonight, including staff, would probably be uncomfortable having this shelter in their neighborhood, I even suggested having it next to the Bishop’s home. I mentioned that I watched the Safe Home discussions very closely, and felt that it’s location choice was well thought out, and that has proven to be so.
Remember, my main reason to comment tonight was not about the mission of the house, but the process that was performed to pick the location.
It’s no different then the Hotel sized home being built in McKennan Park, or the Walmart in the SON neighborhood. Neighbors and citizens must be listened to when zoning decisions are made. Period. It is beginning to sound like a broken record and a dysfunctional turn table.
I personally believe in the long run, the house will actually improve the neighborhood, but I will also warn people, it’s going to be a rough first year, including this summer.
At the end of the day, we need to use this house as an example of how feelings and relationships get burnt when we don’t listen to all sides. That is why I spoke up tonight. The downtrodden and the property owner all breath and share the same air, we are all brothers and sisters.
BTW, would like to commend all the Police Officers, including Mr. Larson for attending tonight. Would also like to thank local leaders and lawmakers Kenny Anderson, Michelle Erpenbach, Darrin Smith and Pat Kirshman for attending tonight, and anyone I might have missed. True leadership comes from courage and the willingness to listen and participate in a community discussion.