By Donna Westfall – February 20, 2018 –

Across the street from South Beach is a beautiful, wooded area not too far from the marshlands.  Oftentimes, you’ll see people with shopping carts, backpacks or sleeping bags pop in and out of the area. Now that area looks like this.

Here’s the problem.  Our homeless use this area as their living space and don’t bother to clean it up. That’s where Supervisor’s Gitlin and Berkowitz come in. WITHOUT USING ONE CENT OF TAXPAYER MONEY, those two met with Jeremy Herber from Recology, Frank from Fish and Wildlife and others to arrange enough bins, gloves and supplies to clean up the area come March 10th. Starting at 9 am, bring rakes if you have them along with wheelbarrows. If you don’t have any supplies, come anyways, there’s plenty to do.

Sup. Berkowitz is there because it’s in his District.  Sup. Gitlin is there because this will be his 27th clean-up in our town under “Take a Bite out of Blight campaign.”

Doesn’t it make you wonder why Sup’s Cowan, Howard and Hemmingsen are never there?  Are they too enmeshed in petty politics to help clean up our town? Is it beneath them to work together with Gitlin and Berkowitz? Why don’t you invite them?

Consider this. In a natural disaster when people become homelesss, tents or temporary shelter is provided. Red Cross comes in. People are anxious to get back into a home. Not so in the case with the homeless in our area and here’s why. Whether it’s perception or truth, drugs and alcohol have taken a toll on many of the people who find themselves homeless.  If they were interested, they could help with the clean up. If they cared about our town, they wouldn’t leave such a mess in the first place.