This week we had the opportunity to watch the film “Taylor’s Campaign”. The film made me realize that it is one thing to see and analyze statistics about homeless people and an entirely different thing to watch how their civil rights and dignity are slowly stripped away from them by the people in society. This documentary not only tells the story of homeless people in Santa Monica but a story shared by many all over the world.
It was very interesting to see the way in which people from different social classes treated the homeless. Officers in law enforcement found power behind their title and used it to their advantage in order to become more intimidating. Council members of city hall who had the potential to change the lives of homeless people made it clear that they were none of their concern. I was especially shocked of the way in which the residents of the city of Santa Monica perceived homeless people. A young man in the film used language that is used in cases of genocide, words that should not be used to refer to homeless people. The young man in the film stated, “They’re a waste… Simply taking up space. Homeless people should be put to sleep”. I was absolutely astonished by this statement. The fact that some people can be so ignorant to the hardships of others. The film definitely educated me and helped me be more understanding of homeless people because homelessness does not just happen from one day to another, there is a series of events that lead up to homelessness.