This week, several members of the San Bernardino Police Department who are a part the of H.O.PE. team came to class as guest speakers. They spoke about the ways in which the majority of law enforcement approach to homelessness entails criminalization, or as they put it “handcuffs and jail”. The H.O.P.E. team talked about how they take a different approach, focused on outreach and various programs rather than arrest.
I appreciated hearing about the issue of homelessness from the perspective of the guest speakers and enjoyed learning about their work. I was also emotionally torn when I heard them speak about how long it often takes to get individuals to accept help. While I admire the efforts of those involved, and was happy to hear about the success stories, I also wish there was some way to get members of the homeless population help more quickly. I also was saddened to hear about how organizations often cherry-pick from the homeless population, choosing those who are easiest to help, while abandoning those with more severe issues. While I understand that they want to help as many as possible, ignoring the most vulnerable of an already vulnerable population seems contradictory to the principles of these organizations. As a whole, I found the presentation of the guest speakers to be interesting and enlightening, and very much appreciated their willingness to take the time to speak with us.