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A Time to React
Homeless Voice Staff Writers and Interns area of the USA As we have all heard this month of the cannibal attack in Miami where Rudy Eugenemakes laws that a man who was not homeless- attack and eat the flesh off of Mr. Ronald Poppo’s face target the homewho was homeless, we can only ask ourselves what in the hell made this man commit a less? South hate crime like this and was it the drugs that did it? Most of you know that the HomeFlorida is known less Voice is the leading local agency that studies attacks on the homeless nationwide for this, the local as well as trying to teach the young about the homeless to prevent future attacks. For cities make laws the last 12 years the Homeless Voice was going after pain clinics and was also the first that do not allow agency to go to the Attorney Generals office and also was the first to form a task force a person to feed trying to get control over the over prescribing of powerful narcotics by pain clinics that a homeless perwere causing overdoses in so many kids. Then several months ago Sean Cononie our son. They make it founder started to lobby local cities to make new city code that prevented the sale of against the law for “Fake Pot” which also causes bizarre and violent behavior. In fact, Cononie made sure a a homeless person few months back that the Homeless Voice devoted a whole paper on “Fake Pot” so parto sleep in pubents could understand what it is and what it looks like in case they found this so called lic but you and I household nice smelling product. It can have the same side effects as “Bath Salts” in can fall asleep on which Police believe “The Causeway Cannibal,” Rudy Eugene ingested prior to trying a bus bench and to eat Mr. Poppo’s face off. never get arrested for it. Kids hear these laws and it programs them to once again start Attacks on the homeless are nothing new to South Florida, from the most famous to dehumanize the homeless person. case where three attacks on the homeless were committed in a four hour period leaving Then we have “The Teaching of our Young.” This is when a soup kitchen tries to serve Mr. Norris Gaynor dead on a park bench in Fort Lauderdale. One of the beatings was food to the homeless or a shelter tries to open up a shelter and then it is now in front captured on video and that video became the poster child if you will for all homeless of city commission for approval or denial for them to operate. They will have public attacks. It was so bad it went worldwide in a matter of mincomments at the city meeting where good parents who are utes. Cononie was interviewed by all major press outlets as scared say comments like “we don’t want the homeless shelwell as being featured on the Dr. Phil show where Cononie ter here because they will molest my kids.” “We don’t want What else can a child have in and Gaynor’s sister as well as Dr. Phil went after the creators the shelter here because they are bad for business and propof the “Bum Fights” videos. Experts believe that these videos erty values.” Or comments heard on the streets, “don’t feed the back of their minds but these inspire teens to attacks and sometimes kill the homeless all them that will be like feeding birds and more will come to same comments because they are be fed,” “If they want to eat let them go to a dumpster.” The for fun. To the teens it becomes a sport. When mixed with drugs and alcohol these attacks can easily happen when the now learning from the leaders of worst one ever said was, “let’s poison the dumpsters so when kids have it in the back of their minds that the homeless are they eat from the dumpster they will get sick or even die.” our community and their very own What happens next is even sadder; they bring their kids who no good and they dehumanize the homeless where it becomes ok in their heads to just beat them to death. Some experts also hear their own parents say these comments. Then our elected parents? believe that if the drugs and other substances were not being officials who want to make the voters vote for them will say used the degree of the attacks may not always cause severe the same comments. Then the commissioners and mayors injuries and sometimes death. will then deny the provider the right to serve the homeless. The next reason for these attacks to occur is twofold. According to research collected What else can a child have in the back of their minds but these same comments because by the National Coalition for the Homeless, it seems that when cities pass laws that they are now learning from the leaders of our community and their very own parents? target the homeless, attacks in those same geographic locations seem to increase. What Little Bobby now at 8 years of age has it in the back of his head that the homeless are (Continued on pg 4)
HOMELESS VOICE LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM The Homeless Voice launches Food Stamps and More to Go only in the city of Hollywood with the help of the local police, adult protective services, fire rescue, EMS and child protective services. Any of the above agencies can refer seniors who are home bound, poor without a car, persons with disabilities home bound and for families without a car/transportation with an open case with Children And Families Services of neglect or neglect prevention. All agencies can contact 954-92-HELP1, fax to 954-926-2022 or email emergency@ homelessvoice.org. The person from that agency will send the contact info via one of the above ways and the Homeless Voice will respond to that person. If the person has no food in their house and is home bound the Homeless Voice will respond with food in less than six hours with food for a period of three days. This must be called in to 954-92-HELP-1 and ask for the Homeless Emergency Management Team. With normal referrals a Vista representative will be sent to the scene with a laptop and will apply for all benefit assistance on their behalf within 3 days of receiving the call. They will be able to apply for Medicaid, Food Stamps, Cash Assistance, and Waiver of Medicare Premium and assistance from The Homeless Voice and National Coalition for the Homeless. The Vista Volunteer will also be able to assist the person in getting Meals on Wheels or set up medical appointments for chronic conditions. According to Sean Cononie founder of the Homeless Voice, “since there have been major cutbacks in state agencies and with the lack of beds for the homeless, agencies must now think outside of the box and prevent new cases of homelessness.” This is a joint project with the National Coalition for the Homeless, Americorps Vista Volunteers and The Homeless Voice. The long term goal would be to get a church in each zip code and have volunteers from that church do outreach in their zip code.
Kids Sickened after Eating Tide Pods Nina Mandell
They may be more convenient for laundry-doers, but experts warn that single-dose laundry packs are sweet, toxic temptation for kids. Concentrated laundry packs like Tide Pods, the brightly colored, onetime use clothing cleaner is being blamed for sickening children all over the U.S. The ‘pods’, which can resemble candy, have been responsible for hundreds of calls to Poison Control Centers, the organization said this week. “The children who are getting into these little pods are developing many more symptoms than we would have expected,” Bruce Ruck, director of drug information and professional education at New Jersey Poison Center, told “Good Morning America.” “The rapid onset of significant symptoms is pretty scary,” said Dr. Michael Beuhler, medical director of the Carolinas Poison Center in a press release. “Other laundry detergents cause only mild stomach upset or even no symptoms at all. Although we aren’t certain what in the product is making the children sick, we urge all parents and caregivers to make sure laundry detergent packs are not accessible to young kids.” Parents have also complained that their children have suffered breathing problems after eating the detergent packets. The Poison Control center reported that in one case, a 15-month-old who bit into a packet and breathed the contents began vomiting and had to be put on a ventilator. A spokesperson from Tide detergent maker Dropps is defending their product but plans to introduce a more child-proof design this summer. “We encourage consumers to keep the products out of the reach of children as with any household chemical,” Dropps said in a statement. The single dose laundry detergent was introduced in the U.S. in February
Our Purpose: To Help the Homeless Learn How to Help Themselves