[ExI] what would you do?

[BillK]

On Sat, 7 Oct 2023 at 17:27, spike jones via extropy-chat
<extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
> A coupla months ago, I posted in this forum an ethical dilemma.  A nice park down in San Jose has a number of walking trails and other nice features.  It is a jewel in the crown of that community.  Our scouts would often meet there in the summer if they needed a lot of space for outdoor activities and such.  Up at the north side, there is a nice community center, over on the west side an elementary school, on the east side is a middle school.
>
> But all along the south side, the trail goes along Penitencia Creek where homeless people have been taking up residenceless, with more showing up in the last few years, way more in the past year.  They kept to themselves and the city of San Jose did nothing.
>
> Last summer one of the scouts in my troop decided to do a community service project consisting of upgrading and restoring a weathered old display case and a map of the park trails, including the perimeter trail, which goes along that south side parallel to the creek.  The scout did not design the park map, but was only refurbishing the existing one and adding features in accordance with the specifications of the benefactor.  The new map did not make note of the homeless who had taken up residenceless down there.  I feared that visitors who saw that map up by the community center would not realize there was a good reason to not go down along that creek.
>
> I didn’t voice my concern at the time, the project was completed, the scout achieved eagle rank and is now at college.
>
> This morning I learned that a homeless guy snuck up behind a pedestrian on that trail and stabbed him.  It wasn’t even a robbery, just a random attack.  The victim is expected to survive, but they didn’t catch the perp and have no useful description of him or her.
>
> I posted in this forum a few months ago that I recognized this risk, but I did nothing, and now the danger I foresaw has happened.
>
> OK what do we do now?  By refurbishing that map, our own scouts have unknowingly externalized risk onto innocent people.  I have half a mind to request from the park authorities that the refurbished map be taken down forthwith, or that the portion of the trail along the creek be painted red or some kind of warning signs be erected, or what would you do?  Ideas please?  Billw, whadda we do now coach?  MB?  Adrian?  Wisdom please, somebody.  I feel the need to do something, for this could well have resulted in a fatality rather than a mere few hundred thousand bucks in medical bills and a few weeks stay in the hospital.
>
> spike
> _______________________________________________



Homeless camps in public parks is a known problem.
Various authorities and social services should already be involved.
>From 2019 - See:
<https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2019/january/addressing-homelessness-in-public-parks/>
National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA)
Addressing Homelessness in Public Parks
--------------------
And many more links.

Additional security measures may be needed in your park.
Park security patrols, surveillance cameras, perhaps some fencing, etc.
Maybe organise community group litter pickup days, including the scouts.


BillK