Matt Borenzweig
To both readers who responded to my original article, you fail to see the point I am making regarding the homeless and day laborer situation in Malibu and did not thoroughly read what I was trying to convey. To be clear, I, too, feel the government has failed to care for the mentally ill and homeless in need. As I stated in my letter, I also fully realize that many day laborers are trying to feed their families and work hard at jobs most Americans will not do. However, it is clear by your response that you live safely behind gates where you do not come into immediate contact with these people often. Not all of us are so lucky. I ask you, if you were the person whose house was invaded, how would you feel? If the colony all of a sudden were lined with homeless and day workers every day, how would you respond?
I also do not agree with the example that you used regarding the person of high visibility in the community entering a house in error. This does not in any way compare to having a dangerous, convicted criminal violate the premises of an unsuspecting Malibu resident. It is also very insensitive to suggest that we all should be “diligent” about the security in our homes. Some of us do not live behind security gates and cannot afford to do so. The fact is that we should all have empathy for others. However, it is also not fair to have a situation where women and children cannot safely walk down the street. That is the situation in the area of Malibu where I live at this point. Many people in the area where I live agree with this point of view.
There is a balance between empathy and protecting one’s own community. I just ask that we all consider striking that balance so this continues to be a good place to live. I cannot change what Ronald Reagan did for mental health care. I do not believe that the solution to this problem is to hand out McDonald’s gift certificates. The real solution is to get to the root cause which is a much larger issue and a separate one from the basic safety and security issues of our community.