Taking care of our own

Re: Spare Some Change To Pay A Fine?, editorial, March 10.

When s t and- up comedian George Carlin said, “I feel sorry for homeless gay people, they have no closet to come out of,” we laughed at his clever conflation of a literal closet with a figure of speech, resulting in an absurd dilemma for homeless gay people. Your editorial’s description of the relentless ticketing of the homeless in large metropolitan centres across Canada and the crushing debt they were left with — for acts committed strictly because they are homeless — raises the absurdity to a whole new level. It’s akin to prosecuting Robinson Crusoe for trespassing after washing up on a desert isle following a shipwreck. Back in the day when vagrancy was illegal, there were no homeless people sleeping on the frigid streets of Toronto. It’s an absolute disgrace for a rich country to condemn its mentally ill, drug and alcohol addicts to wander our streets. The government should set up shelters where these people could be housed, fed, kept warm and receive medical treatment. If we can treat refugees humanely, why can’t we take care of our own unfortunate citizens?