Tent Cities spring up in Southern California

[Mullenite]

Tent Cities spring up in Southern California
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What a shame. I did not realize how bad it is down there. These types of settlements will probably pop up in other places as well. What do we do?

YouTube - Tent cities spring up in LA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnnOOo6t ... re=related


YouTube - Southern California Shanty Town / Tent City
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmeHiFZUWtE&NR=1

YouTube - America's "Tent city" of failure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvyubNLb ... re=related

[MercynGrace]

We should definitely help those folks who are down and out any way we can HOWEVER I'm a wary of the popular resurgence of these videos as they are being widely used to support Obama's socialist domestic policy. It appears that most of the people are not victims of foreclosure and many are there due to personal issues completely unrelated to the economy. We should be aware that media is using this footage and plucking on our heartstrings to prop up their politician of choice.

These videos were posted on youtube almost a year ago and likely based on an article publiched by the BBC in March of 2008 which makes plain that most tent city inhabitants are there due to non-housing crisis problems (recently released ex-cons, drug users, etc...). Lisa Ling ran a special report for Oprah in February covering this same tent city (all part of the attempt to convert Americans to supporting the so-called-stimulus package). The fact is that this "tent city" attracted notice in Dec 2007 just 60 days after the DJIA hit its historic high of 14,168. The economy was not faltering when most of the tents went up.

I don't mean to rant, I'm just suspicious of the groups who are only now using this footage. There didn't care in 2007 - they are just pushing an agenda and frankly, it makes everyone and everything in the story suspect to some degree.

[a-train]

Let us not go thinking that this phenomenon is some new spectacle resulting from the economic contraction we are experiencing. We should not be alarmed. The tent cities have been in California (and in the northwest in such places as Portland) for decades.

-a-train

[bobhenstra]

These "little cities" are all over the place, and always have been. All the years I drove up the California coast line I saw people living in tents, campers, old buses, it's their choice of life, it's the way they want to live. I live the way I want to live, why shouldn't they?

Want to help, double your fast offering. That's where the real big blessings are! Helping the "real" poor!

Bob

[pritchet1]

Hey, sure that wasn't just a ward or Father and Sons outing? ;^)