From the Front Page Sections, translated…
“Wanhua, isn’t that the place filled with homeless people and prostitutes?”, Chang, an engineer who lives in southern Menjia complained, that when he’d told his friends where he lived, the friends all fell to this stereotype, he believed, that in order for the residents in Wanhua to lose this negative label, the problem with the homeless persons is a primary concern.
not my photograph…
He’d told, the homeless population are densest in Menjia Park, causing Wanhua to have this bad reputation for a long time. The homeless don’t shower, they’d slept on the ground anywhere, there would be this stench in the air too; some, after their meals, would throw the boxes, the bottles everywhere, and they’d not gone to the bathrooms at the public parks, instead, they’d do it right where they are sitting or sleeping, and, there were, multiple incidences of disturbances that’d become troubling to the local residents.
Last year, a female homeless person, Lin was displeased at how her hoarded belongings were swept away, she’d taken an aluminum broom, and attacked the guards who were stationed there, and was taken to the police station for it. The Wanhua Substation estimated, that the most cases of disturbances of the peace in Menjia Park is related to gambling, and there were also, cases of murders, and injuries that’s happened there too; last May, the policy of “Menjia Park Specialty Task Forces” was started, the officers stationed at the park, as well as the officers from the corresponding subprecincts were, taking up shifts, watching over the park.
“The problem is in the walkways of the park.”, the man in charge of the borough, Fang sighed, as he’d talked about the homeless populations, he’d criticized, that the design of the walkways in the park became a place of rest for the homeless, causing the residents of Menjia to be affected with the bad luck as well, and there were, many, unspoken grievances too.
Fang had once, bumped into an eighty-year-old elderly, asking him for directions, the man had two bags, asked him, “Where, is Menjia Park?”, after he’d prodded further, he’d learned, that the elderly’s son gave him $500N.Y., wanted him to ride the bus from Keelung to Menjia to live on his own, and this case of the “unfitting son” proved the stereotype of how “You won’t starve to death”, if you lived in Menjia Park.
and this, is what the place looks like…
“And, there were even homeless people who rode the patrol cars from Hsinbei City here too!”, the man in charge of the Chingshan Borough in Menjia showed a photograph, pointed out how the Haishan Substation patrol car drove in, in the broad daylight, with a homeless person, to Menjia Park, that his behaviors were questionable.
The Haishan Substation stated, that it’s all a misunderstanding, that last August, as the patrolmen were patrolling, the man asked for assistance, said that he’d come from Wanhua to Banciao to visit a friend, but couldn’t get a hold of his friend, that because his legs were aching, and he didn’t have money for a cab, he’d begged the officers to give him a lift home, but, the officer’s good deeds got the conflicting views.
The super of a building in Si-Yuan Road said, that the first thing he’d needed to do when he came to work was to chase off the homeless people who were, sleeping in the walkways, “Otherwise, how would we conduct business?”, but, the majority of the residence of the building believed that the homeless are having it hard, that so long as they’re not making any troubles, they will be tolerated. Mrs. Lee, who owned a couture shop on San-Shui Street said, so long as the homeless population doesn’t hurt others. Mr. Chen, who also owned a couture shop complained of how the kindhearted individuals, passing out food, had affected the business, and pointed out, “Many of those who came to get the free meals aren’t even homeless”.
Lee questioned, that there must be something wrong, because the homeless population refused to head over and live inside the shelters, that the Social Services Department should introspect, on the problems with management of the homeless populations? How thy should get reintroduced back to the families, as to the society, and start working should be the key focus here.
So, you do see, how the homeless population IS creating trouble for people in this particular area, don’t you? And, this place apparently had, gained ITS rep, of a gathering place for the homeless, and this, can become a serious problem, but hey, the homeless have just as many rights as you or I, to be here, don’t they???
Life, the Obstacle Course 