WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.279 We had Mike Carbassi on the show last night to 2 00:00:02.279 --> 00:00:05.080 talk about the City of Fresno homeless Ordinance, which was 3 00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:09.560 supported unanimously left, right and center by the city Council 4 00:00:10.199 --> 00:00:15.160 from you know, Miguel Arius on the left to Gary 5 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:18.000 Brettefeld on the right, and everyone in between seven and 6 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:20.839 nothing on the city council in favor of the no 7 00:00:21.079 --> 00:00:30.640 Camping ordinance, basically making it misdemeanor to camp on public property, 8 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:34.600 whether that's sidewalk, street, public parks, et cetera. 9 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:43.719 Now, I think this is likely a good idea. 10 00:00:43.960 --> 00:00:47.200 I think the way that it's being framed and the 11 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:49.359 way that it's going to be enforced, or the way 12 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:51.840 that the city is saying that they want to enforce 13 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:55.960 it makes sense. The idea is that the goal here 14 00:00:56.039 --> 00:00:59.320 is not necessarily to punish people. It's to offer people 15 00:00:59.399 --> 00:01:03.320 interventional services. And if you get interventional services, then you 16 00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:05.120 don't go to jail and you don't. 17 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:05.599 Pay a fine. 18 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:08.959 There are some people for whom, though, that stick might 19 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:14.239 be necessary. I guess one of the things though, that 20 00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:18.200 I didn't quite understand, Now, why did it take until 21 00:01:18.239 --> 00:01:20.239 now for the city to pass this. Well, the city 22 00:01:20.280 --> 00:01:23.760 did pass something like this in twenty seventeen. The problem 23 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:27.439 was that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is 24 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:30.239 the federal circuit court that hears all of the appeals 25 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:40.359 for all federal lawsuits that happen in California, Washington State, Oregon, Hawaii, Alaska, Nevada, Arizona, and. 26 00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:43.879 Idaho, and I think Montana, but Idaho. 27 00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:47.680 The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling a 28 00:01:47.719 --> 00:01:51.439 couple of years ago about a similar ordinance passed by 29 00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:54.159 the city of Boise, Idaho, and the Ninth Circuit Court 30 00:01:54.200 --> 00:01:59.079 of Appeals said that this violates that such ordinances banning 31 00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:06.959 camping and penalizing homeless camping violate the US Constitution, that 32 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:11.280 they violate the Eighth Amendment and its prohibition against cruel 33 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:15.159 and unusual punishment. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal said 34 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:18.800 it was cruel and unusual punishment to penalize someone for 35 00:02:18.919 --> 00:02:23.400 homeless camping when the city does not have enough homeless 36 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:31.039 enough beds to shelter the homeless. Now, the Supreme Court 37 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:36.319 just this year overturned that Ninth Circuit decision. It was 38 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:39.759 just a couple of months ago, and actually just a 39 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:40.439 month ago. 40 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:41.599 And. 41 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:45.639 On the heels of that Supreme Court decision saying, no, 42 00:02:46.280 --> 00:02:51.039 these kinds of laws are not unconstitutional. They aren't cruel 43 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:55.199 and unusual punishment that violates the Constitution. You might think 44 00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:59.759 that they are wise or unwise, good policy or bad policy, 45 00:02:59.759 --> 00:03:04.599 but they don't violate the Constitution. So, as a result, 46 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:08.599 all of a sudden, Gavin Newsom's issuing issuing executive orders 47 00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:12.439 saying that we should impose those kinds of encampment rules. 48 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:16.960 And you've got the City of Fresno passing this encampment ordinance. 49 00:03:17.240 --> 00:03:19.479 The County of Fresno looks like it's going to try 50 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:26.400 to introduce a similar ordinance. And I my instinct, I 51 00:03:26.439 --> 00:03:29.879 haven't studied the issue really in depth as a constitutional question, 52 00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:34.080 but my instinct is likely that, yeah, I'm guessing that 53 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:39.039 these kinds of ordinances don't violate the Eighth Amendment. I 54 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:41.000 don't think this is the kind of thing for which 55 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:45.520 the Eighth Amendment was devised. I think the Eighth Amendment 56 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:47.599 was devised so that no one would be hung, drawn 57 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:51.639 and quartered, you know, the traditional British I think it 58 00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:53.400 was probably a punishment in other countries too, but the 59 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:57.120 British punishment where you were halfway hung to death, and 60 00:03:57.159 --> 00:03:59.400 then they took you down, and then they ripped out 61 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:01.639 your intestine, and then they chopped you into four bits. 62 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:05.159 And it's a horrible torturous form of death. So I 63 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:08.680 think elaborate torture is the kind of thing that the 64 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:18.319 Eighth Amendment forbids, and so I was very supportive of 65 00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:21.040 this homeless I was supportive for the most part of 66 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:26.279 this homeless ordinance on the grounds of, well, the city 67 00:04:26.360 --> 00:04:29.959 is saying we have these resources available and people aren't 68 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:35.319 availing themselves of it, so we're tired of Basically, you had, 69 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:39.480 you know, very moderate It wasn't fire breathing conservatives saying this. 70 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:42.560 It was people like Tyler Maxwell, you know, saying stuff like, 71 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:44.480 you know, we're running out of patients with the homeless 72 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:47.519 community that we have all these we're offering these resources. 73 00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:52.399 They're not availing themselves of it. They're disrupting businesses, you know, 74 00:04:52.439 --> 00:04:55.959 we are we need to have this as a tool 75 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:59.120 in order to ensure that homeless people take advantage of 76 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:06.680 these resources. Okay, now, I will admit ninety you know, 77 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:11.519 I'm going to acknowledge a decent opinion or a compelling 78 00:05:11.560 --> 00:05:13.439 case when I see it, no matter the source, and 79 00:05:13.519 --> 00:05:16.160 Marrick Worzowski, who, in spite of the fact that he's 80 00:05:17.279 --> 00:05:21.399 a very liberal guy, much more liberal than Night, has 81 00:05:21.480 --> 00:05:28.439 an interesting column about this question in the be Today. 82 00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:31.560 Camping and Fresno will soon be illegal. Where are homeless 83 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:34.680 people supposed to go? And it gets to this question 84 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:38.680 that was at the core of the Ninth Circuit Court 85 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:42.319 of Appeals case as well as the Supreme Court case. 86 00:05:42.639 --> 00:05:46.120 It gets to this question of well, can a city 87 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:49.680 really is it legitimate for a city to penalize homelessness 88 00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:55.319 when you don't have enough beds to house the homeless? Now, 89 00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:59.120 I don't know that we need a perfect one to 90 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:01.600 one ratio of the Are this many homeless people in 91 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:04.360 Fresno and there have to be this many beds before 92 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:09.519 you can outlaw camping. I think realistically, enforcement of a 93 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:12.160 measure like this is not like all two thousand, I 94 00:06:12.199 --> 00:06:14.639 don't know the exact number of In fact, I don't 95 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:17.279 think anyone knows the exact number of homeless people in Fresno. 96 00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:21.000 There are various estimates from around three thousand to some 97 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:27.160 pro homeless activists say that it's approaching ten thousand. But 98 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:28.800 let's say there're three thousand people. 99 00:06:28.839 --> 00:06:29.519 I don't know that. 100 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:33.800 You necessarily if you have three thousand homeless people, I 101 00:06:33.800 --> 00:06:36.240 don't know that you need three thousand beds. It's not 102 00:06:36.279 --> 00:06:38.199 like all three thousand people are going to be arrested 103 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:40.959 at the same time and put in a shelter on 104 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:45.000 the same day. But you need to have some capacity 105 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:52.800 for people. And I commend Warzowski for actually giving his 106 00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:57.800 readers and me about to read this the actual numbers 107 00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:01.040 of what space is actually available. So he writes, the 108 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:03.319 homeless crisis in Fresno must be out of hand. Hundreds 109 00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:05.120 of millions in state and federal dollars over the last 110 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:07.920 five years didn't solve the problem, not even close. So 111 00:07:07.959 --> 00:07:10.560 the next step, shortly after our elected leaders received the 112 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:14.120 Supreme Court and Governor Gavin Newsom's blessing, is cracking down 113 00:07:14.120 --> 00:07:19.000 on people who sleep or camp outside on public property. 114 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:23.519 First an inadequate carrot, followed by the unnecessary stick. Right now, 115 00:07:23.560 --> 00:07:26.480 I'm not agreeing with all of his rhetoric here, all 116 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:30.519 of the kind of argumentative way in which he's fashioning this, 117 00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:36.600 but let's stick with it. D My question today, Warzowski's 118 00:07:36.680 --> 00:07:39.879 question remains the same as it did in twenty seventeen, 119 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:42.759 when the Fresno City Council approved a Brandow sponsored no 120 00:07:42.839 --> 00:07:47.439 camping ordinance that was subsequently shelved by the courts. Where 121 00:07:47.480 --> 00:07:50.600 are the people living in tents on sidewalks, vacant lots 122 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:54.480 at canal banks, strip malls, and all those in between spaces? 123 00:07:55.079 --> 00:07:59.079 Where are they supposed to go? One place they won't 124 00:07:59.079 --> 00:08:01.959 be headed is a home shelter because there isn't room. 125 00:08:04.759 --> 00:08:07.680 The City of Fresno funds eight hundred and forty one 126 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:12.480 beds for individuals experiencing homelessness, including domestic violence victims, youth, singles, 127 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:16.040 and families. That number has skyrocketed since the pandemic and 128 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:20.879 the conversion of numerous parkway drive motels. Still, the supply 129 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:24.839 has barely kept pace with demand. Phil SKay, an assistant 130 00:08:24.839 --> 00:08:28.839 planning director who oversees the city's homelessness and affordable housing efforts, 131 00:08:29.279 --> 00:08:31.720 said those eight hundred and forty one beds are currently 132 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:35.320 full and have been consistently full for the past several years. 133 00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:41.519 Throughout the day, beds are freed up at various shelters, 134 00:08:41.559 --> 00:08:45.720 resulting from people successfully finding permanent housing, being reunited with family, 135 00:08:45.799 --> 00:08:49.399 or entering programs. SKay said in other instances, Beds become 136 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:51.720 available when people choose to leave the shelter and return 137 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:53.679 to the streets, or when people are exited as a 138 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:57.639 result of shelter staff enforcing shelter rules. How many beds 139 00:08:57.679 --> 00:09:00.840 become available on a day to day basis on average 140 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:03.240 skaseet so we have about eight. 141 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:04.320 Hundred and forty one beds. 142 00:09:04.919 --> 00:09:09.879 They're almost entirely full. About five beds a day become 143 00:09:10.039 --> 00:09:11.360 available and get. 144 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:12.960 Filled pretty quickly. 145 00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:16.519 We've got a population of about three thousand, and again, 146 00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:19.320 the estimates vary, but let's let's take a conservative estimate. 147 00:09:19.320 --> 00:09:25.919 We've got about three thousand homeless people at emergency shelters 148 00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:28.960 operated by Fresno County. It's a similar story, except there 149 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:31.440 are fewer beds available. The current total is one hundred 150 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:34.159 and twenty six according to figures provided by county officials, 151 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:35.840 and those are at capacity as well. 152 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:42.039 So keep that in mind. 153 00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:44.279 War was ASKI wrights the next time a public official 154 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:48.000 tosses out a misleading statistic showing six point two percent 155 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:50.399 of more than four thousand individuals contacted this year by 156 00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:58.000 the city's Homelessness Assistant Response Team, quote accept services. It 157 00:09:58.279 --> 00:10:01.399 services is not the same thing a place to sleep 158 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:04.120 out of the elements in harm's way. More often than not, 159 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:11.320 services means speaking with a Paverrello House outreach team. So 160 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:18.159 basically this is kinda I'm not saying I'm completely changing 161 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:22.120 my mind here because I think some kind of intervention 162 00:10:22.440 --> 00:10:27.879 is warranted and I don't think the solution of leave 163 00:10:27.960 --> 00:10:33.039 these people on the sidewalks is good. But honestly, this 164 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:36.960 is kind of expanding my horizons a little bit and 165 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:41.799 making me think about this a little more intently. So look, 166 00:10:42.360 --> 00:10:45.759 as a constitutional question, I agree, probably an ordinance like 167 00:10:45.799 --> 00:10:48.919 this is not cruel and unusual punishment. I'm guessing that 168 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:52.639 that's not really what the framers of the Constitution had 169 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:56.600 in mind when the eighth of Amendment was adopted. Nonetheless, 170 00:10:58.279 --> 00:11:01.320 I think the question of that there is still, though 171 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:05.399 the question of political wisdom and political prudence and justice 172 00:11:05.440 --> 00:11:08.440 towards these people who are human beings, and I don't 173 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:12.639 want to lose sight of that. I think there is 174 00:11:12.679 --> 00:11:18.759 a tendency among conservatives because homelessness is a kind of 175 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:23.159 liberal coded problem, i e. It's a problem that we 176 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:26.559 have known for decades. Is most commonly associated with San 177 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:32.000 Francisco and Seattle and very liberal controlled cities like that, 178 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:40.240 there's almost a sense that homeless people that we should 179 00:11:40.279 --> 00:11:45.679 There's a kind of antagonism among conservatives towards the homeless 180 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:49.559 in a way that I'm not always comfortable with, even 181 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:53.440 just as a as a Christian and as someone who 182 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:57.679 has frankly had my business massively disrupted by homeless people. 183 00:11:57.919 --> 00:11:58.440 Constantly. 184 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:03.000 Where my building is for Right to Life Essentral, California, 185 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:08.279 we constantly have homeless people loitering there, leaving garbage there, 186 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:11.320 leaving syringes there. We had a homeless guy break in 187 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:14.240 light a fire in the bathroom caused like twenty six 188 00:12:14.279 --> 00:12:16.519 thousand dollars worth of damage. Thank god we had insurance. 189 00:12:17.480 --> 00:12:24.159 So I'm not I'm not saying that all the homeless 190 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:30.639 are saints by any stretch. I'm not unaware of the 191 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:37.080 real problems that homeless persons cause for businesses, but they 192 00:12:37.080 --> 00:12:45.320 are human beings, and it's kind of this thing. I'll 193 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:47.480 talk about this in the next segment. I think sometimes 194 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:50.879 modern day Christians have this idea of the poor of 195 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:52.919 our time being like at fault for being. 196 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:54.559 I'll discuss that later. 197 00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:59.159 I think though we have to and maybe the way 198 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:03.080 the city Council is approaching this is sort of saying, 199 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:07.480 look like we have the means, the capacity. There's more 200 00:13:07.559 --> 00:13:10.080 hotels that are going to be available, maybe there's more 201 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:13.440 housing available. We have all the Proposition one funding coming in. 202 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:15.399 I know the Catholic bishops are trying to say, look, 203 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:18.200 if you're going to have if we're going to create 204 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:21.519 more mental health beds things like that via Proposition one, 205 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:27.279 which was just past I think in the twenty I 206 00:13:27.320 --> 00:13:32.080 think just last year, no, just in the last primary election, 207 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:35.840 if we're going to have all these homeless beds, then 208 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:38.240 if we're going to have all these beds for mental 209 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:41.919 health treatment, then this is something that should be utilized 210 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:48.320 for the sake of the homeless. I guess we do 211 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:55.840 really need to grapple with this question of is yes, 212 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.399 it's probably not a violation of the Eighth Amendment to 213 00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:02.039 the Constitution, But is what we're doing actually fair? 214 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:03.600 Is what we're doing actually. 215 00:14:03.399 --> 00:14:08.080 Just I guess I'm not sure what one hundred percent 216 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:11.120 what the right answer to that is. When we return, though, 217 00:14:11.159 --> 00:14:15.120 I want to address two things. One how this problem 218 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:20.399 got gets manufactured in the first place by the left, 219 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:25.360 and two sort of the maybe a little bit of 220 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:29.639 Christianity inside baseball, A little bit of sort of what 221 00:14:29.720 --> 00:14:32.799 a Christian approach to this should be. That's next on 222 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:38.600 the John Girardi Show. A couple of thoughts about the 223 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:42.639 homeless ordinance of the City of Fresno, passed with Merrick 224 00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:45.360 Worzowski's column in The Bee A little bit opening my 225 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:51.960 eyes to really how little homeless shelter space we have 226 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:56.799 relative to the number of homeless. You know, we have 227 00:14:56.840 --> 00:14:58.879 about eight hundred and forty one beds, all of which 228 00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:02.559 are kind of already capacity. You've got about three thousand 229 00:15:02.600 --> 00:15:07.159 homeless people. So if we're going to or charge people 230 00:15:07.200 --> 00:15:10.720 with misdemeanors for homeless encampments, how is that going to work? 231 00:15:10.759 --> 00:15:11.840 Exactly? Now? 232 00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:14.000 A couple of things to think about it. One is, 233 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:20.919 do some of these some of these people are committing crimes, vandalism, crimes, 234 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:24.639 drug crimes, et cetera, to such an extent that maybe 235 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:27.519 this is just some This is an appropriate way of 236 00:15:27.600 --> 00:15:30.480 punishing or addressing them. But you are not charging them 237 00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:33.279 with drugs or with this or with that. You're charging 238 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:37.840 them with camping. And is that fair? I don't think 239 00:15:37.840 --> 00:15:40.600 it's unconstitutional. I don't think it violates the Eighth Amendment 240 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:43.279 prohibition on Cruel and Unusual punishment. But is this wise? 241 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:48.879 Is this fair? Is this an appropriate response? I think 242 00:15:48.679 --> 00:15:54.000 the core problem here is we have no good solutions. 243 00:15:55.320 --> 00:15:58.519 We have no good solutions because these problems of homelessness 244 00:16:00.840 --> 00:16:07.720 are We're forced into this situation because of stupid policies 245 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:13.639 by the left, the left obsessed. Why is it that 246 00:16:13.639 --> 00:16:16.720 it's always liberal leaning jurisdictions that have these huge problems 247 00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:19.519 with homelessness, and they just don't have these problems as 248 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:25.120 much in conservative jurisdictions. Well, in conservative jurisdictions, they just 249 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:32.639 let people build massively. They let people build lots and 250 00:16:32.679 --> 00:16:35.799 lots and lots of housing. They don't make it difficult. 251 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:41.759 It's ironic that the places with the most nimbiism, not 252 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:50.120 in my backyardism, are the places where are in the 253 00:16:50.159 --> 00:16:54.039 most liberal jurisdictions, the places where it's hardest to build 254 00:16:54.679 --> 00:16:59.480 new housing, whether it's low income housing, apartment housing, housing 255 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:01.080 specifically for the homeless. 256 00:17:00.759 --> 00:17:04.079 All that stuff. It's always in liberal states. 257 00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:10.000 And it's liberal states like California that have processes like SEQUA, 258 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:14.880 the California Environmental Quality Act that basically allows anybody to 259 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:18.799 step in and file a lawsuit to stop some building 260 00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:23.359 project on the spurious basis of an environmental harm that 261 00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:26.440 it might cause. So everything costs way more. I mean, 262 00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:30.519 we've seen these stories about different California jurisdictions where it 263 00:17:30.599 --> 00:17:34.960 costs one million dollars per unit for a quote low 264 00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:41.359 income housing unit, like the absurd cost to build things. 265 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:43.240 Of course, we're going to have all these homeless people. 266 00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:44.880 Of Course we're not going to be able to build 267 00:17:45.559 --> 00:17:51.440 enough low income housing, assisted living housing like or not 268 00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:54.920 assisted living housing, but you know Section eight kind of housing. 269 00:17:55.480 --> 00:17:56.839 Of course, we're not going to be able to build 270 00:17:56.920 --> 00:18:02.319 enough of this stuff. We're forced into this because of 271 00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:08.880 liberal California policies. And then our solutions are either do 272 00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:15.599 we use the mechanism of criminal law enforcement to get 273 00:18:15.640 --> 00:18:18.920 people off the streets, which, by the way, I'm not 274 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:26.000 convinced that putting someone in jail is more punitive or 275 00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:34.000 worse than leaving them on the street. Frankly, that the 276 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:36.519 jail is air conditioned during the summer and heated in 277 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:40.000 the winter. Now, Warzewski's pointing out that the jail probably 278 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:41.920 doesn't have enough room to take all these people either. 279 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:44.559 The president of County Jail System doesn't necessarily have the 280 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:50.000 space to keep all these people either. But I guess 281 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:54.559 I'm just flum mixed. What else are we supposed to do? 282 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:58.000 If it's we are locked in Fresno. 283 00:18:58.400 --> 00:18:59.079 This is the problem. 284 00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:03.200 We're trying to have a citywide solution for something that's 285 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:08.519 really a statewide problem, and this band aid approach of 286 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:12.960 arresting homeless people it shouldn't be what we have to do, 287 00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:17.000 but unfortunately, I think it's there's kind of no other option. 288 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:25.279 I understand Warzowski's critique here. I'm sympathetic to it, but 289 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:27.759 I don't know that there's a better solution out there, 290 00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:31.680 and it does lead me to this. I want to again, 291 00:19:31.720 --> 00:19:34.160 this is not a critique for every conservative. It's a 292 00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:44.119 critique of some conservatives. Yes, homelessness is kind of this 293 00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:48.000 liberal coded problem. We have homelessness in California because of 294 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:52.839 liberal policies statewide. It's liberal cities that this stuff originated in. 295 00:19:55.359 --> 00:20:01.799 Now it's spreading all over California. We still, though, have 296 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:05.599 to have this approach, especially for any of us on 297 00:20:05.599 --> 00:20:09.480 the right who are Christians of radical care and concern 298 00:20:09.519 --> 00:20:12.319 for every single human life, every single human being, every 299 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:17.119 single human person. I think the work of entities like 300 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:23.720 the Fresno Mission and others like it exemplifies this Christian 301 00:20:23.759 --> 00:20:28.720 attitude that we absolutely positively have to take that. You know, 302 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:33.559 even I'll go to this extent. The guy who broke 303 00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:36.200 into Right to life of Central California last November. Some 304 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:38.200 guy broke in to right to life of Central California 305 00:20:38.279 --> 00:20:41.960 last November. He stole a bunch of copper piping under 306 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:49.559 the sink of our bathroom. He flooded our building. He 307 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:51.880 caused about twenty six thousand dollars worth of damage with 308 00:20:51.960 --> 00:20:56.440 thankfully our insurance covered. They covered vandalism. He lit a 309 00:20:56.440 --> 00:20:59.680 small fire under the bathroom sink. Thankfully, thank god it 310 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:02.880 was into the fire. So this guy's trying to steal 311 00:21:02.920 --> 00:21:05.799 copper probably means he's a drug addict. 312 00:21:09.400 --> 00:21:11.559 Even that person. 313 00:21:14.119 --> 00:21:17.279 Deserves a measure of human dignity and care and concern 314 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:19.000 for where he winds up. 315 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:22.200 I don't wish ill to that person. 316 00:21:23.319 --> 00:21:27.799 Maybe he needs to go to jail, probably because of 317 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:32.440 the drug issues, plus you know, the vandalism stuff. Maybe 318 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:35.519 he does genuinely need He probably genuinely needs to go 319 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:42.240 to jail. But I don't just because homeless people do 320 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:45.160 bad things. In many respects, it doesn't mean they go 321 00:21:45.240 --> 00:21:48.440 outside the parameters of Christian charity. I do think sometimes 322 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:53.200 Christians have this sense that when Christ's talking about love 323 00:21:53.240 --> 00:21:55.640 for the poor, concern for the poor, when he's talking 324 00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:59.960 about that in the Bible, I think sometimes Christians have 325 00:22:00.119 --> 00:22:04.079 this sense of like, well, those people weren't poor because 326 00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:08.480 of their laziness or because of their lack of virtue. 327 00:22:08.519 --> 00:22:10.559 They were poor back then just because everyone was poor 328 00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:15.160 back then. Eh No, everyone lacks virtue to some extent, 329 00:22:15.319 --> 00:22:19.319 everyone sins to some extent. And Christ wasn't just talking 330 00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:24.480 about poor people who were virtuous that we need to 331 00:22:24.599 --> 00:22:26.960 have care and love and concern for them. In fact, 332 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:31.559 he specifically talked about poor people who weren't virtuous and 333 00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:34.720 the need to have love and care and concern for them, 334 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:41.960 such as the prodigal Sun. So the fact that someone 335 00:22:42.200 --> 00:22:47.440 is not virtuous, that they are using drugs, that they 336 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:52.440 are this, they are that that does not mean we 337 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:57.039 get to exclude them from the Christian attitude of radical 338 00:22:57.079 --> 00:23:03.000 love and care and concern for every single human life. 339 00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:04.480 And so I think it does mean. 340 00:23:04.599 --> 00:23:09.759 Yes, my inclination is that this homelessness ordinance passed by 341 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:14.480 the city is the best of all bad solutions. But 342 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:19.240 we still really need to examine our consciences and at 343 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:22.240 a macro level and a micro level and grapple with well, 344 00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:25.880 what is the best and fairest outcome for how to 345 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:29.720 approach the problem of these people who are sleeping outside. 346 00:23:29.960 --> 00:23:32.039 What is the best way of approaching it? And maybe 347 00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:35.680 you know I would I'm inclined to trust the judgment 348 00:23:35.839 --> 00:23:41.119 of all seven council members plus the mayor. I'm inclined 349 00:23:41.119 --> 00:23:44.319 to trust their judgment. But there is this problem that 350 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:48.440 you know, we're going to offer them services. There just 351 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:51.720 aren't many beds. There really just aren't many beds available, 352 00:23:51.960 --> 00:23:54.599 and I'm not sure what's the best solution for this. 353 00:23:55.720 --> 00:24:01.359 When we return the Catholics for Kamala campaign that's next 354 00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:07.440 on the John Girardi Show, there's a bunch of different 355 00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:11.799 Zoom meetups that are happening where it's basically people get 356 00:24:11.839 --> 00:24:14.400 on a live stream and talk about how wonderful Kamala 357 00:24:14.440 --> 00:24:17.319 Harris is and then get people to donate money to 358 00:24:17.359 --> 00:24:20.880 her campaign. There have been a bunch of nauseating examples 359 00:24:20.920 --> 00:24:24.680 of this which all of a sudden became racially segregated 360 00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:28.720 because first there were like, a Black women for Kamala Harris. 361 00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:31.720 But then they're they're they're emerged a white women for 362 00:24:31.799 --> 00:24:36.559 Kamala Harris zoom call, you know, live stream fundraiser thing, 363 00:24:36.599 --> 00:24:40.759 and then a white dudes for Kamala Harris zoom call 364 00:24:40.839 --> 00:24:45.799 fundraiser thing, and and these became about, these exercises in 365 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:51.039 liberal coded ways of speaking about you know, privilege, and oh. 366 00:24:50.920 --> 00:24:53.200 You white people need to use our privilege. 367 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:55.440 To listen to black voices, and you know, blah blah 368 00:24:55.440 --> 00:24:58.759 blah blah blah, give them money. I guess it's not 369 00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:03.480 the first time that Democrats engaged in all white gatherings 370 00:25:03.559 --> 00:25:06.920 talking about black people. Democrats were really big on that 371 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:15.640 in the South the KKK anyway. So the most revolting 372 00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:18.960 of these that seems to be coming up on Tuesday, 373 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:27.359 August sixth is a Catholics for Kamala Harris call Catholics 374 00:25:27.359 --> 00:25:27.960 for Harris. 375 00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:30.400 Now. 376 00:25:31.960 --> 00:25:35.039 Agent Squires are intrepid producer of the John Girardi Show, 377 00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:37.000 loves it when I talk about inside Catholic. 378 00:25:36.759 --> 00:25:37.960 Baseball, So buckle up. 379 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:43.880 This is about the dumbest thing I've ever seen, but 380 00:25:44.039 --> 00:25:49.480 it it is reflective of this steady, steady trend of 381 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:54.720 the Democrat Party and its relationship with Catholics. It's precisely 382 00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:58.680 how absurd this is that I just want to highlight 383 00:25:58.920 --> 00:26:03.880 and certain kinds of old, older liberal arguments about ways 384 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:05.759 to appeal to Catholics that are just completely out the 385 00:26:05.799 --> 00:26:08.240 door at this point and renders this so absurd. So 386 00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:12.359 let me take you back to when I was in college. 387 00:26:12.599 --> 00:26:16.440 All right, So I started at Notre Dame in the 388 00:26:16.440 --> 00:26:20.759 fall of two thousand and six. So I was in 389 00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:26.599 college during the two thousand and eight presidential campaign, the 390 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:32.920 high water mark for millennial liberals, two thousand and eight Obama. 391 00:26:33.720 --> 00:26:40.119 For millennial liberals, it's like Camelot. It's like basically the 392 00:26:40.160 --> 00:26:46.039 way that boomer liberal politicians like Bill Clinton and John Kerrey, 393 00:26:46.920 --> 00:26:50.160 the way that they reminisce about the John F. 394 00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:51.279 Kennedy days, and. 395 00:26:51.240 --> 00:26:55.559 A lot of young liberals kind of found their political 396 00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:57.440 identity in Kennedy. 397 00:26:57.519 --> 00:27:01.440 Kennedy was like the hero. Oh, he was the icon. 398 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:07.720 He was this inspiration for this whole generation of younger liberal, 399 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:11.400 younger liberals who would go on to the very prominent 400 00:27:11.480 --> 00:27:14.680 roles in American public life, as you know, future members 401 00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:18.640