Let's end the atmosphere of hatred toward Sarasota's homeless citizens
The Caritas Pantry is located off Main Street and Adelia Avenue in Sarasota, and it provides food to those in need.
The pantry has been in operation for approximately 50 years. I have served as the pantry's co-director since May 2020. We serve a community that includes those who are homeless and other members of our population who are often marginalized and vulnerable.
Our clients are decent people, and they all need to be treated as such. There are a limited number who have an addiction to alcohol or drugs, and there are a few who struggle with mental illness and sometimes behave badly – but the same can be said of downtown Sarasota's population in general.
Working with our brothers and sisters in need for almost four years, I am on a first-name basis with many of these neighbors. And I have a sense that the growing atmosphere of hatred that now exists in downtown Sarasota – along with rising fears of being arrested and increasing harassment from nearby condo residents – is driving some of our homeless citizens to leave our city. I have been advised by many that they are leaving because there is simply too much hate in Sarasota.
The condo residents who do not want the homeless to be near them – and who have hate in their hearts – need to be reminded that the homeless were in the community before their buildings existed. There is also hate directed toward the homeless by some of the business owners in downtown Sarasota. If you believe that “love thy neighbor” is a Christian obligation, let the business owners know that you will take your business elsewhere unless they treat their homeless neighbors with dignity.
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We are in one of the nation’s darkest periods in history, with a former president who enables hate to be acceptable and a governor who is leading our state down the path of hatred. It is only a matter of time before Florida will earn the moniker as the "most hateful state in America."
Our governor believes that Florida is where “woke comes to die." But his war on "woke" is an attack on Christianity: If his intent is to destroy woke, then he is really trying to destroy the Christian faith. Our faith requires us to reject hatred in all forms, whether it is directed toward the poor, immigrants, members of the LGBTQ community or individuals of various races and faiths. We as Christians must love God, and also love our neighbors.
As our political leaders in Florida continue to fight a needless woke war – while ignoring the need for greater rent control, accessible housing and affordable home insurance – I am already seeing more families living out of cars and more single women who have lost housing due to ever-increasing rents.
And I am already seeing more individuals on our streets who are newly homeless. If you don't believe me, just go look in the parking lots of numerous local businesses during the middle of the night. I am sure you will be appalled by the number of families you will see sleeping in vehicles.
Those who profess to be Christian – and those who embrace other faiths that endorse the concept of loving thy neighbor – need to actively practice their beliefs. They can do so by treating Sarasota's homeless citizens with the dignity they deserve rather than the disdain they too often receive on a daily basis in our city.
William "Mike” Mitchell is the co-director of the Caritas Pantry in Sarasota.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota's homeless citizens, deserve to be treated with dignity
