Peg Boettger

Alice’s Restaurant,” a song by Arlo Guthrie, came to mind when Crystal Cavanaugh, in yet another public response at a Town Council meeting, suggested that homelessness should be managed with arrests for littering with up to six months in a jail cell. After all, that would be good for those homeless people, according to her.

As I recall, the song referenced 27 eight-by-ten color glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one. I patiently awaited during the meeting for photos that would be held up as evidence, but none were produced.

Really, though, jail?

For a long time, I’ve been assuming that instead of complaining about anything that she and others would begin to see that an admonition of Council could also be solution-based. Afterall, how long can you complain about something like homelessness unless you have a solution? But wow, was I wrong. If anything, results in an arrest and jail time, that’s not really a solution. And I don’t think that is why we have a sherrif’s department.

As reality began to set in, I concluded that she and others of like mind must believe that if you don’t have a job or a place to live – or worse, can’t find either – then a jail cell is the best answer. And that’s good? I’m for some other option. I think our Council is smarter than that.