A bumper sticker that targets Ocean Beach bums and aggressive panhandlers, has pitted a head shop against a local blogger in Ocean Beach (San Diego County). The sticker is similar to one from Mammoth Mountain that warns people not to feed bears, but OB's depicts the silhouette of a hobo carrying a bindle on a stick while walking a dog and reads "Welcome to Ocean Beach/Please don't feed our bums.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that an employee from The Black smoke shop, Ken Anderson and a friend came up with the idea a few months ago. The Black began selling bumper stickers and t-shirts with the message in June.
Frank Gormlie, who runs the "OB Rag" blog, says the stickers send the wrong message about Ocean Beach, which he describes as a "place of laid-back tolerance. The stickers carry a message of hate," Gormlie told the newspaper.
The 62-year-old wants a boycott of The Black, and is offering a free T-shirt to the person who removes the most stickers from public signs around town.
Dozens of opponents of the campaign, protested in front of the smoke shop on Newport Avenue, several times over the past few months, encouraging the public not to patronize the business. Opponents of the sticker say that it paints all homeless people with a broad brush, and spreads a message of hate and intolerance in a community known for being open-minded and inclusive.
Several counter-protestors, who support the bumper sticker, say that the campaign is directed at young, able-bodied transients who aggressively panhandle, urinate on the streets and sidewalks, and threaten residents who do not give them money.
Employees at the Black say they have sold out of the $2.50 sticker, but are ordering more and will continue to sell them.
Doesn't this just beat all? It is bad enough that millions of hard working Americans are being forced into homelessness by the worst unemployment problem in the history of our country but now when we have no place to go, the Non-homeless community wants us to starve as well. This "not in my community" mentality by those who have a place to live is heartless, void of compassion and beneath the America I know and love.
Is it really any wonder with the country's leaders in Washington calling the unemployed 'Bums and Hobos' and calling us spoiled simply because we want a fighting chance to survive, why communities are following that example? What is happening to America when it's children feel that beating up the homeless is some sort of spectator sport to be video taped and uploaded to the internet?
A new sticker has surfaced in Ocean Beach, but this time it has a gentler message about the homeless population.
The San Diego Regional Task Force on the Homeless created a new sticker with the image of a man in board shorts and flip-flops shaking the hand of someone with a sign that says “Will work for food.” Above and below the two men shaking hands, the sticker states “Welcome to O.B. Together We End Homelessness” Surrounding the image of the two men are the words generosity, caring, empathy, tolerance -- words some said better describe the feelings of those who live in Ocean Beach.
"Well, it's a wonderful sticker," said one resident.
To the "haves" Nation: it could very easily be you next on the streets. Try asking yourselves how you would want others to treat you if/when that happens.
The recession is 190 weeks old and the maximum unemployment benefits you can receive (in less than half the states) is 99 weeks. We have a net deficit of 10.5 million jobs over the past 3.5 years and it will take another 5 years at least to get these jobs back, if ever.
With no benefits and no jobs out there to take, in order to support our families, what are we supposed to do? It is a sad, true fact "Desperate people do desperate things." If you have not the heart to help your fellow man during these extraordinary hard times and you create even more desperation in those befallen by hard times, then God help you - as you may well get what you deserve and eventually be victimized by your own lack of humanity.
Perhaps if have a blog you should try to reduce your level of ignorance before you write "the maximum unemployment benefits you can receive (in less than half the states) is 99 weeks" as if that wasn't enough. Perhaps you should have a little lesson in common sense and economics? http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704862404575351301788376276.html If you don't care about the homeless and want to encourage more of it to show up on your doorstep while patting yourself on the back about how wonderful you elitists are are then SURE - claim we need to encourage more unemployment and ignore realities about the homeless panhandling.
ReplyDeleteIf you actually cared about others, weren't a hypocrite about human behavior, didn't want to stifle free speech and diversity of opinions like lefties tend to do with holier than thou boycotts, and could laugh at the reality and humor of the sticker you would be fine with the shop selling them.
fuck these bums they can go be bums in a shitty part of town, not my beautiful beach they do not deserve this shit they are just a bunch of lazy alcoholics
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