Violence Against the Homeless

It was August 1999 in the Lealman area of Pinellas County, Florida, near St. Petersburg, and Don Regnier was at a bus stop on the 4700 block of 28th St. North, near what is now Lealman Intermediate School. He apparently waved his arms at a passing car complaining about a loud stereo. The car stopped and two men got out. They punched and kicked him to death. Don Regnier, age 51, was homeless. People who knew him in the area liked him and said he never bothered anyone and was always friendly.
Tony Rosa, 19, recieved a life term for the death of Mr. Regnier. At sentencing, Judge Federico stated "It's sad that Mr. Regnier paid the price for the criminal justice systems failure". Rosa had a history of criminal violations and was serving house arrest at the time of the killing, instead of a 60 month prison term.

It's not unusual for homeless people to be beaten, sometimes severely. Often they are also robbed of the little they have, even their shoes. Such assaults rarely get any mention in the media unless there is a fatality. A 2006 study commissioned by the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions indicated that nearly 1 in 5 homeless people had been attacked during the past year.

I have experienced being homeless, and learned the hard way about being careful on the street. When I had to camp, I did so in places that are out of view so I couldn't be easily found at night. While some fear the dark, it's protection for those trying to avoid being the victim of assault and robbery. Even so I have been attacked, and needed medical care, more than a couple times. Many others I know have been beaten, sometimes severely. One friend of mine was attacked at night, while he was in his sleeping bag, by a couple guys with pipes. He was able to get up and run for help and ended up with over a hundred stitches on his face, but if he hadn't been able to get away he would probably have been killed. Attacks like these usually have nothing to do with robbery. More often it's by people that just think it's entertainment to beat up homeless people.

The National Coalition for the Homeless has been collecting information on violence against the homeless. In their listing of data from 1999 to 2002 Florida ranks eighth in the nation as most dangerous for the homeless while California ranks first. The worst city in the US is Denver, Colorado, with 9 deaths during that period. Overall, 131 homeless people were murdered during this period. These are based on what is reported to police. Much more of the violence goes unreported. It seldom gets in the news in this area about homeless being beaten, even with police responding, since it's so common.
The results of a study released by the National Coalition for the Homeless (2-20-2007) rated the state of Florida as the most violent toward the homeless, with almost three times as many assaults as the second most violent state, Arizona.
Update 2/2008:
According to the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty most of the 142 unprovoked attacks on homeless people in 2007 were in Florida. Nationwide attacks in 2007 were 65% higher than in 2005.

One time an officer came to my camp once and told me that I shouldn't be camping there, though he pointed out that it's was not private property and I was doing nothing illegal. He told me it was dangerous and I should get into a shelter. I agreed but pointed out that it's nearly impossible to get into a shelter except with special needs, and even then it's difficult. Pinellas County FL doesn't have shelter beds for even 10% of the current homeless. The city of St. Petersburg was considering an ordinance making it illegal for homeless people to camp together in public areas downtown, which they do for safety. It was said that they will be offered a ride to a shelter (or go to jail), though it's well known that there are not enough beds available for more than a few of these people, and then for maybe just a few days. The number of homeless sleeping on the streets in St. Petersburg has risen dramaticly over the last few years, as in many other cities across the US.

Much of the violence has been by gangs of teenagers, out to stalk and beat homeless people with pipes, bricks, or baseball bats. Some try to legitimize it by calling it "bum hunting", as if it were a sport. To some young people, lacking any sense of moral values, it's just something to do for entertainment. Some are taught to do so by their parents. Beating homeless people happens every day, and is increasing. Statistics indicate that 33% of hate crimes are commited by those under age 18. Beating and killing homeless isn't currently considered a hate crime, but then what is it?

In May 2005, Michael Eugene Roberts, a 53 year old homeless man, was killed in Holly Hill, near Daytona FL. It was a brutal and totally deliberate murder. There was no apparent motive of robbery or revenge. Two 18 year olds and three under 18 have been arrested on murder charges. A couple of the teens stated that they attacked the man "for fun" and "to have something to do".
Update 4/24/06: Four teens were sentenced to between 22 and 35 years in Florida state prison in the death of Michael Roberts. All pleaded guilty to 2nd degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Would they have gotten off this easily if the person they killed wasn't homeless? If the victim was well known and respected they would all probably be serving life, if not receiving the death penalty.
If they survive prison (and many don't) they may be homeless on the street for the rest of their lives, just like their victim. Warren Messner, who was 15 then, is now 18 and serving a 22 year prison term for his part in the attack. He doesn't think it's so much fun today.

In January 17, 2007, two homeless men, Jeffery Schultz, 43, and David Heath, 53, were shot and killed in a quiet neighborhood of St. Petersburg, FL, late at night. It appeared that robbery was involved, though neither of the men had anything of value to steal.
Update 2/8/07: Dorion Deshawn Dillard, 20, and Cordaro Antwan Hardin, 18, were arrested on charges of first degree murder in the deaths of the two homeless men. Two others have been identified in connection with the murders but have not yet been arrested.

The incidents described here are only a few that received media attention, and the figures in surveys only include those that were reported. The real numbers are far higher, perhaps several times these figures. No reporters ever visited me in the hospital. Articles on assaults on the homeless don't sell newspapers unless the incident is particularly gruesome, and selling advertising space is what newspapers are all about. Meanwhile assaults and killing of the homeless go on every day across our great nation, and keep increasing.

www.homelessamerican.com HOMEPAGE

email me at: clyde@homelessamerican.com

In the state of Florida there is a death penalty for first degree murder. Even so some people think it's okay to slaughter homeless people. I don't doubt that many of the attackers are mentally retarded or mentally ill and are the kind that used to be locked away permanently in institutions. Eventually they are removed from contact with civilization and many die in prison at the hands of their own kind. But how many innocent people have to die first?

Often homeless people are victims of other homeless who will steal anything, and destroy what they can't steal. These are usually those who either never had real parents, or grew up in households with no moral guidance whatsoever. There are many parents that teach their children to be criminals, and as a result they know nothing else. Some young people today are taught that it's a disgrace to be educated. Many spend most of their lives in-and-out of county jails or state prison, and many die there with absolutely no comprehension of what it's like to live a normal life. Since they never learned anything about earning a living they just waste away doing petty crimes. Some are mentally retarded, often a result of alcoholic or drug-using mothers. Some prey upon other homeless as they don't have the mental capacity to do anything else. There are families where this continues from generation to generation.

www.homelessamerican.com

At Esplanade Park in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in September of 2006, a homeless man, William Teeters was punched, kicked, and slashed by a group of teenagers. His friend, Norris Gaynor, had been beaten to death in the same park in January of that same year.
In March 2008 two of the teens that attacked Teeters, Michael Livingston, 16, and Patrick Keels, 17, were sentenced in court for attempted murder in the unprovoked attack. They could have recieved maximum sentences of 90 years and 40 years respectively, however when Teeters addressed the court he asked for mercy toward them saying "I want them to have the second chance I wish I had got," and "I went to an adult prison when I was underaged and it only made me harder."
As a result the two were sentenced to two years in prison plus four years probation.
Another teen, Bobby Callins, 18, had also been sentenced to two years in the attack, and Romel Jean-Louis, 17, is to be sentenced, probably for juvenile detention. The teens who killed Gaynor are to go on trial in the summer of 2008.
(Information from the Miami Herald, 3/15/2008, miamiherald.com)

Another kind of assault goes on quietly every month. This is where homeless people who get disability or social security payments are robbed of whatever they have, typically by drug addicts. When government payments go out at the beginning of the month, suddenly people appear out of nowhere and go after the homeless people who get payments but are either physically or mentally not capable of defending themselves. "Hey buddy, could you help me out with some money?" While the homeless person may get $600 or more, much of it is gone in a day, and the act rarely even gets reported. It happens thousands of times every month all across the country.

If you have any doubts about what is described in this article, or anything in this website, just check news sites like topix.net for yourself.
The facts are there to read, for anyone who cares to know.