Homelessness in Philadelphia

            Visualize yourself enjoying a peaceful evening in the park with your family and suddenly you see an enormous amount of homeless people harassing you for money. Homelessness is Philadelphia has gotten from bad to worse. There was an incident that occurred recently in Spruce Street Harbor Park - a summer park with events, activities, hammocks, and food. Many homeless people were forced to leave the park because they were using the park as their "home"." The homeless people should be banned from Harbor Street Park because many of them have mental illnesses which can be dangerous and unsafe for the rest of the people who visit this park. Homeless people can also seem like a threat to many tourists who visit this park. Although there are many reasons why they should be banned from this park, mental illness is a major one. .
             Mental illness is one of the biggest issues that homeless people face. Due to their illness homeless people can be seen as a threat to themselves and others around them. Some homeless people may have severe mental illness and with their substandard behavior it can be very difficult and troubling for them to be around others. They've gotten used to being alone for so long that when they are in the company of others and are so closed in they don't know how to react, so they react they way they might think is right. Because of their mental health condition, lashing out at others may be the way they think they're supposed to behave. According to Brian Jenkins, Executive Director of Chosen 300, "There's people who are not able to go indoors because if they go into closed spaces with a lot of people they can cause fights, harm to themselves, and also harm to others. "(Chosen300). Just because someone has a mental health condition it doesn't mean you have the right to hurt others no matter what the circumstances are. Along with mental illness, safety is another reason why homeless people should be banned from Spruce Street Harbor Park.