A Catholic church in San Francisco ain’t puttin’ up with any of those unsightly homeless people hanging around.
The cathedral, at Geary and Gough, is the home church of the Archbishop. There are four tall side doors, with sheltered alcoves, that attract homeless people at night.
“They actually have signs in there that say, ‘No Trespassing,’” said a homeless man named Robert. But there are no signs warning the homeless about what happens in these doorways, at various times, all through the night. Water pours from a hole in the ceiling, about 30 feet above, drenching the alcove and anyone in it.
The shower ran for about 75 seconds, every 30 to 60 minutes …
I attended a high school in downtown Detroit and, more than once, stepped over a homeless person sleeping in the doorway; I don’t really blame the archdiocese for not wanting them around: the smell, the appearance, the disquieting unpredictability. But I’m not in the business of telling my customers to love-love-love and comfort the afflicted, either — and making certain they don’t encounter them makes the teaching just a feel-good urging rather than …
Oh. Never mind.