The Pope's in Town

Josie Battle Pope in Town There was uproar on the streets of Harlem on September 24, 2014. The streets of Harlem is home to a vast population of people who live on the streets. These people don’t have jobs or any sort of money, and the the streets are the only place they can find to rest and rejuvenate. On the 24th, Pope Francis had a scheduled visit to 125th street in Harlem to visit a school there. The pope is a widely respected figure who has a large following and is looked upon with great respect. When it became clear that the pope was visiting this neighborhood, police took action to expel the homeless population that were living in the area. Dozens of people were relocated using the excuse that the pope was coming. As one of the people pointed out, just because they are homeless and looked down upon by society does not mean that they simply do not exist. All humans have basic rights and just because you are living on the streets doesn’t give you any less. It is appalling that police moved the homeless. This creates a false sense of security for the pope. Homelessness is a huge problem in the United States and relocating dozens so that it won’t be an “inconvenience” to Pope Francis is immoral and unacceptable. Moving the homeless does nothing to solve the problem. Something has to be done to help these people in our community, and hiding them away accomplishes nothing.