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In one case, a sprinkler rotor came out on the losing side in an argument with a homeless resident who was outraged when his belongings got wet. (The man then stabbed to death another homeless man who objected to the vandalism.) Following the incident, city leaders closed the park.

Mayor Oscar Goodman says he wants to clean up and revitalize the city?EUR??,,????'??s downtown neighborhood, north of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip.

Goodman “has the idea that every homeless person is public enemy No. 1,” said Greg Malm, a 58-year-old homeless man. “He wants this city to be lily white, for the tourists.”

“The sense that to be human is to help each other out, it?EUR??,,????'??s under siege,” said Julia Occhiogrosso, an advocate for the poor with Catholic Worker.

Witnesses told police a scuffle started after a man broke sprinkler heads in the park because his belongings got drenched. Another homeless man told him the damage would make the homeless look bad, witnesses said. A fight broke out and the man who objected to the vandalism was stabbed to death. Four days later, officials declared the park a safety hazard and closed it.

In July, Las Vegas made it illegal to feed the poor in parks ?EUR??,,????'??+ a reaction to homeless advocate Gail Sacco?EUR??,,????'??s practice of bringing homemade spaghetti, vegetable soup, sandwiches and water to Huntridge Circle Park.

The American Civil Liberties Union challenged the ordinance, and a federal judge ruled it unconstitutional. City officials promised to rewrite the law.

“Nobody wants it their backyard,” Sacco said. “Obviously, there are people there who are dangerous, but they don?EUR??,,????'??t have to be homeless to be dangerous. And being homeless does not make you a criminal.”

“To give a sandwich in the park doesn?EUR??,,????'??t do anything,” Goodman said. He called advocates like Sacco “enablers crying like bleating sheep.”

“I?EUR??,,????'??m trying to get these people to a shelter, that?EUR??,,????'??s where the services take place, not in a park,” he said. “I won?EUR??,,????'??t coddle them.”

As for the park, the mayor plans to keep it closed until someone comes up with a way to curb the problems. He is not alone in his frustration.

Source: Associated Press