Teh One Who Knocks
02-19-2015, 11:44 AM
By Michael Allen - Opposing Views
http://i.imgur.com/1PIfq5D.jpg
Selfridges, a high-end department store chain in the UK, installed metal spikes outside their store in Manchester, England.
Critics say the goal of the spikes is to discourage homeless people from sleeping near the store.
A Selfridges spokesperson told The Independent that the spikes were installed in claimed in December 2014 "as part of a number of measures to reduce litter and smoking outside the store's team entrance, following customer complaints."
"We will never tackle rough sleeping with aggressive measures like studs in the pavement," countered Jon Sparke, who is head of an advocacy group for homeless people. "Instead we need politicians to review the help that single homeless people get under the law, and we urge the public to sign our No One Turned Away petition calling for a change so that no-one is forced to sleep rough.”
Cathy Urquhart has started an online petition to convince the company to remove the spikes.
Her Change.org petition states, "These spikes are an affront to humanity. They tell the homeless that they are not welcome, that they are a problem to be moved on. We should be looking after the homeless, not demonising and scapegoating them. Manchester is better than this!"
http://i.imgur.com/1PIfq5D.jpg
Selfridges, a high-end department store chain in the UK, installed metal spikes outside their store in Manchester, England.
Critics say the goal of the spikes is to discourage homeless people from sleeping near the store.
A Selfridges spokesperson told The Independent that the spikes were installed in claimed in December 2014 "as part of a number of measures to reduce litter and smoking outside the store's team entrance, following customer complaints."
"We will never tackle rough sleeping with aggressive measures like studs in the pavement," countered Jon Sparke, who is head of an advocacy group for homeless people. "Instead we need politicians to review the help that single homeless people get under the law, and we urge the public to sign our No One Turned Away petition calling for a change so that no-one is forced to sleep rough.”
Cathy Urquhart has started an online petition to convince the company to remove the spikes.
Her Change.org petition states, "These spikes are an affront to humanity. They tell the homeless that they are not welcome, that they are a problem to be moved on. We should be looking after the homeless, not demonising and scapegoating them. Manchester is better than this!"