City councilman gives homeless man keys to city hall and is being ousted.

[proud2BlibKansan]

This is just a bizarre story. The councilman claims this homeless guy is a friend and needed a place to stay. He couldn't go to the homeless shelter because he was in danger of being killed by drug dealers who he owed money to. He didn't want to take him home because he lives with his mother who is ill. So the councilman gave him his key card and passcode so he could sneak in city hall at night and sleep there. The police chief caught him one night. The councilman was reprimanded by his fellow council members but is refusing to step down.

And in all the local discussions about this story no one has mentioned the lack of services available in this community for a man who obviously needs help.

Ouster proceedings were filed Thursday against the Prairie Village councilman who allowed his homeless friend to sleep over at City Hall in late October.

Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe filed the proceedings that allege violations of criminal trespass, theft and official misconduct against Councilman David Morrison.

“Mr. Morrison’s actions are a breach of his duties and responsibilities as a Prairie Village city councilman and should result in his forfeiture of office,” the district attorney said.

Howe said previously that he had known of no ouster proceedings in the past 20 years in the county and that the civil matter would probably be decided by a judge.

Read more here: http://joco913.com/news/district-attorney-seeks-to-oust-prairie-village-councilman-whose-friend-stayed-at-city-hall/#storylink=cpy

[SheilaT]

1. The councilman did a truly stupid thing.

Is there one and only one homeless shelter in all of that metropolitan area? Somehow, I sort of doubt it. Of course, I suppose this guy could owe money to so many drug dealers that each and every shelter has drug dealers there he has to worry about.

I know homelessness is a big and complicated problem, and the councilman was trying to do something good, but he wasn't thinking very clearly.

I volunteer to help feed the homeless in my city, and the shelter where we do this has a lot of controls over who actually gets inside. I suppose it's not impossible for a murderous drug dealer to get in some night and murder someone, but it hasn't happened that I know of.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. City Union Mission is it.

There is NO homeless shelter in Johnson County. A sad reality.

[SheilaT]

3. Oh, my, I did not know that.

Wouldn't you think one of the mega-churches there would see that the "Christian" thing to do would be to get some kind of homeless shelter in place. On the other hand, I'm sure those people are totally convinced that there are no homeless people in Johnson County.

Here in Santa Fe there's a very strong Interfaith Alliance. I myself am not a conventionally religious person, but since moving here I've become very good friends with some members of a local Presbyterian church, and it's through them that I've gotten involved in helping to feed the homeless. Not to mention, sometimes at the hospital where I work the information desk, periodically someone asks me what the need to do to get a meal voucher. If none can be gotten for that person, I simply tell them to get food at the gift shop that my desk is next to, and just pay for it. We can use our employee badge as a debit card against our next paycheck, which is wonderfully convenient.

added on edit:
I've even been known to quietly advise someone who does not have somewhere to go, to simply camp out in our ICU waiting room.