Attacks on the Homeless Rise, With Youths Mostly to Blame / Summary and Thoughts

This article talks about the issue of young individuals, mostly teenagers and younger ones physically abusing and attacking homeless people. It particularly focuses on the case of Warren Messner who is now taking the responsibility for the crime he committed 3 years ago at the age of 15, when he jumped on a log laid on a homeless man's ribs. Today, as the interview took place in the maximum-security Cross City Correctional Institution, Florida, Warren was showing his regret and realizing that what had happened was completely senseless and stupid. The article also states that the problem with homeless groups and individual being attacked has been increasingly severe widely across the United States. Several cases have been reported where teenagers are the main attackers. It is surprising or almost shocking as the youngest convicts are only at the age of 10. It also revealed that attacks on the homeless had actually been happening since the 1980s with the story of George Siletti who is now 51 and was attacked by a group of teenagers back in the 1980s in Fort Lauderdale. In the end, information on the Government's acts in order to resolve the problem has also been mentioned. It shows that education can play a vital part in creating and nourishing the knowledge as well awareness of young people upon the homeless, making them respect and treat these people appropriately. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, many projects, plans and campaigns are being put into action where by speakers who are homeless or once lived on the streets are being inducted into schools to talk and educate children about homelessness and its community and their related issues.

After reading the article, I have realized that homeless people are in urgent needs of care and support. Due to the lack of security and assistance, this group of people have been proven to be extremely vulnerable to the outside world in terms having no respect and creating wrong impressions among others. As homeless and poor people are frequently being judged and stereotyped to be uneducated and dangerous, normal people sometimes have misconceptions and inappropriate perspectives towards these individuals. Many of us tend to judge others based on appearances and backgrounds yet we have almost forgotten or been too ignorant to know that behind the somewhat messy look and inadequate living condition, homeless people can be just as kind, talented, unique and valuable as anybody. Relating to the movie I have recent watched, "The Soloist", Nathaniel - a homeless man gifted with a miraculous ability of playing cellos and violins has shown that it does not matter how people look and where people live, whether they are homeless and have chosen to be homeless, they can live and enjoy their live to the fullest just like anybody can, as long as they are listened, understood, accepted and treated equally by the society.