NYPD's Actions Prior to the Pope's Arrival

9/29/15

Response to ThinkProgress’ article “NYPD Expels Homeless People Encamped near Pope Visit Site”

Pope Francis’ first time setting foot in the United States has been one of the most talked about news stories for the past few weeks. This Papal visit will have been very important for many Catholics within America. However, prior to the Pope’s arrival in Harlem, the New York Police department forced a number of homeless people to leave an area of the city. The homeless were warned that they would be arrested if they didn’t follow these rules. Many people viewed the police’s actions as wrong. The homeless should be treated just like regular people should, and the Pope’s visit shouldn’t have been affected by them. It’s somewhat ironic, because forcing homeless to leave seems like exactly the kind of thing that the pope wouldn’t want. Along with this, many people in the city of Harlem aren’t Catholic, so why should they view the Pope’s visit as something that matters to them?

Certain people believe that the police are using the Pope’s arrival as an excuse to remove the homeless from that are of Harlem. The NYPD has dispersed people in that area before multiple times. The police department has stated that this was done in an effort to help the homeless find housing. This brings up another topic about whether or not the police’s procedures of dispersing the homeless are right. Police should not do this to the homeless, because it doesn’t cause as much good as they would expect, and it only becomes an inconvenience for the homeless. Overall, the police should really rethink their actions against the homeless, whether or not it has anything to do with Pope Francis.