Recent news stories and letters continue to direct our city and county governments to take steps to provide shelter and dedicated camping spaces to neighbors in need. Even the politically hijacked Supreme Court may get it wrong if they deny the right to sleep to those without the money to rent or own housing, or afford a hotel room.

I urge our government representatives and staff members to renew efforts to find shelter and permissible camping locations, following the closure of Purple Cliffs. While that location had problems, the knee jerk reaction to shutting it without taking stronger steps to make it viable was a mistake.

Further, I encourage governments to open their minds and think outside – or under – the box. Given our mining history, and acknowledging Hamas’ unfortunate survival in tunnels under Gaza, couldn’t we dig shelter underground at lower impact and cost?

Smelter Mountain, under the parking garage or the fairgrounds? Why do floodplains or tailings prevent us from protecting the needy from freezing to death or continually being arrested for sleeping somewhere?

Or why not build a roof over our downtown parking garage or at the fairgrounds? I’ve heard our planners and commissioners respond to groundless fears that these mostly harmless people might hurt our students or interfere with users of the fairgrounds, when it seems that additional enforcement would prevent this.

Isn’t it long past time to finally provide shelter or permissible camping? Come on! Let’s get this job done!

Daniel Morgenstern

Bayfield