The homeless encampment in the Greenfield Common is indeed an unsightly view downtown. Is this an ideal location? No. Definitely not. But it IS the safest place, and I speak from experience as a first responder in Greenfield. Not just for what few belongings they have left but for them personally.
I truly do love this city, and I wish to see it thrive in every manner possible. But no store, restaurant or amount of commerce is worth our identity here in Greenfield. We are a community that doesn’t ignore the plight of those less fortunate. We have already proven such with the city’s response to opioid addiction and those struggling with it. At the end of the day, all this “tent city” is to most of us is an eyesore we see briefly on our way to our respective destinations.
It’s incredibly easy to say get rid of them by any means necessary when you’re driving your air conditioned car to the safety of your own home. The city should take the time to find a viable solution for the people in the common and avoid any knee jerk reaction with an addendum in some ordinance. They aren’t gophers or birds you want to “get rid of” in the Common. They’re human beings just like you and I that fell on hard times.
Adam G. Mitchell
Greenfield