Thousands of people gathered in Los Angeles after being told via social media that a scheduled event was giving out section 8 vouchers to everyone in attendance. Many homeless people showed up in a desperate act to find a home.
She claims to be a huge advocate for the homeless. While they say any publicity is good publicity, the way she conducted herself really tarnished the work she does. Water’s ended up threatening a reporter who asked for a comment from Waters over the ordeal.
Waters Tells Homeless to ‘Go Home’
Once Waters and the staff of the event became overwhelmed, she can be seen on video telling the large crowd of homeless people to go home. When Waters said “I want everybody to go home,” the large crowd of homeless people became rightfully angry. Many of the homeless people said things such as “What home we gonna go to?” “We don’t got no home.” “Where are we supposed to go?”
These angry responses prompted Waters to curse at the crowd of desperate homeless people.”Excuse me, there’s nobody in Washington who works for their people any f— harder than I do. I don’t want to hear this. No, no, no.” Making comments like this and conducting herself in this way, not only makes us question her decisions and ability to function as a politician in public, forces important work three steps back.
Why The Homeless Were so Angry at Waters
Many who were in the crowd are used to facing the typical discrimination thats comes with being homeless. For many, every day they deal with other people’s assumptions about them and they’re situations. Telling them to ‘go home’ is likely something they often hear from people who don’t believe they’re homeless and make whatever assumptions about why they are asking for money. If that feeling isn’t enough, for many this was not the first time they were promised vouchers and turned away right as they reached the front of the line. Videos show reporters speaking to the homeless people at the event. Ms. Burnett, a disabled homeless woman and one of the event attendees said “Maxine Waters was here, and she said to come back Tuesday with our paperwork filled out. I have it, everything they asked for. But every time we get near the front of the line, they shut the door. They opened the door about 20 minutes ago and said they’re not servicing anyone else today.”
Waters Attempts to Snuff Story
When a Los Angeles Times reporter contacted Waters about the event, the democrat tried to keep the story from being run. “You’ll hurt yourself and the community trying to put this together without background,” she told reporter Connor Sheets, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I don’t want you to start trying to write it, you won’t understand it.” How can someone understand the “background” of the issue when Waters refuses to give background information. In today’s world of technology, it would make more sense for Waters to attempt to mend her image in the media after the video of her comments surfaced.
Homelessness is not only a Los Angeles, California, or even west coast issue. Homelessness affects every single state in the United States of America. Since the pandemic, homelessness has risen and fallen but is overall at an all time high. In the wake of the job market opening up, the hope is that the number of homeless will fall. Maxine Waters has likely hindered work done up to this point. All we can hope for is her apology and public action plan of how she can do better, or another major advocate to rise in her place.
Written by: Erinn Malloy
