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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland on Christmas Eve ... Ashland gets the LED lights out ... Kiwanis and Lions clubs team up ... Ashland on Christmas Eve ... Ashland gets the LED lights out ... Kiwanis and Lions clubs team up ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Living together: Ashland's 'travelers' Comment By Robert Heilbroner DailyTidings.com By Robert Heilbroner Posted Dec. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Robert Heilbroner Posted Dec. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News I’ve been increasingly uneasy about the discussion in which young people on our streets are defined as a collective “other” that is a “problem” that needs to be ”solved.” In the 22 years I have walked the streets of our community, I have not once been harassed or unduly imposed upon by the folks that hang out there. I’ve very occasionally been asked for money in a non-threatening , usually good-humored, way, I’ve been gratefully thanked when I’ve contributed, and usually been given a “God bless” when I’ve, much more often, declined. More often the folks I pass in the street go about their own lives and pay me no mind. And not infrequently they contribute positively to my experience of being downtown by offering music — sometimes highly skilled and at other times commendable for its courage — or jokes and stories, with the implied request for a contribution represented by a wordless hat on the ground, or by letting me pet their dogs or, yes, their goat. If “we” succeed in making life in Ashland sufficiently uncomfortable for “them” — people who expect so little by way of comfort — we will be left with a sanitized community with diminished life. We will be a paler reflection of the world we live in. By saying I appreciate the presence of these folks I do not mean to engage in a debate about whether they are a colorful contribution to our community or an unsightly annoyance. “We” simply do not have a right to engage in that judgment. These people exist. They are here for a wide variety of reasons grounded in highly individual mixes of social forces, personal histories and choices that it is not ours to judge. “Their” existence does not entitle “us” — the home-owning, mortgage-paying, members our community — to hold a referendum on their life-style. Street people have no more right to harass, threaten, attack or otherwise harm others than anyone else. We all have a right to be safe. We do not have a right to be spared the troublesome feelings that may arise in us caused by the existence of others. When a community assembles to make laws explicitly aimed at solving the “problem” of a particular segment of that community, these laws are prima facie discriminatory. Laws aimed at a particular segment of society have a long and ugly place in history, and are usually passed with a wink and a nod that they will not be used against the good citizens of the community. This gets scary when the problem being solved is that some of the problematic behaviors do not rise to the level of crime. If you don’t want to have your dog’s vaccination records demanded of you when you walk it, if you don’t want to be arrested the next time you use “foul language,” If you don’t want to be arrested when you and a group of your friends inconvenience others by blocking the street, then don’t pass laws that make these behaviors illegal. Discretionary laws aimed at a particular population are harassment, and it’s hard to believe that their purpose is not simply to make these people “go away.” The real reason to do unto others as you would have them do unto you is not because it is the nice thing to do. It’s because there is no “other.” What you do unto others you actually are doing to yourself. If the instability of the “travelers'” lifestyle fills you with fear, be confirmed in the choices you’ve made to provide a more stable life for yourself and yours, and give yourself empathy for the fact that no preparation can protect any of us from the slings and arrows of impermanence. If you are jealous of the apparent freedom and lack of responsibilities of the traveler’s way of life, when you have worked so hard, look for ways to bring more freedom into your own life. If the vulnerability of their lives touches your heart, give them a blanket. If your offer of help is refused, admire their independence, comfort yourself for your powerlessness to help, and offer your generosity where it will be well-used. Merry Christmas, one and all. Robert Heilbroner lives in Talent. By Robert Heilbroner DailyTidings.com By Robert Heilbroner Posted Dec. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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