Homeless People Shouldn’t Be Allowed To Harass Students
It is horrible how Miami Dade College allows the homeless to constantly harass students while they are going to class. Students are tired of the constant begging that the homeless do. I have seen this with my own eyes.
Students, who already have to struggle to pay tuition and books, should not have to deal with others asking them for money. Miami Dade College should make a law against loitering on campus. It is not safe for our students to keep dealing with the constant harassment of the homeless asking if they have money or can buy them food.
The homeless people at Wolfson Campus are intelligent. They are aware of when students are absent. I realized that there were not many homeless people who were begging for food or money during the summer. But when the fall semester started in August, I noticed that there were about 10 homeless people lingering around campus.
Some mainly spend their time at the McDonald’s, where students hang out and eat. Being there gives them the opportunity to beg for food and money. One day I witnessed an altercation between a homeless person and a student going to class. The student kindly gave the homeless man $10. The homeless man refused the $10 dollar bill and demanded more money. Another incident that happened to a student was that, while she was walking to class, a homeless woman asked her if she had any change. The student politely said no, and the homeless woman stated that there was an ATM close by.
It is ridiculous how the homeless treat the students at Wolfson Campus. It is also not safe for our students to be associated with the homeless. Some homeless individuals struggle with mental illnesses. As a student, I don’t want other students to experience an altercation with a homeless person just because that student said that, no, they don’t have any money.
Our school should be tighter on security and enforcing the rules. At other institutions, universities have actual police officers to ensure that the rules are followed. I have not experienced that with MDC. While we do have police officers on campus and security, neither enforce the law on the homeless who are bothering students.
Florida should have more homeless shelters for the homeless and more information on what to do when you are homeless. Even in Wynwood, known as a place for art and to hang out, you see homeless people wandering around. This is a huge issue for citizens of Florida. Our governor, Rick Scott, should support programs aiding the underprivileged. Scott should provide more jobs and hold more food drives in Miami-Dade County. This will benefit individuals who are poor and will also help the issue of loitering at MDC.
