In Roger Gitlin’s May 6th editorial column, he stated that the acknowledgement of kids living in cars constitutes “over-the-top rhetoric.”
Yikes.
I disdain emotionally manipulative political narratives as much as the next gal, so let’s set the rhetoric aside for a moment to review the facts:
• Homeless youth are defined as those who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
• DNUSD counted 170 students who met this criteria in the 2020-2021 school year.
• This figure represents approximately four percent of our county’s youth student population -- higher than the state average of three percent.
It is an inescapable and ugly truth that many children in Del Norte County are, in fact, living out of vehicles. This is not “over the top rhetoric,” Mr. Gitlin. This is real life.
These circumstances might sound dramatic to someone who has never been faced with the indignity of finding a safe place to sleep at night, but the ignorance behind such statements is quite obvious to those of us who have.
I implore Mr. Gitlin to actually do some credible research before making such callous and provably false public statements. Though, given his track record, I’m not holding my breath.
Amanda Dockter
Crescent City