SJHS HOMELESS EVICTION TAKES TURN FOR WORSE; SOURCES SAY PERSONAL BELONGINGS, MEDS FOUND IN CITY-OWNED DUMPSTER
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY JULY 22, 2020) — As THE PLANET and THE PLANET alone continues to dig underneath the puff stories put out by ServiceNet and the mayor’s office with respect to the ouster of an unknown number of homeless people from the St. Joseph’s High School building on Maplewood Avenue in Pittsfield, the more unacceptable are the horrors we uncover. There are officials out there who know much more than they are saying.
Question is “Why?”
THE PLANET has been in regular touch with courageous community activists who have in the past two days not let this story rest. While Amanda Burke in The Boring Broadsheet continues to gum the story so as not to rile The Suits, we have gone to the streets and parks to determine as best we can the situation on the ground.
Yesterday, THE PLANET uncovered the most damning information yet.
Our sources report going to the the city yard on West Housatonic Street based on an informant’s claim that a DPW Dumpster held the personal belongings of the people that were removed from SJHS. One source told THE PLANET, “They [found] new clothes and sleeping bags still with tags on them. What was most disturbing was the medications which were for many different ailments such as diabetes, schizophrenia, blood pressure etc. Some of the medications came from the VA.” Someone videotaped the discovery, we are told. We also heard mayor Linda Tyer was on the phone with DPW commissioner Ricardo Morales, who in the yard when our sources showed up. Tyer did not answer THE PLANET‘s request for an explanation.
QUESTIONS:
- HOW DID THESE ITEMS GET IN A CITY-OWNED DUMPSTER?
- WHO AUTHORIZED IT?
- WHO KNEW ABOUT IT?
- WHAT WAS THE ACTUAL SEQUENCE OF EVENTS THAT LED TO THE SUDDEN CLOSING OF SJHS?
- WHAT ARE THE UNDERLYING CAUSES OF THESE EVENTS?
Ladies and gentlemen, this isn’t adding up.
The day before, PLANET sources spent 3.5 hours of trekking through miles of Springside Park, the largest of the city’s three known tent cities. They found 14 persons living there, although there may be more. They were able to get names from 11 of them. Some had what was described as “serious medical conditions.” All of the 14 our said they were tenants at the temporary COVID homeless shelter at St. Joe’s.
They report:
- Being abruptly thrown out without warning.
- They were not allowed to re-enter the building to retrieve what they had for personal belongings, which included important medications for some of them.
- Good Samaritans at Springside handed out water and gatorade and offered assistance to all that needed immediate help. One source reports, “I will be back out tomorrow to go to some of the other locations set up in the city. I will be doing an update video sometime tomorrow. I was not prepared for what I saw today. The conditions these people are being forced to live in is inhumane. Our estimates for the actual number left to fend for themselves on the streets is not 4. It is more like 60-70 right now. I knew none of our city leaders would be out there, so we did it ourselves.”
THE PLANET contacted council president Peter Marchetti. He said he wasn’t aware of any of this until THE PLANET informed him. Marchetti said he “cannot explain but I am trying to figure out what has happened.”
Also in another development, Jay Sachetti, senior VP of shelter and housing for ServiceNet — the company that shut the doors at SJHS — claims he notified “the city” two weeks before closing the facility. None of the councilors say they knew about it, which leads to the question: Is he telling the truth? If so, who did he notify? Was it the mayor’s office? If so, why did Tyer withhold this information for so long? Coupled with talk of financial irregularities, looks like The Kapanskis have been thrown into a game of “Who Do You Trust?”
What does it say about Sachetti’s credibility after Marchetti, Peter White, Earl Persip, and other officials said Sachetti told them that there were only “four or five” people kicked out. That appears to be a lie. The number appears to be much higher. The BB story said “many residents” were bum-rushed. The Recovery and Learning Center told the paper they were “inundated with requests” for tents and supplies. THE PLANET uncovered at least 14.
No word, also, about the rumors of money “appearing and disappearing.”
Every city official needs to be turning over tables to get answers.
They will, of course, but only if they care. Care as in Helen Moon, Yuki Cohen, Nick Caccamo, Tony Maffuccio, Lampiasi, and the “usual gang of idiots.”
We The People need better, deserve better.
—————————————————————————————
O, that this too, too solid flesh would melt” — William Shakespeare.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
The views and opinions expressed in the comment section or in the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not necessarily endorsed by the operators of this website. PLANET VALENTI assumes no responsibility for such views and opinions, and it reserves the right to remove or edit any comment, including but not limited to those that violate the website’s Rules of Conduct and its editorial policies. PLANET VALENTI shall not be held responsible for the consequences that may result from any posted comment or outside opinion or commentary as provided in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and this website’s terms of service. All users of this website — including readers, commentators, contributors, or anyone else making use of its information, hereby agree to these conditions by virtue of this notice. When PLANET VALENTI ends with the words “The Usual Disclaimer,” that phrase shall be understood to refer to the full text of this disclaimer. Copyright (c) 2020 by Dan Valenti.
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If service net kicked them out why were city trucks and personnel used to remove their belongings? Why didn’t service net pay for the removal and a dumpster?
(Sarcasm): Pittsfield at its finest!
(Not sarcasm): We are in a coronavirus pandemic, 2020 economic recession, high unemployment and uninsured, distressed family and small business constrained finances, hospitals facing PPE shortages, financially insolvent state and local governments, at risk homeless people with medical conditions, and the like. What does Pittsfield do? They abruptly close St. Joe’s homeless shelter leaving its most needy and vulnerable residents to live on the streets/public parks.
Meanwhile, Matt Kerwood sits on a $10.1 million slush fund, which means the lovely Linda Tyer had the money to help the homeless people have a roof over their heads.
Hats off for your shoe leather work on this Dan. Even Tyer admitted during her evasive answers interview this week, that she knows about people living in city parks. Bottom line is city is responsible for booting them outta the parks, parks are closed at sunset. City has a responsibility to get them out of the parks. If city didn’t cater to the social service alley class to begin with, we wouldn’t have this problem. And why is the city silent on the homeless hotel on the border? Sounds to me like the lattie da’s of North Street, such as Hotel in North and Dotties, didn’t want the homeless hanging around, not that I blame them.
Boot them out of the parks so then you cry that they are all over north street and the surrounding area….. how about pushing for a way to eliminate people being homeless by providing services that meet each and every individuals needs. Oh wait…. if you push for that you have nothing more to complain about!
I think the Methodist shelter is a good start. Can we all agree to try that?
I definitely agree to that however the city will hold that up for some time I imagine!
Barry and Linda’s lawn, Peetey’s too. Tent citys of PITTSfield
They all can have a cookout with smores!!!
I’m sure they mind sharing the shitter rather than having to pickup their lawns………ROFL!!!!!!!!!!
Is that place still run by Ralph the Buffoon Howe?
There are tons of services now and tons of freebies and handouts. These people are homeless not helpless. Personal choice and responsibility comes into play. Will you be okay with letting them live in parks for free if one of them rapes your daughter in a playground or robs Little Johnny for money for more nips?
First off you clearly have no idea what your talking about. Personal choice and/or responsibility is not a given with everyone who is homeless. Do some research and see how many people that served this country for YOUR freedom, my freedom, that are now homeless with mental health and substance abuse issues. Let me guess….. the ptsd and other issues from serving our country is their fault too??? You find a city where there is no homeless people please let me know. There is not one! And just because people are homeless does not mean they rape people and rob people but again you clearly don’t know what your talking about. Not to mention, the state our city is in as of late, I wouldn’t let my kids play alone in any park in this city. And it’s not bc of the homeless bc if again, you do some research, the violent crimes being committed are from the “non” homeless individuals. If people worked on solutions rather than trying to push the problem to another city or another area then maybe there would be less homeless, less drugs less crime. People complain about tax dollars but do not complain when police officers are hanging out on their phones and not doing their jobs or when city workers are doing nothing but driving around all day, and even more complain about the mayor yet they voted for her!!! Stop crying, stop complaining and become part of the solution rather than the problem and watch the change take place. Until then, nothing will change. You can all cry and complain but it’s “personal choice and responsibility” because you voted for her or them, at least one of “them”, who are tied to making decisions. Complaints without an action plan for change are baseless! Make a difference, help someone who is less fortunate than you. That’s YOUR choice and only you can decide to complain and whine or get off your a**es and make a difference!!!!!
Pittsfield where the “bottom of the barrel rose to the top”. A laissez faire leadership. Follow the Money.
. Do some research and see how many people that served this country for YOUR freedom, my freedom, that are now homeless with mental health and substance abuse issues.
Completely agree with you on this point. If you are a veteran you should be priority #1. Instead, we funnel that funding to gang bangers, and people making money off of having 10 kids.
I wouldn’t let my kids play alone in any park in this city. And it’s not bc of the homeless bc if again, you do some research, the violent crimes being committed are from the “non” homeless individuals.
See answer above and to further that point, I wouldn’t let children go anywhere alone in Pittsfield. Have you seen the people that populate North & Tyler st during the day?
People complain about tax dollars but do not complain when police officers are hanging out on their phones and not doing their jobs or when city workers are doing nothing but driving around all day
Are you new to this site? Everyday there is people bitching about the officers sitting on their cell phone at stops. Of course, I can’t say I really blame them.. why bother risking your life going into at risk areas when we slap them on the wrist and they are right back out in the community?
Complaints without an action plan for change are baseless! Make a difference, help someone who is less fortunate than you. That’s YOUR choice and only you can decide to complain and whine or get off your a**es and make a difference
No. We have a ton of money taken out of our paycheck to pay individuals that are supposed to handle these issues for us. Our Mayor, council, and sub committees have been completely useless in representing the taxpayers to handle issues like this one. Unfortunately, the majority of people who votes these clowns in have a vested interest in keeping them there.
nice reply Hendrix.
First off, I know exactly what I am talking about. Personal choice and/or responsibility is absolutely a given with everyone who is homeless. Most homeless people are addicts and/or mentally ill. Many are veterans yes, and guess what? There is a nice place for them called Soldier On, that Jack Effing Downing has been milking for $200 plus k per year for years, if they want help. But you can’t booze it up and drug it up while in there. That’s the catch. As to homeless and crime, when they need money for the dope or booze, they will steal to get it if they have to. Most addicts steal to support their habit if they have to. The drug always comes first. Once family members can’t be taken for a ride anymore, strangers get victimized. One can get food stamps, monthly cash, subsidized apartment, Obama phone, free car, fuel assistance, eteffingcetera!!!! If they are homeless, they can get help if they want to. It’s the governments job to keep the parks safe, not to create safe spaces for the junkies. p.s Remember the Elizabeth Smart case? It was a homeless man that kidnapped her, after the father foolishly, but good heartedly, gave the guy some odd jobs.
Nice reply Tell It
“It’s the governments job to keep the parks safe, not to create safe spaces for the junkies.”
Great line pray Tell, but I fear you are asking too much. This is, after all, Pittsfield.
White on white crime is out of control in a white city and county.If you read most crimes are committed by Trump white guys.
TELL
I have avoided getting into the complicated reasons why people are homeless. You do have a valid point when saying that personal choice and responsibility comes into play. Some people find themselves homeless because of outside factors they can’t control, but a great many are there because of their bad choices. Society can take care of just so many. At some point, no amount of money or services can address people’s ignorance and stupidity. My columns have not explored the causes of homelessness primarily because of focus. I want the attention to be on the behavior of ServiceNet, city officials, and anyone else involved in this fiasco.
Dan,
Have you worked with the homeless community here in Pittsfield or elsewhere? Have you worked directly with the individuals? Or do you just base your info on what others have told you or what they think they know? Until you personally, as I have and often do, work with these individuals, you can not say that most of them are homeless bc of their bad choices because it’s just not true! Are they some? Absolutely! But the majority are homeless by NO choice of their own! And I agree this should be about the city and what they did or didn’t do. Something obviously went wrong and it needs to be figured out. But is this just about a story for you? Or do you actually care how these people were treated or thrown out? I tend to think it’s about the story for you and get your readers riled up but correct me if I’m wrong please. I have went back over your archives and despite the “drunk, druggie, social service alley” comments when you write, I have yet to find any articles you write showing actual concern for the homeless men and women in this city. Also did you know there is homeless folks in west Stockbridge and Stockbridge alike?? Just figured I would point that out because even places with more money have the same problem we do! Use your great talent to help the problem and write about the overall disservice to the homeless community which is ultimately a disservice to the rest of the community. You alone have the power to make change, why don’t you use it to do that instead of to rile people up and write a “good” story? I eagerly await your response.
NTS
I have not worked with the homeless. I do not have to work for the homeless in order to write about the homeless. If working with or being involved with every topic was a prerequisite, no writer, let alone this one, would be working. The homeless are experiencing the consequences of actions, usually their own actions. Yes, this first is about a story for me. I also care about how people are treated. You present it as an either/or, which it is not. “The armies of the road” is my catch phrase for all the non-contributors who have helped drag Pittsfield into the gutter. They eat up vast amounts of money and contribute little to nothing. That said, I am open to specific suggestions on how I might cover this topic differently. What “power to make change” do I possess that I am not utilizing?
Obviously not so tough is an expert on why people are homeless. I wonder why some of the moochers I see in Coltsville can stand in the hot sun for 6 hours but they can’t be bothered to push a lawn mower or use a paint brush for 2 hours. But i’m sure guys like Not so tough will lead them to the promise land of government handouts. That does nothing for their self esteem and creates a feeling of entitlement. I now live near a methadone clinic-numerous pot-joints and now a park that the city is allowing to become a homeless campground. When schools do open that will be the epitome of political correctness with the kids walking by the drug tents hopefully without being attacked. Pittsfield is following most of the countries lead electing Dip Shit liberals who are destroying the way of life for hard working-tax paying Americans.No white privilege here just hard work and trying to do the right thing.
How right you are Sonny. It was okay to clamp shut the basketball hoops and put up crime scene or construction tape or whatever all over playgrounds’ so Little Johnny couldn’t play, but it’s perfectly fine for these bums to live in parks and litter and shit all over the place.
City has a responsibility to get rid of panhandlers.
They are all white men.I saw a white woman.
Understood Dan. I know you have painted the picture nice and bright here in the past, about how addicts ultimately have a choice. I will set Not So Tough straight so you can focus on the bigger story you are on.
Not exactly Tell It. In fact, just the opposite. City has no plans to kick these drunks and druggies and mentally I’ll people out, and wants to give them toilets and running water for free, but the bastards raised my taxes and water rates and toilet rate hundreds of dollars.
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/62685/Homeless-Encampments-Springing-Up-in-Pittsfield-Parks-.html
They are invited the latest homeless hobo group here from what RN said. Why is that? They drive away job holding families and want to encourage drug and drinking tourism from NYC and social services dependence for the rest.
Why is it that Lee can have a Downtown that is vibrant – with companies that make enough money to support themselves? Probably because they don’t have crooks like Downtown Pittsfield with their pinky in the bag at all times.
Where is the vibrant downtown lee.I see maybe 10 people on the street.
Vibrant was a joke. But I do shop there a lot. And there are restaurants and there is a good appliance store and two good hardware stores. You can buy shoes that aren’t covered with original dust from 1980.
The new GE settlement will ruin Lee like it did Pittsfield with the money laundering and politics.
On another note – Maybe Pittsfield should give Springfield Park to the homeless? Like in Copenhagen? https://nofixedaddress.in/bevar-christiania/
I visited Copenhagen in 2007 for a conference. One of the nicest places I have ever been. I went on the last day to visit this ‘idealist community.’ You walk in and it smells like piss and weed. At 2pm on a sunny week day there were drunks having a fight and throwing bottles. To be blunt it was a dump and we left and went back to the regular city. Maybe the less functional just need a place to be? I wondered if letting them run wild someplace allowed the rest of the city to be safe and clean and civilized.
You’re SOL, City seems to be okay with homeless living in the parks , as long as they don’t hang around The Mirage when Dotties is open.
Yes Dan, nice work. It may just be me , but it seems Dan knew more about what was going on and then put out the questions to our leaders and then circled like a shark waiting for a bite of the blubber in their responses . One man wrecking crew!
It was this board that complaindd evetyday about the homeless on north street.I believe you guys got it shutdown.
Better check in on all the board members on Downtown inc.. who didn’t want them there. They have more $way than this board does on this issue. Granted the people here are heard for sure.
Businesses respond to having shelter at church also. Seems in Pittsfield that everyone is not supposedly informed of what is happening or going to happen. Who’s not telling the truth?
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/62691/Pittsfield-Planners-Delay-Downtown-Homeless-Shelter-Vote-.html
Generally the mayor, her handlers and the upper echelon of the city council know that if they just ignore these nasty goings on that people will eventually forget about them and move on. And sadly it is true.
So great work Dan and I think the mayor owes an open and honest public question and answer session to the people of Pittsfield. Not some obscure paragraph on her Facebook page. She, as head of the city, looks real bad right now and this is a story that could be picked up by national news if she is not careful.
There has to be many people involved with this and though I am sure they have been told to muzzle up some of them might speak to you anonymously. I hope so. This was handled badly. Would love to know what higher up gave the order for the raid and he or she should step forward on their own. Elsewise this is on the mayor and Marchetti. I do not believe him when he plays all innocent. He lost credibility a long time ago.
I agree, great reporting. WAMC interview must be because of your post too. The City had to know as certainly public funds paid for the shelter.
Seriously. The mayor said 3 weeks notice were given yet Marchetti was unaware? One or both are lying.
ServiceNet said it gave the city two weeks notice. To my knowledge, the mayor hasn’t said anything about being notified or not being notified.
What must The Greek God be thinking about this?
Dan, the discovery of the materials in the city dumpster is damming for the city and Mayor Tyer.
Mr Jay Sachetti seems to be a fork tongued, legless reptilian serpentes creature, that slithers about; ServiceNet needs to be investigated and held accountable along with the City Administration.
The names on the prescriptions should be recorded and the VA advocates contacted. Concerning the clothes and sleeping bags, the “new with tags” should be traced to point of purchase. Follow the money…..
I suspect Mr Morales knows a lot of what is not being revealed concerning the dumpster. I also suspect the city yard is video monitored, and there is a record of who dumped what and when. Concerning videos, what cameras are there on Maplewood Ave/St Joes?
Dan, if it’s okay to live in the parks, maybe I’ll sell my house and move in there too, if this is going to be acceptable. I can build a cabin, and live tax free.
Does the mayor have any balls? For God sakes get the bums out of the parks. Period. End of story. City gets closer to the drain hole every day
You may not be able to see them but she definitely has them. The Stanley caper proved that.
The internet records show Susan Stubbs is the head of ServiceNet – they are a branch of the Franklin Hampshire Community Health -ie thwy are out of Franklin/Hampshire Co – Northampton —- so it looks like Hindend probably left his finger print on this one. Probably why they caved to Downtown Pittsfield too.
ServiceNet has a 54 million a year budget if internet search is accurate.
Just an FYI…homeless and food distribution agencies are state funded regionally now,(ie food bank of western mass) as are some workforce development agencies. The Berkshires are now grouped with Franklin and sometimes Hampshire County with regional boards. Hence Servicenet’s work in Pittsfield
Yes. ServiceNet is a regional outfit serving the three counties you mention. The upside of this is pooling and funding. The downside is that it removes the administration of the services and funds from direct local control. Two somewhat related questions: Why won’t the buzz about “money disappearing” go away? Why won’t anyone in the know directly address this or look into it?
Government agency. All should be public record. Emails, finances, etc
FOIA request. I’ve posted how to file one…….could do this for the Pittsfield too.
Dont listen to this idiot.
You wouldn’t file a FOIA request, because it’s not a federal agency.
You also wouldn’t file a MA public records request as it’s not a state or municipal agency.
It is a non for profit (not subject to public records request) they are a CONTRACTOR or subcontractor, not a division of state or municipal government.
Mad Trapper just keeps talking out his ass about things he knows nothing about.
The only things state related ServiceNet has to file are standard NFP docs like a 3ABC, 990 tax return and audit copy to the state, and audit statements per Section 1 of Title 808 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations.
Those are the extent of its “public documents”
From a head nurse with dirty knees.
Ma public records requests are also known as FIOA requests per state of Massachusetts website
You can FOIA request the state and city for all contact and emails between state and city officials with ServiceNet.
You can FOIA request all emails of Mayor Tyer concerning St Joes and “The Homeless Hilton.
No they aren’t. We’ve gone over this FOIA is an actual law, if you file a FIOA request to the city and it doesn’t include a federal agency it’s denied outright.
https://www.foia.gov/
You can request emails from the city but again you’re reply stated ServiceNet is a government agency. Which is also wrong.
You don’t know the first thing about any of this
Also, I believe any federal statute preempts the state statute in the same space. I haven’t read as you have the Federal Foil, but NY has a law by the same name. So a Ma agency might be required to comply with a FOIL even if Ma didn’t have a similar law by the same name – which I think is why they made their own version. Don’t quote me but that is the gist of what I understand. Healey ignores all violations out here so that is why the towns are emboldened to ignore them. NYS takes them very seriously because they have historically had a very competent DAs office – regardless of the political party.
I agree with all of your points Dan. And would add that non-profit financial accountability is a serious problem that needs to be addressed on the local, state and national level. A lot of the money is ending up in the pockets of the overseers and not those they are intended to help.
Is 54 million a robust budget or does that seem like they would struggle? If we have 200 homeless in Berkshire Co maybe they have the same amount or more in Franklin etc. It seems like a healthy budget but I don’t know how it works.
Franklin county has a out of control problem. It is very bad.
$220k, and there are 8 VPs making $150k, at least they are keeping 9 bums off the street
Sounds about right. Anything govt does is more expensive than it should be but 54 million a year seems like a healthy budget.
St Joe was a very short term homeless shelter.It could have been a virus disaster here and Pittsfield shutdown and slowed the transmission.Heres a observation,I have been in retail stores including BJs Carr Walmart Home Depot for months and every single Pittsfield resident wore a mask to help protect anyone who might wait on them and in return every employee did the same for the customer.The numbers dont lie.Stockbridge had a higher rate of transmission at twice the rate of North Adams and Pittsfield.The homeless dont hang around heartless towns like lee lenox and Stockbridge they come here where we have experience with lifes problems.
Pittsfield has the Breen center which is the saddest place on earth. Only humorous if you have taken a wrong turn from the RMV and somehow think this is the most depressing RMV you have been in, and most are bad. We have the worst outcomes for public health and the least effective social workers or mental health experts I have ever seen. Granted, I am with Ayn Rand with her option of social workers but let’s not clap ourselves on the back for milking public services and letting people wallow in miserable circumstances while we take public money to ‘help them.’ Most people here on MA health can’t see a dr regularly, have to use emergency services and are living an inadequate existence from any humane standard. You with you failings as a public school teacher probably feel pretty smug taking your salary and watching all the failure. You are probably very used to it.
Could city councilors like Connell and Caccamo review their storm drains and sidewalks.Litter is a big issue in the streets and parks.Painting white lines in the road so trucks can still go 65mph down Elm and Williams but at least stay in their lanes.
Those decisions about city maintenance are left up to the mayor ans the commissioner of public services.
Figures, that answers many questions about the state of this City, another blame game. Not your fault Chris, I know you have tried, but why bother having a City Council at all? Have not noted one positive item that the latest City Council has done to help the taxpayers of Pittsfield since voted on the Council in January. Every issue that has been brought forward ends up in either a department blame game or mass confusion on what sub-committee the item should be referred to. Meanwhile, the City is going down the drain. Just look back at the City budget Zoom meetings. They were nothing but big joke and a total waste of time. Our taxes are still going to be raised and their is nothing the residents of Pittsfield can do about it. Basically the taxpayers have no representation.
Sweeping the streets on a regular schedule for 6 months a year is a very routine form of maintenance. Painting safety lines in the roads is a very routine form of regular maintenance. There are dozens of small potholes on our roads.How about weeds on city ownes islands.Dawes ave is falling apart.When taxes go up and routine maintenance does not get done then we need to hire many more people.Elm and Williams have dump trucks doing 60 behind a mother with 3 kids in her van.Target trucks for speeding.
Hi Chris,
Is Alfred drive on any paving list? Pretty bad shape for the taxes they pay. thanks for you answer.
That street is the worst of them up there off Ann Dr.. We walk the area loop Flintstone down around and up Bellmore over to Rockland etc..
TSC, lay down in the road and protest,
Mario, should they toot when they speed by your house?
Some lives hold more value than others
I guess Dan only pays attention to the conspiracies he wants to chase.
The city was notified THREE weeks ago. The people I talked to were also told about three weeks ago.
They were told that when they leave, they are not allowed to come back. Anything left would be held for 10 days but they had to arrange to pick it up. They wouldn’t be allowed back in just to grab things.
Much of what you have seen tossed out are things left well prior to the closing that where placed in storage and no one claimed them.
Throwing out new items is unfortunate but you can’t run the risk of giving away items that might be problematic (COVID, bed bugs, lice, crab louse, etc). The medications should have been disposed of better but often homeless keep possessions of their things in bags and boxes, and those get thrown out.
The story here isn’t in what some homeless people allege, it’s finding out where they came from, why the city all of a sudden ran out of money (it was preplanned that it would last at least until September so where’s that money) and why didn’t the city do anything knowing the shelter was closing?
Other things you might ask, why a press release after, why was nothing done, and what has the mayor been doing for the last three weeks?
I understand there’s a lot of concern about members of the homeless community. I’m concerned, too. This is an extremely complex situation and it does not have a one-size fits all solution.
Like a number of communities across the country, we are dealing with a vulnerable population with a multitude of issues and highly specific needs.
It’s important to recognize a few key facts that are essential to this conversation. Working with homeless populations requires a proficient skill set and level of social service expertise. This is not something that a municipality is equipped to do. Rather, this work is led by our local professional service provider, ServiceNet, which receives yearly funding from the City of Pittsfield to assist clients with finding permanent housing.
At the height of the pandemic, accommodations were provided to protect the homeless during this time. With the permission of the Diocese of Springfield, ServiceNet was allowed to house and operate a temporary emergency shelter at St. Joe from March to July. The City provided personnel, equipment and maintenance to prepare St. Joe’s for sheltering the homeless. Additional human service funds were provided to facilitate the extra capacity. St. Joe’s was always meant to be a temporary response to the COVID19 pandemic and not a permanent solution.
Regarding the timing of the closure, ServiceNet provided guests with three weeks’ notice of the closing. Additionally, residents were informed that if their personal items were left unattended for 10 days, then they would be considered unwanted, and subsequently, discarded by ServiceNet.
While the temporary shelter at St. Joe has closed, Barton’s Crossing is open and continues to provide shelter for the homeless. At this time, the shelter’s capacity has been impacted as a result of the need to comply with the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 Guidance.
ServiceNet works with community partners including Tapestry and Healthy Steps, to name a few, to support members of this population with case management services. The city depends on our service providers to best serve our homeless population and provide healthy and appropriate options.
Currently, ServiceNet is conducting on-site visits to the encampment and is sharing information about case services. They have noted that some individuals are interested in obtaining these services, while others are not. Regardless, ServiceNet has assured the city that they will continue to support and engage with members of this vulnerable population.
Regarding the recent contributions and donations being amassed to distribute to persons at the encampment, we recognize and understand the community’s concern about the well-being of these individuals. However, we encourage anyone with concerns or the desire to help to first contact ServiceNet at 413-448-5353 to identify the best way to help this population while maintaining and ensuring the privacy rights of these individuals.
RN
You wrote “The city was notified THREE weeks ago. The people I talked to were also told about three weeks ago.” Specifically, who notified “the city.” And who in “the city” received notification? Do you have documentation on this? And specifically what people did you “talk to” who “were also told?” Where did you talk to them? When? To be taken seriously, your claims need much more than vague generalizations.
How much did it cost the city to get the place open and where did the money come from?
No one, including the mayor, wants to answer any questions about money with respect to the SJHS fiasco.
So the Pittsfield Community Development board delayed voting on creating a homeless shelter at the United Methodist Church on Fenn Street. Sounded to me like this shelter has been well planned out. Three of the biggest objectors, Downtown Pittsfield, Tierney owner of Hotel on North and best of all Mr. Mayor Barry Clairmont’s office. Downtown Pittsfield has been useless for years. No matter where the shelter is, the homeless will hang out on North Street during the day. Yet, notice how much money both Tierney’s businesses and Clairmont’s accounting business received from the Payroll Protection Plan. In the millions! What kind of salary does an accounting firm make to receive this amount of money for payroll? Typical Pittsfield, the rich get richer and the hardworking middle class get screwed.
Thank you. Exactly.
Tooo bad the city could not collect taxes on all that money. Can the mayor tax all the money she gave to her small business friends like Dotties ? I gotta pay tax on freaking toilet paper man.
We asked the mayor. She would not answer, which is her answer. The handouts were for family, friends, and political allies, one can only conclude.
and that is pretty much going to be her legacy. A great mayor to family, friends and political allies
MB,
Your right I believe about the church being planned out prior.
Festival $ raised last summer ?
A snippet from a story on it.
Berkshire Craft Beer Festival co-founder Jim Bronson said that last summer’s festival was heavily promoted to specifically raise funds for the relocation of Barton’s Crossing to the church. The city has also approved permitting to allow the church to install a sprinkler system in preparation for renovations for the shelter, which will take up approximately 6,000 square feet in the building’s former Sunday school classrooms. The proposal calls for the designation of two men’s dormitories and a women’s dorm, with renovated shower and restroom facilities, laundry services, shared kitchen space,
and offices for programming on site.
Link:
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/downtown-shelter-idea-sparksresistance,609719
The way Pittsfield politics always raises local taxes, fees, and debts/liabilities, soon most of the city will be homeless! Then, Pittsfield has Tricia Farley Bouvier publishing an op-ed in The Boston Globe saying that the state should raise taxes and borrow more money to close the $6 billion (yet to be proposed/passed) fiscal year 2021 state budget. Mark Tully wrote that Pittsfield has the 2nd highest commercial tax rate in Massachusetts.
Second highest unless you are getting mayoral tax breaks. Hotel on North. Haddads, Moons brewery etc.
(Sarcasm): Please let me know how I may legally receive the lovely Linda’$ tax breaks and/or some of Matt Kerwood’$ $10.1 million $lu$h fund. When I am rolling in Kapan$ki Ka$h, please don’t let Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski know about it. Thanks.
Do you Trumpers support his secret police?
(Sarcasm): Well, yes, of course I do! I wear my confederate “stars and bars” flag jacket and say Trump’s code words “white power” to his secret police, and they wink back at me and let me walk right on by. Then, I donate money to Trump’s 2020 campaign to let him know that his support of General Robert E. Lee “Makes America Great Again”. I really like it when Trump calls COVID19 the “China Virus”. Maybe Trump will hang up a picture of Hitler in the Oval Office. Trump and Stephen Bannon can stand together under Hitler’s picture to let America know that our democracy has ended in fascism.
Melle=Marxist
Karl Heinrich Marx (5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) lived in a different era when the industrial revolution saw the masses exploited on many levels. He wrote that if the workers controlled the means of production through the protection of the state, then the masses would not be exploited anymore.
I live in the 21st Century. Like “Mr. Fritz”, I have the benefit of 170 years of historical hindsight. I know that the flaw in Communist and Socialist states is that they all end up being totalitarian or authoritarian regimes. Therefore, it is untrue for “Mr Fritz” to always post “Melle=Marxist”.
My view on 21st Century so-called Capitalism is that the Billionaires and Wall Street fully control the political system. It has been “Heads the Have always win, Tails the Have Nots always lose”. To illustrate, when our financial system collapsed in 2008, U.S. Congress and the Bush 2 and Obama administrations spent trillions of dollars bailing out Wall Street (and foreign banks with U.S. taxpayer dollars), while over the past 4 decades, the masses have fallen behind financially. It is outrageous!
It’s outrageous that you call your president a fascist.
Melle=Marxist.
The left throws around the word “fascist” with little awareness of the term.
I do, indeed, believe Trump is a fascist.
https://jonathanmelleonpolitics.blogspot.com/2016/11/fascist-us-president-donald-trump.html
Trump = Hitler
It’s time to get rid of this idiot. He 9 pages a day of drivel hitting once and a while.
And he likens trump to Hitler. It ain’t even close you mental patient.
Well if Dan throws out one idiot he may have to throw them all out. And if he does you and I are gone as well.
Quite an astute observation Johnny
Your blog (s) is no different than what you post here. I thought maybe you had some items that would present things other than Me, Myself and I insight into things.
Melle=MORON
Do You support riots, looting, burning and mayhem TSC?
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/07/trump-right-violent-leftist-mob-still-240-tuesday-night-portland-local-leadership-failed/
“Democrats are VERY UPSET that President Trump sent in federal agents to prevent violent leftists from destroying federal building in Portland, Oregon.
Antifa, Black Lives Matter and fellow leftists have DESTROYED Portland’s downtown.
These leftist groups have been rioting in Portland for over 50 nights!”
Thank you.
This is just another example of what happens to the people when public officials want to HAVE the job but can’t or won’t DO the job. Time to clean up Berkshire County.
Like in the movie Apocalypse Now. Charlie Sheen asks a grunt, “is any body in charge here?” and is met with a blank stare.
Now that is funny. Many drivers being pulled over for traffic violations major, and minor. Keep your eyes on the road peeps.
Usually when you have an air bag deployment and take off from the accident you would be hiding something wouldn’t you? The police advisory board should ask about this services rendered comments on he police log. Rendered? You mean dropped?
Why don’t you just come out and say what you want to say instead of talking in code and beating around the bush? If you are accusing policing of wrongdoing let’s have some facts. I’m sick and tired of people bad mouthing cops.
Now that we know that Beacon Hill’s state government and Pittsfield’s City Hall are both financially insolvent, do you believe that Adam Hinds, Tricia Farley Bouvier, the lovely Linda Tyer, Peter Marchetti, et al, will offer to cut, in part, any of their taxpayer-funded pay and other public benefits before they cut Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski’s public services and the Kapanski family children’s public education? The lovely Linda received a pay raise this year, while Tricia Farley Bouvier and Adam Hinds, et al, are all sitting on a 40% pay raise they voted for themselves in early-2017.
So the city is okay with letting these homeless camps exist in the parks? This is outrageous. What’s next, a Black Lives Matter mural on Allen Street?
Round em up like Trump send the fed troops in Oakland,Chicago,Baltimore. Springside Park should be a cakewalk for local police.
I’ll tell you what’s next. The prgressive left will want to either A. HOuse the homeless at the county jail, or B. Close the county jail, so we can’t jail anybody.
I see Portland leaders want to close the largest jail and leave the smaller one opened and close the court where anyone 18 and under would normally go. No more court for their crimes. All in the name of reducing law enforcement . Their house of corrections employees are waiting for a massive layoff.
If you want to discover homeless, you should look in the woods behind clap p Park
There are Bears there.
Yep it’s pittsfield’s version of naked and afraid
Magoo,
Wild Kingdom ? Marlin Perkins and crew would have found it interesting. I miss shows like that. The whole family could and would gather around the tv on Sunday night and enjoy watching Perkins.
Yeah the bears.
Maybe you can wander in back around three a m you might get lucky?
Where else are they living?
Good news Pittsfield was voted one of the best places to live.
If you are looking for handouts
A gang member
A drug dealer
An addict
A political grifter
A prostitute
A section 8 participant
Homeless
Mayor McMeatflaps
A grifter business owner
A affirmative action hire
Not so good for business owners not connected to a political machine and average tax payers
The Checkup: Pittsfield named one of the best cities to live post-COVID by Business Insider
So how in the hell exactly does one know what a place is going to be like to live post COVID?? No one has any idea what if anything will be left. I am picturing the horse and buggy days myself. Because of the utter lack of leadership in America, America is going to come out of this pandemic, not a third world country, but more like Chernobyl. Nothing short of a Stay at Home order for a month for the whole country is going to save us. And Americans are too stupid and selfish to do anything that hard.
the sands in the hour glass are pouring slowly but surely and we can only watch in horror. It did not need to be this way.
There has been a lot of back and forth on this issue but what I have not seen in detail is why the homeless issue has ballooned to its current level under this mayor. I do not remember it ever being anywhere near this bad before.
So what has changed and what if any are the solutions? Is it fair to assume that the Pittsfield homeless population will continue to grow further reflecting the reality of a dying city?
Great questions Johnny. Perhaps the answer is things rise to whatever level city will tolerate. Tyer is a progressive left wing failure when it comes to law and order. Letting the bums live In the parks????? My God that’s stupid.
I do agree with the mayoral failure part. It sucks when you have leaders that only take care of a select portion of the constituency.
What’s happened is the mayor found out there was money in importing the homeless. Her problem is she can’t figure out how to get rid of them when the money runs out. Ask big mouth Barry, he knows.
The other problem, the city has spent lots of effort to secure millions in funding for section 8 housing. Some people like to say section 8 housing is a response to a need, it’s the other way around. Section 8 is a magnet to those who are in trouble already. It’s like moths to a flame. We have lots that come into BMC, people who qualified for section 8 housing but lost it due to them violating the rules of the program. Ladies do not let your baby daddy’s deal drugs “on your lease”. Don’t try and sublet your housing to make money, you’ll get caught.
Last thing is drugs. Some people are homeless due to legitimate problems and unavoidable circumstances, but a lot are there by choice and due to drug use. Yes drug use is a “disease” but many do it and don’t care. It’s not like one day you slipped and fell, landed on a needle and now are addicted to heroin. Not many of the folks I see are prescription diversion people. Most are hardcore users who don’t want to get clean.
They come here because Pittsfield is a hub for hardcore drugs.
I’ve heard all the sob stories, I’ve seen the homeless tell thousands of different lies for sympathy. I don’t believe for one second 95% of the homeless stories I hear.
The mayor and DA and police chief brought this on the city by making it a permissive city. When you say you aren’t going to punish low level crime, that draws the junkies in who can break into cars so they can steal things to sell to buy drugs.
When the police quit monitoring the pawn shops, it makes it easier to sell stolen goods.
When you have straight men going to cumbies at three am to solicit gay prostitutes, it creates a market for selling.
Pittsfield is a homeless junkies paradise, just ask Barry.
Communists, Anarchists, and radical Islamists are working together to destroy the United States. It’s an unholy alliance. Joe Biden will not help this situation, but will make their goal so much easier. Our own AG here in Massachusetts said of the violence across the country that, “Yes, America is burning, but that is how a forest grows”. As long as it wasn’t in her neighborhood of course. Far left Attorney Generals across the country are not stopping the destruction, but think it’s a good thing to permanently change our country so these groups can take over.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZHJGp2IMjc
Pat,
Controlled burns are what these clowns are doing and as long as the entire forest around them where they live doesn’t burn, are ok with it.
Controlled burns until they are not controlled burns, which if you live in these cities, the situation does feel out of control especially at night.
My point. Leaders are all in on burning it down, just not burning their forest down. The leaders are letting a minority group of people decide what’s best for all the people and they don’t want it burning down. The leaders are controlling what and where burns down.
Heard the Chicago Mayor Lightfoot or is it Lightweight, that would be more appropriate, but she is going on and on about we will keep our eye on them, watch them like a hawk and if they step out of line…..Sounded good and I thought she was getting tough on the violence in her city, but no, she was talking about the Trump administration bringing in help and she would watch Trump’s officers to make sure they didn’t hurt the violent people. These far left politicians are certifiable.
At this point I wish people would stop all the left wing/right wing labeling. It is not helpful. It would be nice if we could put all the infantile tribalism aside and get the country back on its feet. Then once we are all better off for it we could go back to behaving like fourth graders again.
Unfortunately we are long past being able to do that. We have to label these people because they are so dangerous and we can’t lose sight of who they are and what they want to do to this country. Until these dangerous groups are brought under control, we need to call them by name.
Well YOU are certainly unable to do it! Not even for one damn day or moment in time.
At least there is one astute city councilor in Berkshire County who fully understands what BLM is all about!
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/62689/North-Adams-Councilor-Calls-Black-Lives-Matter-Terrorist-Group.html
Glad to see a politician tell it like it is. BLM is a despicable racist nuclear family hating, white people hating raciss organization.
Not to worry ServicNet is tracking them.
I heard from a good source that SJHS was closed before the scheduled July date because of the horrific conditions in the bldg. Feces and urine every where. Any truth to this?
Also, it’s absolutely disgusting that our leaders are allowing our beautiful parks to be destroyed (and they are) for these encampments.
And finally, is it true that the majority of these homeless are not locals? If so, they should be returned to where they came from. Immediately!
Enough is enough! Pittsfield is going down the drain!
And who was supposed to be doing the Maitenance? That stuff could end up at the sewage Plant,Uh Oh.
Sounds about right. What could it be that stressed out the staff so much? They already do this work at Barton’s crossings
Hi Dan,
Thank you for your exposé. It has prompted me to write the below letter to the Eagle editorial section:
Dear Editor:
My wife, Lisa and I brought a tent and a couple of bedrolls to the pavilion at Springside Park last night. We spoke with 5 homeless people who were gathered there. We listened to their stories and it was heartbreaking. They told us they did not have enough notification time to leave the temporary shelter at St. Joseph High School and collect their belongings. They said they were locked out without being able to collect their belongings. Whether ServiceNet did give adequate notification or not, the end result is people are now living in Springside Park with only the shirt on their back. The number of displaced people does not correlate with number stated by ServiceNet. ServiceNet stated that 4 people were displaced. The homeless people told us over 50 people are living in the park.
This is a public safety issue first and foremost. It is unsafe for the homeless to be spending countless days exposed to the elements and vulnerable to potential criminal acts. It is also unsafe for visitors to the park as well.
This is a public health issue secondly. With the number of people living in the park and the bathroom facilities locked due to the pandemic, conditions will quickly become unsanitary, especially in the summer heat.
While it is impossible to manage all the needs of the homeless, encouraging a tent city in Springside Park is not the answer. I call on the City to re-open the Saint Joseph School shelter temporarily and allow these people back in until a viable permanent solution can be created.
Thank you Mark and Lisa. And that point about Health and Safety has been brought up here on our own Planet days ago. Again what gives.where’s the Health Department?
So they can piss on the walls?.I think this is bullshit at the expense of the homeless who get free drug treatment also, but don’t get allocated money from the fed slush fund which includes the city’s slush fund.
I honestly do not know what the answer is. BUT, I have seen videos of what it is like in San Francisco and Los Angeles. It would seem that Pittsfield has seeded the ground to morph into such scenarios in the not too distant future. Actually, now that it has started and gained such momentum, how could it be stopped?? Cities with far more intelligent leaders than Pittsfield have not been able to solve it so there ya go.
Sell now!
You might be onto something.This community preservation tax is bullshit also.
Hello Mark Tully, Maybe the lovely Linda Tyer will ask Matt Kerwood to spend some of his $10.1 million slush fund on helping the around 50 homeless Pittsfield citizens have a roof over their heads and a toilet to sit on. What do you think of using the over ten million dollars in Pittsfield taxpayers’ money for helping the homeless? Why did Mayor Tyer and Kerwood raise property taxes by over $1.8 million in the fiscal year 2021 municipal budget when they have so much money in reserves? Why does Pittsfield have the 2nd highest commercial tax rate in Massachusetts? Is Pittsfield near financial insolvency? Beacon Hill is financially insolvent with an up to $8 billion state budget deficit and no fiscal year 2021 state budget yet. None of it makes any sense to me! Best wishes, Jonathan Melle
MARK
Thanks for sharing this letter and for your venture “into the field.” The situation is all f***** up, even by Pittsfield’s worm-low “standards.”
Do we have homeless individuals that were bussed into Pittsfield per Sanctuary City ordinance or is that a rumor? Anyone?
July 23, 2020
Hello Honorable Representative “Smitty” Pignatelli,
The Massachusetts State Legislature has not yet proposed/passed its fiscal year 2021 state budget, which began on July 1, 2020. Beacon Hill is facing an up to $8 billion budget deficit. 3.5-years-ago, you voted yourself and your legislative colleagues a 40% pay raise, which factors all of your pay, stipends, perks, and the like, into your taxpayer-funded state pension. I was wondering if you still stand by your early-2017 vote to pad your wallet and future state pension? If so, please explain your vote to the people/taxpayers when you eventually pass a belated state budget that may raise taxes, fees, debts/liabilities and/or cuts public services and public education. If not, please support a bill that would repeal your legislative pay raise and pension raise law from 3.5-years ago. (Sarcasm): I hope you will enjoy your upcoming 5-month-long legislative recess from August 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020. Maybe you can offer to cut, in part, your pay during your Summer, Fall, and Winter vacation! It must be nice to get paid by hard working taxpayers while doing nothing for 5 whole months.
In Truth!
Jonathan A. Melle
Drain the bog in Ma.
Hey Dan,
I’m in my 80’s and in poor health.
The two things i would like to see before i go are,
I think we have five fire stations here in Pittsfield.
Each station sends a fire truck with a full crew (usually 3 men) to a supermarket
to shop for each upcoming meal. I have seen the Pecks Rd. station travel to Big Y instead of going to Harry’s.
If a call came in from the Lanesborough line, how much time is lost for that crew to scramble from the meat counter of Big Y to the Lanesborough line as compared to if they were at Harry’s, or better yet their very own work station.
Multiply this misuse by five.
How many miles are put on those trucks and how much fuel is used when five separate stations send a truck and crew to a grocery store three time a day.
Every day.
I know i won’t see the end of it but i hope my kids do.