Outrage across internet at anti-homeless spikes

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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 06390.html
This is disgusting.

Apparently this is the new strategy of governments, businesses and property owners to 'deal' with rough sleeping in places such as London. This raises more than one question-
1- How have we become so indifferent to our fellow man that governments would rather spend money on such devices rather than extra homes
to deal with the problem?
2- How many people have to die from exposure before these things are removed?
3- How can this not be a violation to health and safety requirements, not to mention a menace to children, the elderly, the disabled, animals or anyone who might fall over and perforate themselves on these things?

This has nothing to do with anything. I just bought this fine product, and thought I'd post a picture of it in this thread for no reason.

I read this far into it and then it was made clear that I needed to read no further.

Being privately owned the owners can do with it WTF they want, including spikes.
Case closed.

Raptor is right. It is terrible, and the owners are dicks (and potentially setting themselves up for a lawsuit if someone gets hurt), but they have a right to do what they will with their own property. On the other hand, I can see a case for people to petition their local governments to pass an ordinance against these.

Forcing people to do what is right, is not right in itself.

Doesn't look like much of a deterrent to me. Homeless guys in London can't find a chunk of drywall, or a few layers of cardboard?

For one thing, those do not even look very sharp, just irritating if you had to lay on them. For another, all you need is one nice camping pad on top of them and it would probably block them. I would need to try it to be sure.

Harvest some styrofoam from a dumpster,and walla,a cosy nest.
Looks like they'd blow out a therm-a-rest.

Nice. I have a metabo, its my fav tool to use. Thinking about getting the Porter Cable cordless one since i already have a ton of Porter Cable stuff.

A nice piece of scrap plywood might be just the ticket!

2 points, aside from the obvious human concerns-

The flats INSIDE the building may be privately owned but the spikes are in a communal, shared space. There has to be health and safety violations at play here.

This isn't the only incidence of spikes going up. They've also started appearing in public buildings and around universities, where the private defence can't be used.

Not surprised though that you would come rushing to the defence of the tyranny of property.

If the property owner wants to discourage anyone using that space they could be friendlier about it, like put a planter there or something. It is actually the city's concern to help these homeless people and the city is NOT functioning here. Private property has no responsibility here. If a homeless person decided to move into my yard and live I would not have to put up with it just because I owned the property. It is not my fault the government does not function like it should. If it did, there wouldn't be a homeless problem in the first place. I am not saying nothing should be done it's just the ones who should be doing something are neglecting the situation completely. Utter fail.

I personally think those spikes are stupid and ridiculous. They are just there for a show since anyone with half a brain knows all they need to do is cover them with something then carry on as usual. Not much of a deterrent at all.

In the image they appeared to be back in the space by the door, not out on the sidewalk.

Spiking public areas is at least open to debate for the obvious reasons.

As opposed to all property being owned by The People?

Even if those are private flats, then the door would be shared, it wouldn't be owned by any one resident. In the UK, with blocks of flats you usually have a communal lobby area by the front door with stairs and/or an elevator leading up to the owned flats themselves. These spikes seem to be near that lobby area by the front door.




Yes, because there can obviously be no compromise between the two can there?

Then why not just go into the lobby?

The words privately owned are in the article. I'm not about to dive so deep into this as to find out what that particular property encompases.


I find it's usually those that don't have to be the ones against anyone else having.

Doorsteps are indeed communal space. Because other people will be using it on a regular basis.