AfternoonTea & English

Мои друзья, приезжающие в Лондон, часто удивляются количеству бездомных людей на улице - и как прохожие им вполне спокойно покупают кофе, еду и иногда подсаживаются и разговаривают. Для Лондона бездомность - очень актуальная проблема. Вот наткнулась на статью The Guardian на эту тему - автор, кстати, сам был бездомным. #tuesday_news

🔸Homelessness has increased 170% since 2010 and more people are on the streets. Beggars need to use legally acceptable phrasing on their signs: they can’t directly ask for money, or even use a hat, as this is defined as aggressive begging and they can be arrested. 🔹In Cambridge, a police sergeant told me he felt his role was to make life as uncomfortable as possible for beggars. He thought beggars had a choice and had chosen this existence. The police felt they had every right to arrest them because society was uncomfortable.

🔸I was told that people on the streets are going to spend their money on drugs. I challenge anybody to spend a week on cold streets and not feel the urge to find some pain relief. I certainly needed drugs when I was homeless. I’d beg and steal to get them.

🔹We seek to dictate what those who are on the street can spend their money on. However, if we ignore the person and just give money to charity, we are avoiding the issue, hoping someone else will take care of it.

🔸We should all get involved. We have to press for change, for services that support them so they don’t have to beg in the first place.

NEW WORDS beggar: попрошайка

drugs: наркотики

relief: облегчение

urge: побуждение, сильное желание

dictate: диктовать

Оригинал статьи: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/04/dont-demonise-beggars-homelessness-solve-problem-humans