Scott Keyes at ThinkProgress says:
Noting that he’s “disgusted” with homeless people, [Hawaii state Representative Tom] Brower told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about his own personal brand of “justice”: “If I see shopping carts that I can’t identify, I will destroy them so they can’t be pushed on the streets.” Brower has waged this campaign for two weeks, estimating that he’s smashed about 30 shopping carts in the process.
It should be noted that Brower is a Democrat. Here’s video of his crusade:
This is way flashier than, say, investing money in mental health programs, or making sure that Hawaii has plenty of low-cost housing. Maybe next Brower will address teen pregnancy by lighting fire to a big pile of tube tops.
The island of Oahu has one of the biggest homeless populations in the country. One town, Waianae, boasts the largest homeless encampment in the US.
Most of the homeless are local families. This situation is driven by a lack of affordable housing and adequate transportation options (honolulu has the second worst gridlock problem in the country, behind Los Angeles).
A single tear falls onto the cheek of the Home Depot employee who corrals carts. “Farewell old friend, I always thought that I’d see you one more time again.”