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Florida had fewer attacks on the homeless reported in 2007 than the year before, but the state still leads the nation.Florida had 31 attacks on the homeless last year, down from 48 attacks in 2006, according to a national study released by the National Coalition for the Homeless and National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.The Sunshine State's ranking didn't surprise local homeless leaders on Tuesday. "Florida is the hot spot once again,'' said Sean Cononie, a homeless advocate who publishes the Homeless Voice in Hollywood."We believe the figures are low.''California was the runner-up with 22 attacks in 2007, Nevada ranked third with 14 and Ohio fourth with 13.Nationwide, attacks rose 13 percent from 2006 to 2007, from 142 to 160 attacks, according to the Hate Violence, and Death on Main Street USA study.Fatal attacks rose by 40 percent from 20 to 28 deaths. The majority of the attacks-64 percent-were committed by teenagers; two of the attackers were 10 years old.Crafters of the study are lobbying for the homeless attacks to be considered a federal hate crime. A hate crime is committed based on the offender's bias against a religion, race, sexual orientation, disability, sexual orientation or ethnicity/national origin.''If we want to stop these attacks, we need to send a clear message that homeless people have the same human rights as everyone else,'' said Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.The Florida cities of Gibsonton, Ocala, St. Petersburg and West Palm Beach all had homeless people killed as the result of the attacks. Dania Beach, Tampa, Bradenton, Deltona, Daytona and Lakeland had nonlethal attacks. While South Florida didn't have the majority of attacks reported in the state, it has been home to shocking crimes against the homeless in recent years.In January 2006, three teens were charged with beating homeless man Norris Gaynor, 49, to death and injuring two other men in Fort Lauderdale.The same month, another group of teens was charged with beating homeless man Jacques Pierre with a baseball bat in Fort Lauderdale. He survived but the beating was caught on surveillance tape.By Natalie McNeal
As in the days of Noah...
