Headline stigmatizes homeless
My heart goes out to the children and families involved in the front page incident of your latest issue.
Andrea Rondeau’s story titled, ‘Homeless man charged with sexual interference after assault on 13-year-old in Duncan,’ is a perfect example of how to perpetuate stigma against homeless and marginalized people. Why not, ‘Senior man…’ or ‘Duncan man…?’
It doesn’t take long to get a picture of a challenged 72-year-old acting in a grievously inappropriate manner. That it happened just after noon in a crowded restaurant implies a serious lack of judgement, mental health issues, intoxication, or all three!
Choosing his homelessness as the lead-in to this story will only perpetuate the fear and antagonism towards those who are unhoused. I abhor this man’s behavior, but we have a serious problem in this community and this headline will hurt people. As a Cowichan Valley citizen I expect more from journalism in 2022!
E. Mitchell
Duncan