Las Vegas is in the top five!

In being mean to the homeless.

National advocacy groups for the homeless have once again named the city to their list of "meanest" cities in America. This year, Las Vegas ranks fifth, after Sarasota, Fla.; Lawrence, Kan.; Little Rock, Ark.; and Atlanta.


"You guys are always a mean city," said Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the Washington, D.C.,-based National Coalition for the Homeless. "Las Vegas continues to harass and criminalize homelessness."

The coalition joined the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty in compiling the list and its accompanying report, entitled "A Dream Denied: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities."

Las Vegas has fallen in the rankings since it was named the No. 1 "meanest" city in the nation in 2003, the year after Mayor Oscar Goodman made derogatory remarks about the homeless in his State of the City address and was criticized for Las Vegas' downtown homeless "sweeps."

In 2004, the city fell to fourth place. The coalition didn't release a list in 2005.

Stoops said the fall in rank has more to do with other cities becoming harsher toward the homeless than with Las Vegas treating homeless people better. "It just means other cities are now being meaner than Las Vegas," he said.

Mayor Goodman called the ranking "nuts."

"Those people out of Washington are morons," he said. "They should jump in the lake."

You first. After all, you want to BE one of those Washington morons.

Goodman cited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's decision to give Las Vegas $5.4 million in 2005 federal homeless assistance program funds for homeless services as one indication the city isn't so mean.

"We are spending it to create 18 new units of permanent housing for the chronically homeless and mentally ill, 75 new units for homeless veterans and 28 new units of transitional housing for homeless youth and young adults," the mayor said.

Linda Lera-Randle El, an advocate for the homeless who runs the Straight from the Streets outreach program in Las Vegas, said the city has improved slightly, but still has a long way to go.

"When you are giving out trespassing and jaywalking tickets to homeless people, it's just harassment," she said. "If you or I got stuck in the crosswalk, we wouldn't have to go to the Regional Justice Center to explain why."

The national advocacy groups looked at 224 U.S. cities and ranked their top 20 based on the number of anti-homeless laws -- such as those making it illegal to sleep, eat or sit in public spaces -- in the city, the enforcement of those laws and the general political climate toward homeless people.

"Las Vegas has always gotten an F (in those areas)," Stoops said. "Someday I hope the city will quit criminalizing homelessness and they'll get off the list."

Here's the whole list, straight from the source:
1. Sarasota, FL
2. Lawrence, KS
3. Little Rock, AR
4. Atlanta, GA
5. Las Vegas, NV
6. Dallas, TX
7. Houston, TX
8. San Juan, PR
9. Santa Monica, CA
10. Flagstaff, AZ
11. San Francisco, CA
12. Chicago, IL
13. San Antonio, TX
14. New York City, NY
15. Austin, TX
16. Anchorage, AK
17. Phoenix, AZ
18. Los Angeles, CA
19. St. Louis, MO
20. Pittsburgh, PA

Wait . . . Santa Monica?!? Those homeless guys have it made! Good weather, beach views, lots of benches. I never expected THEM to make the list.

Anyway, I thought the whole report was interesting in light of Hizzoner's State of the City speech, which was nothing but moonlight and roses.

From yesterday's R-J:
STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS: Goodman banishes cynicism in speech

It would also appear he's banished reality.

Funny, isn't it, that this hit the Las Vegas Sun this morning:

Homeless program missing mark
Plan fails to place even one mentally ill person in housing

Nearly 18 months after its launch, a $1.5-million program to help the Las Vegas Valley's mentally ill homeless people get off the street has not housed a single person.

Because those crazies are hard to wrangle. They miss appointments. They lose their vouchers. They run when you call them.

So what's the point of all this?

That here, as always, there's a complete disconnect between intent and implementation. We have resources, but they get mismanaged. Because nobody is paying attention. The mayor can't (or, more to the point, won't) look beneath his own ponderous nose because he doesn't want to acknowledge the unpleasant. He wants the city to be all sparkly neon and happy visitors.

He doesn't want to do the hardest work of all – considered and competent address of real city issues. Plopping more pretty buildings and a professional sports team into the center of town won't make the problems go away. It will only exacerbate them.

But then I remember: it's not really Oscar Goodman's fault. After all, he's not really in charge of Las Vegas.

The casino industry and real estate developers are.