Joseph Mallander’s story “Death in Venice: a Failed Homeless Policy’s Role in a Senseless Summer Tragedy,” 9 August.  Go to  Death in Venice.

Mallander describes OFW as   “… most vibrant and most populated and is the City at its dingiest too on a perfect summer Saturday afternoon.”  

The late-model car accelerated indiscriminately into tourists and hipsters alike, homeless and merchants and homeless merchants, musclemen and musicians and families too-the people who have made Venice a different kind of happening for decades, the people who come to watch it all, and the people who have made it one of the City’s most shameful junkyards in the eyes of many who remember it being something better than it is today.

He talks about the policies and agencies that administer to the homeless.

Also he shows a picture of John and his dog Mateo back on the boardwalk or an old photo.  John’s stories appeared in Update earlier this year.  John had a transformation of thought after Christmas.  He got a job with one of the restaurants to put out tables in the morning and another job helping a lady vendor with her store.  PATH found a shelter that would take John–not easy because of dog.

John realized it wasn’t going to be easy to go to shelter and maintain his job but he was willing to try.  Shelter is the step before PATH finds more permanent shelter, and that too is not too easy if a homeless person has a pet.  But, according to PATH it is not impossible and has been accomplished many times.

John was out of the shelter the next day and refused to ever go again.  Now the picture in City Watch shows him back on the boardwalk.