Dear Editor,

I would like to talk a moment about the homeless problem. We have an ongoing issue with this. They get run off from one place only to end up somewhere else. I’ve been told that Cookeville has a homeless shelter and this would be a great place to take them since nothing in DeKalb is available. About 4 months ago I had one living in the woods behind my house. Police were notified and they came out and told the person they would have to leave, which they did. Now, I have a colony of 7+ living behind me. The mayor has been told of this and yet nothing is done about it. Instead of running them off why not load them up and take to the homeless shelter in Cookeville. Otherwise it’s going to be a constant thing like a city wide version of musical chairs. It’s a shame when you can’t even sit in your own backyard in peace and quiet because the people in the woods are screaming and fighting. The others on my street are all elderly or handicapped and there is no way any of us could fight off that bunch if they broke in on one of us. Is that what it’s going to take for someone to do something about this?? For someone to be killed or beaten severely. Considering most of them are meth heads it’s very possible. Please on behalf of the elderly get control of this problem and take them to Cookeville whether they want to go or not.

Sincerely,

Donnita Linder

Smithville