Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin gives Vancouver advice on Olympic issues

Any modern metropolis is prone to homelessness issues, and Vancouver's comparatively warm Canadian climate and heavy tourism industry make it a prime location for those living below the poverty line without shelter. Atlanta's current mayor Shirley Franklin (who was not mayor during the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta) was in Vancouver this week addressing the Vancouver Board of Trade, and spoke with CBC's Radio One:

"We worked with the service providers and provided for shelter for every single person who was homeless who would come forward. Now that's an important word: 'come forward.' Not everyone wants to be a part of a social program."

An alternative viewpoint was presented by Wendy Pedersen of the Carnegie Community Action Project:

"They [The City of Atlanta] had six ordinances that made all kinds of things illegal, including lying down, just like we've got planned for Vancouver with [Project] Civil City. Lots of people were shipped out, and lots of people were put in jail. They actually built the city jail. Activists there called it the first Olympic project completed on time."

Source: CBC News