Not In My Backyard Quotes

“Many in response to free shelter say “not in my backyard.” Concerns for one’s community are understandable, but society is often too quick to assume a person who enters a community automatically brings danger and disorder. A stable home gives a person a place to sleep and exist. All neighborhoods deserve safety and care. But it’s contradictory for rights to be a demand for ourselves and a privilege we deny others. A neighborhood is made of people. And every person deserves the chance to be part of a safe, cared-for neighborhood too. Therefore, you cannot say a neighborhood deserves safety while denying safety to the people who make it a neighborhood. If someone paid for your home in full tomorrow, would you instantly become the neighbor you fear? Of course not. You would be the same person, just without rent. Shelter doesn’t change a person’s character, only their cost.”
― Kristian Ventura, The Price of Being Human