To the editor:

Though I don’t necessarily approve of people camping illegally in Burcham Park, I was outraged to read in the Aug. 13 edition of the Lawrence Journal-World that some homeless people’s belongings were destroyed in the razing of their camp sites.

I want those folks, and City Manager Mike Wildgen, to know that this citizen does NOT approve of the way my city behaved in this situation. Just because these people don’t contribute much to the local tax base doesn’t nullify their rights to a little dignity and compassion.

Mr. Manning, who lost his only means of self-support in the razing, is right: What the city did was nothing less than stealing, and Mr. Wildgen owes him a guitar.

Here’s a suggestion for handling such situations in the future: Stake up a simple sign near such campsites warning squatters that they have 24 hours to vacate. Just where they will vacate to is a subject the city needs to continue to explore.

Amber Fraley,

Lawrence