To the person who complains about the dearth of public restrooms in Downtown Santa Cruz:

You are wrong to peg this problem on the homeless.

Public facilities sometimes get vandalized. That's why smart people install simple, strong fixtures. That's why smart people install partitions that provide only the minimum necessary level of privacy. That's why smart people put restroom doors in plain view. That's why smart people hire monitors to check and clean restrooms on an hourly basis. That's why smart people carry insurance.

I don't want to peg the problem entirely on stingy or shortsighted businesspeople, either.

People-oriented cities provide public facilities. If San Diego can have public showers in a central, downtown location, why can't we? If Calistoga can have several clean, well-maintained public restrooms, why can't we? If it takes a special tax, I'll be the first to sign up. Public facilities benefit everyone.

I am so tired of these attacks on the homeless, and on people like Robert, who have the courage to speak up.