Past Tense—The Homeless Problem in Star Trek DS9

The third Star Trek sequence—Deep House 9—is ready on a distant area station-city. The producers needed to be inventive with the scripts as a result of they aren’t visiting “unusual, new worlds” on a regular basis. In season 3, episodes 11 and 12, titled “Previous Tense” they handled—thirty years in the past within the mid-Nineteen Nineties, thoughts you—with the US homeless drawback of their distant previous, set in our way forward for late August of the yr 2024. The script rings all too true of our current state of affairs relating to homelessness, poverty, expertise, and authorities. Very prescient. 

Within the episode, three of the primary characters fly again to earth to go to Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco. Once they arrive, there’s a mishap, and they’re unintentionally “beamed” again in time by a century to August 2024. Out of time and with out correct identification, Captain Sisko and Dr. Basheer are captured and positioned in a so-called sanctuary district. Sisko rapidly realizes the date and tells Basheer that within the 2020s each main metropolis had a job and homeless drawback, and that they’re simply days away from the well-known riots within the sanctuary districts which can spark reform, so that they should be further cautious to not change the long run.

The episode is an effective reflection of the rising homeless state of affairs within the US, with the official rely at 650,000 with practically 30 % of the full in California. These figures are up 12 % within the final yr. The official numbers may very well be wildly inaccurate. Lots of these are in “shelters,” not sanctuary districts, and most of the relaxation are cordoned off in out-of-the-way and lower-income areas, hidden considerably from higher revenue households.

The longer term sanctuaries are overcrowded and soiled previous neighborhoods the place the homeless are trapped and victimized. There are folks with psychological sickness and petty criminals within the districts, however a lot of the trapped inhabitants are depicted as regular folks and households who fell sufferer to unemployment. They’re given a card that provides them entry to meals and water.

All of that is paying homage to public housing and meals stamps—SNAP—in the present day. Immediately, there are over 9 million folks in sponsored public housing. There are virtually 2 million in precise prisons and the inhabitants that has been incarcerated and launched is big, however they’re much less capable of finding first rate jobs.

The expertise tycoons within the episode—representing the California wealthy folks—are portrayed in a very unfavorable mild. All of this appears moderately correct in the present day, however was not less than considerably prophetic and insightful when it was written and aired three many years in the past.

The anti-hero is the CEO of a mega-information methods firm. Though he admits to liking tattoos, he had his eliminated way back to take care of his picture and his firm’s profitable authorities contracts. He admits to being a sellout to humanity to be able to shield his helpful authorities contracts and licenses, however he does assist the gorgeous heroine of the Starfleet crew who tries to rescue her mates trapped within the sanctuaries.

Different tech tycoons are additionally on the dole of presidency contracts and favors and are portrayed as pretentious, piss-elegant dandies and quaintrelles. After all, sometimes we solely see the actual ones in the present day wearing uber-expensive denim and t-shirts which, if nothing else, helps shield their picture with clients and staff.

Within the episodes, the federal government bureaucrats and safety guards attempt to ignore the realities of the sanctuaries and are “simply doing their jobs.” They’re portrayed as overworked and underpaid. One younger guard is simply doing his job, defending his job, attempting to guard his household and preserve them out of the sanctuary. When confronted with the horrors and inequities of the sanctuaries, one previous fart safety guard explains that individuals simply don’t get it and “what good would it not do.” A authorities bureaucrat working on the sanctuary workplace realizes that the entire thing is unsuitable, however that any deviations from authorities protocols might price her job.

The plot has Sisko changing the chief of the well-known “Bell Riots,” who’s killed making an attempt to assist Sisko from being mugged. Sisko assumes Bell’s id and he and Basheer should thereafter shield the timeline!

The Starfleet crew is instrumental in getting folks within the sanctuary to inform their private tales on-line—who they had been earlier than and the way they ended up within the sanctuary. The rioters’ “affordable” calls for embrace freedom, closing the sanctuaries, and employment by the restoration of the Federal Jobs Act.

After all, the governor and the federal government don’t meet any of the calls for and as an alternative ship in a large military-type raid into the sanctuary district, killing most of the homeless and their leaders. Within the wake of this travesty, we’re instructed that reforms are made, and that homelessness and unemployment turns into a factor of the previous. Chances are you’ll recall that the “freedom of need” has been magically eradicated by the point of the primary Star Trek sequence is launched with Captain Kirk and Spock—submit 2024.

Ultimately, not less than the tech-tycoon and authorities staff notice the evils they’re inflicting and collaborating in. Politicians naturally responded with overwhelming drive, however by exposing the horrors and injustices of the sanctuary district coverage, the Starfleet crew has swayed public opinion (i.e., ideology) in favor of efficient reforms.

Within the wake of the army raid, Sisko and Basheer slip out to security with the assistance and acquiescence of the previous fart safety guard. With the timeline secured and reforms on the best way, the crew beams again to their ship. Basheer asks: “How might they let issues go so dangerous?” to which Sisko solutions: “Good query.”

The entire plot components are properly achieved, and the 2 episodes have been acknowledged with awards for his or her craft and for social consciousness. Right here we acknowledge them for his or her prophetic perception when it comes to the accuracy and timing of those burning social points. What’s lacking is any description of the particular reforms that cured the issues of homelessness and unemployment. Like the entire Star Trek style, the essential situation of shortage is commonly missed, significantly within the case of points again on earth.

In the actual world, we at all times have to acknowledge the problems of shortage and effectivity. Homelessness is a matter the place the more cash you “throw at it,” the larger the issue turns into. The issue of homelessness is more and more vexing for American society because it reaches important ranges. Nonetheless, if we acknowledge shortage and the position of incentives, a common thought of the reforms may be constructed.

That begins with the belief that homelessness has at all times existed and could be a life-style alternative, nevertheless, society mustn’t subsidize homelessness, nor stand in the best way of individuals securing housing justly. Moreover, the homeless mustn’t trespass on non-public property, and public property needs to be managed in the same method. Right here, we should always not tolerate a Marxist free-for-all.

There are additionally particular insurance policies that decrease the damaging affect of homelessness on others and maximize the standing of the present and potential homeless. I’ll state these in stark phrases for readability.

First, job alternatives should be the primary and highest precedence and that includes repealing the entire monstrous assortment of presidency “job safety” and exclusion guidelines and laws. Minimal wage legal guidelines, licensing legal guidelines, taxes on labor, and all types of authorities paperwork and reporting necessities should be abolished. 

Second, the prison justice system wants systemic reform to give attention to deterring violent and property crime, but additionally to discourage incarceration by victimless crime. For instance, the jail inhabitants has declined at the side of the legalization of hashish, and imprisonment is a number one barrier to employment.

Third, all authorities restrictions on housing building and occupancy should be eradicated, together with something that smacks of restrictions and better costs, particularly something that has the identical results as lease controls. California has an intense, intricate net of presidency intervention that negatively impacts housing, restricts provide, drives up costs, and curtails availability, a significant contributor to the state’s homeless drawback.

Fourth, subsidies to unemployment, significantly welfare packages, want to finish and should be phased out to facilitate particular person initiative slightly than dependency. Authorities funding must be restricted to serving to the mentally and bodily handicapped with “carrot-and-stick” insurance policies that facilitate finest independence achievements.

Fifth, good climate is a giant explanation for homelessness, which is a giant cause why states similar to California have a lot homelessness, however one other huge coverage cause for homelessness are insurance policies that subsidize homelessness—a catch-22 issue that stymies good outcomes and solely will increase the issue over time.

With homelessness much less interesting and jobs extra available, the issue of drug dependancy (in addition to psychological sickness) among the many homeless may be addressed. Charity-based rehabilitation services and half-way housing could be the most effective strategy with which to experiment. 

Clearly, politicians and bureaucrats can’t be counted on to resolve this drawback. Their actions have solely made this worse over time. Solely with market-based reforms can we ever anticipate to place the issues of homelessness and low-skilled unemployment, because the title of the episodes recommend, previously tense.