As a teenager, I was appalled when my dad would invite a panhandler to lunch and talk to them about how they ended up on the street. As an adult and father, I can't thank him enough.

So, I was bothered by Matt Czajowski's story of being spurred into political action after encountering homeless men at Ben & Jerry's with his kids. Instead of talking about how hard life can be, he showed you can build a political career by criminalizing homelessness. This stereotype feeds the flood of red-shirted families trying to keep the IFC shelter out of sight and out of mind.

I will be voting for Mark Kleinschmidt on Tuesday.

Brandon Rector

Chapel Hill