I am of an age that I can remember sit-ins as a form of protest.  There were sit-ins at lunch counters protesting racial segregation.  There were sit-ins on college campuses protesting the Vietnam War.  Sit-ins happened in many places for a variety of causes, with some of the sitters singing, “We Shall Not Be Moved;” and when the cops showed up to roust them out or herd them into the paddy wagon, the protesters went limp like a dog who knows bedtime means the kennel.

There is a woman in San Diego who is trying to organize a sit-in these days.  I don’t think she’s a hold-over from the ‘60’s, however.  She wants people to sit on public benches in three-hour shifts so homeless people won’t sit there.  Got to keep them moving, and maybe they’ll shuffle right out of town.

Let’s see.  Maybe she could get everyone to go down to the library and occupy all the chairs there, too, while actually reading a book or a newspaper.  Or perhaps she should encourage people to visit the public restrooms around town and occupy the stalls and stand in front of the urinals.  I know – she could round up volunteers to stand at the intersections of the main roads, so panhandlers have to keep moving.  Better still, why not get some nice folks to occupy the cells at the city jail.  Sorry, vagrants – no room for you there.  Don’t forget those luxurious shelters, either.  Anyone ready to sign up for a few nights on a cot in a crowded room?

The person so concerned about those smelly undesirables is named Esther Viti, and she sent out e-mails demanding that the recipients “OCCUPY THAT BENCH…to prevent that homeless person from sitting on that bench.”

It’s not that Esther Viti doesn’t want people hanging around downtown, apparently, it’s just certain people she doesn’t want to see there.  I don’t know if she simply doesn’t like homeless people, or whether their presence reminds her of the ills of our society and the growing economic disparity that is pulling our nation apart.  I guess we would have to ask her.

So far, no one has signed up for their three-hour sit-ins.  I don’t know this for a fact, but maybe some of them have been parking themselves elsewhere – like at church.

Then again, perhaps not.  Sanctuaries seem to have a lot of open seats, even on Sundays.