Our resident wastrel has been back on his park bench since the rain's let up. As I've said before—and I do mean it—I've got nothing against lovable vagrants and the like, but a park bench is not a housing solution. Bums are a sort of social barometer. Neglected parks and neglected people tend to go together.

Technically, our Meaney Man is not doing anything wrong. Parks are for loitering, after all. So long as he's not exposing himself to children, stabbing other bums, or drinking publicly or doing or selling drugs, he's free to set up shop. So says a local cop of my acquaintance who's probably related to him, anyway.

Not that I would have him forcibly ejected or anything. What good would that do? There is an old saying: a park gets the squirrels it deserves. One bum moves on, another takes his place. The bums aren't really so much the problem as the culture of neglect.

In fact, I think his presence there is important at this point. He's a constant reminder (except when it rains) of the state of our neighborhood. He's not actively bothering anyone, but his passive presence there is bothering, because he personifies the poverty, neglect, and despair endemic to Dorchester at this point in time.

There are lots worse scenarios for parks than drunks sleeping on park benches. I know that. And I'm not saying, simply, "gawd, I wish that old drunk would disappear." But I think we can do better on both of these separate but related fronts—making our parks nicer, safer places for everyone in our neighborhoods, and providing better care for our poor and high-risk populations.

Doing nothing on either front and pretending like that's good enough doesn't cut it.

Margie Lynch from the DCR wants to set up a meeting for mid-July with anyone from the neighborhood who wants to pitch in. A rep from the DCR will be there, along with the landscaping contractor. An exact date has not been set. I'll keep you posted.