A spokesperson for an auction house located in San Francisco's Design District issued a statement denying that the company intentionally sprays sleeping homeless with water from a rooftop sprinkler in an attempt to make them relocate. The Guardian reports that Bonhams, which sells items like antique sporting pistols and sabers, attracts a homeless population to its nearby sidewalk as it is wide and abuts a windowless wall.
“The action to clean Bonhams’ building and perimeter sidewalks during non-business hours intermittently over a 48-hour period was not intended to disrespect the homeless or any visitor to our premises,” company spokesperson Kristin Guiter told the paper.
And yet, it is hard to imagine how the people living there could take it as anything but a sign of disrespect. Video embedded below, filmed by one of the individuals claiming that Bonhams intentionally soaked both homeless residents and their belongings, shows water pouring off the company's roof and onto now-wet possessions in the middle of the night.
“I just want to have a life,” explained Angelique, who provided the video to the paper but declined to give her last name. “I just want somewhere to live.”
Questions of wasting water aside, the extremely inefficient "cleaning" depicted in the video casts some pretty serious doubts on the spokesperson's claims of best intentions.
The Guardian also highlights an Instagram video showing the company soaking homeless tents during the day.
This entire ordeal calls to mind the quick about-face the San Francisco Catholic Archdiocese was forced to pull when confronted with video showing their sprinkler system specifically designed to drive away the homeless.
It didn't go over so well in the public eye for the church, but there's no telling how, if at all, sellers of an $80,000 to $100,000 factory engraved Colt Model 1848 Baby Dragoon percussion revolver will respond to accusations that their tactics are inhumane.
Related: [Update] Evil Archbishop Now Dumping Water On Homeless People To Roust Them From Cathedral Doorways
