San Francisco cathedral removes sprinklers used to soak the homeless

San Francisco's Roman Catholic Archdiocese has removed sprinklers from the doorways of St. Mary's Cathedral after homeless people complained on a radio show about getting sprayed as they slept outside.

A church spokesman said the purpose of the sprinklers, which dumped water every 30 minutes, wasn't to soak the homeless who slept in the doorways, but to act as a deterrent and to clean the areas. People who sleep outside of the church often leave behind blankets, trash, clothes, and needles, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, and Bishop William Justice, rector of the cathedral, said the sprinklers are a "safety, security, and cleanliness measure." He added, "we are sorry that our intentions have been misunderstood and recognize that the method was ill-conceived."

The church spokesman said they are looking into ways of keeping the doorways clean, and several homeless people told the Chronicle they are happy that the sprinklers have been removed. Nathaniel Alleger, 32, said he hopes that other people will pick up after themselves now that they can return. "People can't stand the homeless anyway, and if we leave a mess all that does is screw things up," he said. "I keep my places clean. If everyone does that and doesn't leave a footprint, nobody has a reason to be irritated."

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