After Amanda Bearden, Carl Junction, of Advocates for the Under Served, criticized the Joplin City Council at its most recent meeting for its policies concerning the homeless that she said led to the recent death of James Boyer, 41, Joplin, council member Ryan Jackson suggested that the council no longer let people who do not live in the city limits address the council.
In a message to media, which I received today, Bearden writes about that response, as well as the city's actions concerning the homeless. The letter is posted below.
Dear Joplin City Council Members, Mayor Cortez and members of the media,
I am writing to express my profound concern regarding the response I received during the February 2, 2026 City Council meeting when I informed the council that James Boyer, an unsheltered member of OUR community, had died of exposure.
What I Expected: When a citizen informs elected officials that someone has died due to conditions the city has a charter-mandated responsibility to address, the appropriate response should have included the acknowledgment of the loss of life, condolences to those who knew Mr. Boyer and recognition of the gravity of the situation.
What Actually Occurred: Instead of any expression of empathy or concern for Mr. Boyer's death, Councilperson Ryan Jackson immediately responded with hostility, including:
Aggressively questioning whether I had spoken to the City Council in Carl Junction
Suggesting I "take all of the unhoused to Carl Junction's parks"
Specifically mentioning "Briarbrook Park is nice and has ponds" in what appeared to be a sarcastic dismissal
Continuing to aggressively lecture me about camping ordinances for several minutes
This behavior only stopped when Mayor Cortez stated, "Mr. Jackson, that's enough"
The Core Issue: Neither Mr. Jackson, Mayor Cortez, nor any other council member or city official present acknowledged that a human being had died. There was no moment of recognition, no expression of concern, no indication that this loss mattered.
Why This Matters:
A man is dead. James Boyer was a member of this community who died of exposure - a preventable death.
Professional standards: Elected officials representing 50,000+ residents should be capable of basic human empathy, particularly when informed of a death that relates to city policy.
Accountability vs. deflection: My residency in Carl Junction is irrelevant to:
Mr. Boyer's death
Joplin's charter obligations under Section 2.12
The fact that Joplin's $125,000 homeless coordinator position remains vacant
The need for evidence-based solutions rather than criminalization
The pattern this reveals: When presented with the ultimate consequence of inadequate policy - death - the immediate response was to attack the messenger rather than address the message.
My Questions:
Does this council believe the death of an unsheltered community member warrants any official acknowledgment or concern?
Is aggressive deflection toward citizens who bring forward difficult information the standard response protocol?
What accountability exists for council members who respond to reports of death with hostility rather than appropriate gravity?
What I'm Asking:
A formal acknowledgment of James Boyer's death and its relationship to the inadequacy of your current approach
Clarification of expected standards of conduct when citizens report deaths related to city policy
Renewed commitment to filling the vacant homeless coordinator position and implementing evidence-based solutions before more lives are lost, before more community members are permanently disabled
Members of the Joplin area community, including family of Mr. Boyer, will be holding a vigil next Saturday, February 14th at 5 pm. This would be one more opportunity for you to show some sort of empathy and care for this community member, their friends and loved ones.
I have spent over six years working with unsheltered community members and researching best practices. I come before this council not as an adversary but as someone trying to prevent more deaths and trying to eliminate the harm (including frostbite that currently has two community members facing amputation) . Mr. Boyer's death should be a call to action, not an opportunity to question my zip code.
The measure of a community is how it treats its most vulnerable members. Right now, we are failing that measure - and when confronted with the fatal consequences of that failure, the response was hostility rather than humanity.
I respectfully request that this email be included in the public record and/or encourage the media copied here to share this with their subscribers.
Sincerely,
Amanda Bearden
Advocates for the Under Resourced
18 comments:
The bleeding hearts bleed in vain.
7:48 quite the Christian response you have there. Way to go regarding a community member. I was under the belief that all residents whether housed or unhoused, who reside in our community are all current community members and citizens. I personally am appalled at the way the information was received by a current board member and how the person delivering this news was treated. It is quite interesting to know that only empathy is applied to housed members of this community, even though over half of our community is one pay check away from a disaster happening that could easily render them homeless. Seems to be that only people with money and the right connections are allowed to receive empathy or common compassion from our current Joplin City Council members. Speaks highly of the so called Christian’s of our community like Mr Jackson, does it not. Elections do have consequences, since some people believe they are so much better than all the other members of our community. WWJD??? I doubt that he would look fondly at your comment or Mr Jackson’s. I have personally witnessed God’s sense of humor at ignorant people. The sad thing is they never understand why it happens to them when their lives crumble. Being humble and humane are God’s given blessings. Being hateful and uncaring leads you straight to hell. Enjoy your trip…
Any loss of life is tragic, no matter the circumstances. We may never know the story behind Mr. Boyer and why he came to be a member of the Joplin homeless. I think we can at least use this unfortunate event to better prepare ourselves to ensure that we do what we can to prevent it from happening in the future.
As far as Mr. Jackson is concerned. He is nothing more than an immature boy. Always has been. Lived in daddy's shadow while acting like he was a boss. It's actually entertaining to watch/listen to him act like he knows what he is doing. Makes a fool of himself every time. No, he should not be sitting on council but, it's something he (mostly daddy) wanted for a long time. He forgets he is there to listen-whether it be in favor or against. His problem is, he doesn't like it when people don't agree in his favor.
Informative, well written, agreed that your zip code doesn’t matter.
Very well spoken!
Self righteousness and condemnation is definitely your look.
Great to know I'm not the only one to see this!
Jackson got shut down by Cortez because he was saying some of the quiet parts out loud in public.
They aren't supposed to be doing their creeping in the daylight. It means the mayor and council can't act like they don't know what Jackson said, and what the context of the situation was when he said it.
They might even have to say they agree with Jackson.
They surely are not allowed to say they disagree with what Jackson said.
8:21 takes one to know one, correct?
Since when is it the Government's duty failing. take care of everyone. It's tragic that this person passed away due to not having adequate resources. This is not a government issue. It's a heart issue and our local churches and non-profits are failing. We as people are failing. We are responsible not the Government.
Since when is it our responsibility to make sure people are fed and warm and don't die? Those are the words of some sick people in this comment section. If you dont think your purpose in this life is to help others than you are missing out on the beauty of the world. The point of the article is that someone died, they could have been helped, and once again Jackson showed his rude, true colors and arrogance of a life without want. And that action, is not becoming of a sitting council person. He is not speaking to subordinates, he is speaking to the intelligent, accomplished, voting public. His belittling tone was, and is, not warranted.
11:06 your comment is very true and sincere. Thank you!
Don’t have to live in CJ to know Bearden is an annoying blowhard. If she has all the time, money, resources and solutions to solve the homeless problem, by all means have at it.
My tax dollars don’t need to be directed toward it as the city has enough line items in the budget that need addressed well before tax dollars are spent on the homeless and the unemployable.
Wait, go back and watch the meeting and her comments. She used her full 5 minutes to berate the mayor and the council that she dislikes them, then after the timer went off to let everyone know her tim ended she says, 'One more thing. James Boyer died..." If that was the crux of her message, then why is it the one thing she mentions in one sentence after her time was up?
Loss of life is tragic. Yet Joplin, like other cities across the United States, who have thrown millions and millions of dollars at homelessness have not accomplished anything either. Do we as a society have to take responsibility for everyone, it seems this is an impossible task, because everyone thinks this is such an easy fix or there are simplistic solutions. Do we raise taxes to create another governmental program, with more fraud and waste to support the idiolist and moralistic
Granted -
Key Drivers of Homelessness
Housing and Economic Factors: A major shortage of affordable housing units, combined with stagnant wages and high rent, forces many into homelessness.
Economic Instability: Job loss, underemployment, and poverty are critical factors that leave individuals unable to pay for housing.
Individual and Health Factors: Severe mental illness (affecting 20-25% of the homeless population), physical disabilities, and chronic health problems prevent people from maintaining stability - drugs and alcohol use.
Substance Abuse: Addiction issues and the lack of accessible treatment services contribute significantly to the risk of becoming homeless.
Personal and Family Crises: Domestic violence is a primary cause, especially for women and children. Other factors include family breakdown, divorce, or the death of a supporting family member.
System Failures: Individuals exiting foster care, prison, or the military without adequate support systems often face immediate homelessness.
Perhaps council should take a close look at the residency of many of its department heads. Most are non-residents also. Does this mean Jackson doesn’t want to hear from them also?
1106, tell me, how would you have prevented this death? The city made it so they can't loiter in the parks and set up camp in front of businesses, how would this guy still be alive if he were hiding in the park instead of some abandoned building? There were plenty of warming shelters during the cold snap, this guy was mentally ill and made the unfortunate decision to not find a warming center. Do you really think a society can prevent all deaths? Even people with homes die during major ice/snow/cold weather events.
Homeless shelters stepped up, churches stepped up, where were you and all the other virtue signalers during this winter storm? How many homeless people did you take in during that time?
The government isn't supposed to be our daddy, be an adult and either put your money where your mouth is or shut up.
928, talk about a bunch of malarkey. Everyone is a pay check away from being homeless, everyone is a crack pipe away from being a crackhead, everyone is one drive away from being in a car crash. What is your point here? Isn't that life? If you refuse to put in the work, you no get food, you no get shelter. The vast majority of homeless people have chosen drugs or alcohol over being a stable contributing person in society. It's just a fact. Some have legit mental issues, some have legit physical handicaps, but the majority of them have chosen a degenerate lifestyle over a productive one. They're just a few good decisions away from being a normal citizen.
Also, refusing to accept Jesus as your lord and saviour is what sends people to hell, not being "hateful" or "uncaring" according to 928's personal opinion. So you're wrong on that as well.
One can make fun of leftists while also being charitable to the homeless.
You just got your feelings hurt, simple as that.
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