[jonny_eh]

> What caused the machines to disappear?

Because people hate the homeless and want to punish them, for some reason. It's the same reason we can't have comfortable public benches.

Edit: Grammer

[dragonwriter]

> Because people hate for the homeless and want to punish them, for some reason

It's more, I think, that people hate seeing the homeless, and want to keep them away. They don't particularly care enough to hate them, they just don't want to have to encounter them.

[exolymph]

I don't mind seeing homeless people, I simply don't wish to interact with them in any close or substantive fashion. It rarely goes well.

[jonny_eh]

That's a distinction without a difference.

[dragonwriter]

Insofar as the “why” of anything matters, it's not.

Insofar as only the action matters, the whole question of why is moot.