HOMELESS SLEEPING IN CAR AT LIBRARY

Thursday was New Year’s Eve. I forgot about that, and drove to the library where I had a book on hold. Noticed the parking lot was almost empty as I headed for the door. It was locked. On my way back, I observed another silver car parked nearby. How strange, I thought. Why are all the windows covered with blankets, papers, and clothes? Light bulb. I’m looking at a homeless person sleeping in their car at the library at one o’clock in the afternoon. I don’t think they had a very Merry Christmas.

I’ve observed homeless people lingering in the parks and downtown near drugstores and Dollar Stores. But seeing someone sleeping in their car was a first. I suppose the library parking lot is a safe place for that. I sat there for a few minutes, feeling utterly helpless. Obviously, the person doesn’t feel safe sleeping in their car at night. Or it may be against the law in our city. If you’re a woman, it could be dangerous after dark. But where does this person go from dusk to dawn? How do you while away the hours while sitting or driving in the darkness?

Taking a closer look, you can see that this car is in pretty decent shape. It’s not dented or rusty or dirty. I don’t pay much attention to car models and years, but it looked fairly new. Maybe this was a small business owner who suddenly went bust. Or someone who had a decent job before the pandemic hit. But suddenly, he/she is out of work. And no place to go. Maybe an only child. Or someone without a nearby family. For all I know, there may have been a couple of little kids sleeping in the back seat of that car.

Oddly, this morning as I read the various news feeds on the net, I saw that the stock market is at an all time high. Small investors, especially, are betting that we’re going to have a booming economy as soon as everyone gets vaccinated. But I’m not sure of that. According to Brookings Institute 20% of American workers have lost jobs and are lining up at food banks. Many of these jobs will not come back.

Stock market at all time high while homeless sleeping in car at library. — Homeless are sleeping in cars. . Meanwhile, the stock market is soaring.

Obviously, the pandemic has worsened the gap between rich and poor in this country. And it’s only getting worse . Highly educated people able to work from home may have piled up lots of money in their savings account. Meanwhile, the less skilled are food deprived, and living in their cars. Will the economy bounce back in time to save these people from poverty? I hope so, but it doesn’t seem very likely.

In the words of the poet, John Donne, No man is an island.

‘No Man is an Island’

No man is an island entire of itself; every man 
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; 
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe 
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as 
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine 
own were; any man's death diminishes me, 
because I am involved in mankind. 
And therefore never send to know for whom 
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

October 5, 2020October 5, 2020

HOMELESS MAN COOKS SPAGHETTI IN PARK

One of my favorite pastimes during this pandemic is walking in the park along the Wabash River. It’s not a stylish spot like our other parks. You don’t see fancy running gear, people walking pedigreed dogs, or upscale vans. You’re more apt to see folks in parked trucks and old model sedans. I suppose that’s because it’s not in a very good neighborhood. Nevertheless, the joy of seeing the bend in the river, and sunlight over the water, is an exhilarating experience. Yesterday, I observed another person enjoying the riverfront : A homeless man cooking spaghetti in the park.

Homeless man cooks spaghetti along the banks of the Wabash River — Homeless Man Cooks Spaghetti in Park. A folding stove provided him with boiling water.

At first, I saw a folding stove, with a pan above the flames. This held my attention, because I recently purchased a similar stove after going through the last power outage. Although it was warm weather, and we weren’t feeling cold, we desperately needed a cup of coffee. Luckily, our son found a McDonalds that was serving coffee, so we made it through the next 18 hours. The following day,, I found a survival stove and cubes of fuel at Rural King , which can be used indoors. No matter what, we will have our coffee, even if it’s just instant.

The homeless man impressed me when he opened a box of spaghetti and broke some into the pot of boiling water. He was having a homecooked meal right next to the river. No canned spaghetti for him!

He appeared to be middle aged, and wore a clean jacket and pants. He had a beard, but it wasn’t overly long. I thought about him as I walked by his encampment, consisting of nothing more than a backpack and a few scattered items.. Out of curiosity, I turned around for another look. And then, I saw that he was walking a short distance behind me.

Immediately, my friendly interest turned to fear. There was no one around. Was I about to get mugged? I had nothing but my cellphone, since I’d left my purse in the car. I quickened my pace and sprinted to the playground, joining a mother and her two children. Now I felt safe. Looking back toward the sidewalk, I saw that he was still walking.. Obviously, he hadn’t been following me at all. He was merely talking a walk while the pasta bubbled over his folding stove. As if on cue, he turned around and returned to the stove.

At that moment, I realized how deeply ingrained our biases are when we see a homeless person. We assume that they’re bad people. And I’m sure some of them are. But realistically speaking, how dangerous could a person be who’s cooking spaghetti on the banks of the Wabash River?

June 5, 2019June 5, 2019

HOMELESS LADY WASHES HAIR AT LIBRARY

Most everyone who lives in a metropolitan area has grown accustomed to seeing homeless people at the library. We also know that soup kitchens serve hundreds of people every day. It’s a fact of life that makes us uncomfortable, because we don’t know how to deal with it But when I saw a lady coming out of the handicapped stall at the library with wet hair, it really hit me in the gut. Should a homeless lady wash her hair at the library?

Should the library allow homeless to clean up in their restrooms — SHOULD LIBRARIES ALLOW THE HOMELESS TO USE THEIR RESTROOMS TO CLEAN UP?

It wasn’t clear if she had washed her hair in the hand sink before she went into the stall, or worse yet, dunked it in the toilet. She seemed disoriented. The bathroom smelled of her dirty bags . There were food crumbs scattered all over the floor. After an initial reaction of revulsion, I was overcome with feelings of sympathy. The woman wasn’t that old—maybe fifty. She was someone’s child, granddaughter, maybe mother or wife. She was a human being in desperate need of help. And I had no idea what to do. And so, I merely smiled and left.

I couldn’t erase the scenario from my mind. What should I have done? I turned to an internet chat room (Reddit) and asked for other’s opinions. Most agreed that there was nothing I could really do, except smile and leave. Other’s felt that the library should not tolerate this type of thing because the woman could have Aids, STDS , and other infectious disease that could endanger others. Some said I should have reported it to an employee of the library.

I surfed the internet to see what other libraries do. Many cities like Seattle have specific policies and procedures for dealing with the homeless. https://www.newstatesman.com/world/north-america/2018/12/how-seattle-s-public-library-stepping-deal-city-s-homelessness-crisis Some have social workers available to help those in need.

I ‘m not sure if librarians are in a position to deal with such problems. In our town, various non profits provide homeless shelters. But shouldn’t the government bear some responsibility ? Homeless people were probably once taxpayers, maybe served our country in the military. At the very least, we should have public bathrooms where the homeless have access to showers. I know that security would be a problem, but it seems like that could be dealt with. The poet John Donne would tell us that any man’s misery diminishes us, because all of us are involved in mankind.

‘No Man is an Island’

No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man’s death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

John Donne, 1624