As my wife was about to drop me off at the train station on Thursday morning, there were some police cars flying around. As I walked through the turnstiles and down the stairs to the station, I realized where they were going. Some drama down at the other end of the platform. I heard some loud talking, saw a bunch of cops, and a bunch of the new CTA security detail hired by the city. Every time I see them, they’re standing around, doing nothing, on their cell phones; far cry from the Guardian Angels that used to patrol the trains. Are they still around?
As I got on the train, I realized I picked the right car. There was someone covered up by a blanket, laid across two seats, right by the door where I was standing. Someone was seated in a wheelchair next to them, talking to them. This person, turns out was a lady, was talked into getting up by the man in the wheelchair. She was having a hard time; the guy seated next to where her feet were was just sitting there watching, with his fancy hairdo and glasses, and customized phone case that stood out. Not until the guy mentioned something to him, did he actually get up and get out of the way allowing her to struggle to her feet. I was in the perfect position to see half of her ass exposed in the process. She was in rough shape. Definitely was sleeping on the train all night; most likely homeless. As she sat in HER wheelchair, I saw she had a huge shank on her, no doubt for protection on these streets. The guy that was speaking to her, helping her, seemed more clean cut. Maybe he was living on the streets too; maybe he was just trying to help a friend, a relative. Seeing this stuff keeps me grounded; makes me appreciate what I have. Reminds me that many are not so lucky. We forget about those folks…
How did they get in the situation they’re in? From talking to a homeless guy in LA, his story had to do with a run of bad luck coupled with alienating himself from his family, which meant he had nowhere to go. I recommended that he reach out to someone in his family, that maybe they would open their doors to him; swallowing your pride, apologizing, making amends, has to beat living on the street no? Not that simple I guess. Many folks choose to be on the street vs one of the many homeless shelters throughout the city. There have been “tent cities” popping up all over the city, most of the time under a viaduct, most of the time by an expressway. Where should they go? What is the solution? There is no one size fits all, but something has got to give. I see all the homeless in videos from Venice Beach LA; the violence that comes with it. It’s one thing feeling bad for these folks, wanting to help them, and another thing worried about getting attacked and/or stabbed by one of them. Most of us just go about our daily lives, not worrying about them, either way. Seeing an example right in front of my face should stir up some feelings, maybe move me to do something. Nope. I’ve got my own problems, issues, whatever… surely much more serious than not having a place to go to sleep every night…
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