Is There a Future?
When I wrote my last editorial, I had no idea that I might soon be terminated prematurely, not by the editorial staff of Street Sense, but by persons who wish to silence me for reasons that I stated in my last editorial for the paper.
I was compelled to return to my shelter because the program that kept me in protective custody would not fun a longer stay in a safe location. I came back to hear someone say, "I don't know if I want to be sleeping next to you. You're a marked man. People say you know stuff you ain't got no business knowing. I don't want to wake up in the afterlife to see how true that is."
Needless to say, I couldn't see such a remark as a welcoming statement. However, I had to get on with my life, so I let it slide for the moment. Since then, over and over, I have had to interact with the police because of threats against me. The people who prompted me to go into protective custody before made some threats. Those who apparently are less than thrilled with having a "marked man" around made other threats.
The frightening part is that I saw the truth of my last editorial proven again and again. Many times when I spoke to the police, they refused to take any action whatsoever on my behalf, even when the incidents involved violations of a civil protection oder issued by the DC Superior Court. In one case, the police actually advised the assailant to file for a protection order to counter the one I held.
Would these same incidents have taken place had the person filing the complaint was not homeless? I have reason to doubt that. True, the DC Police Department is a rather confusing organization, segmented into many divisions, and each division seems to act according to a different set of rules, but all the divisions seem to show a certain indifference or even revulsion toward dealing with the homeless.
Because homeless shelters are often populated with persons with problematic backgrounds often involving criminal activities and/or substance abuse problems, it is easy to understand that a call from a place in which such a population is in control might not generate a lot of sympathy. But at the same time, those persons residing in these shelters are also entitled to live safely, and ignoring these calls -- a problem from which I have suffered often -- is hardly acceptable.
No matter what the argument might be, a homeless person who calls for help is still a person in need. Calls made for invalid reasons cannot be excused, but ignoring a call without investigating the reason for calling cannot be excused, either.
Tonight I am not sure where I will sleep because I am afraid to return to my bed. I cannot know if I will not end up the victim in some war between factions at my shelter in which I have been labeled the enemy. As I have learned, trying to walk the straight and narrow, to obey the rules, and to avoid confrontation are not enough when living in a homeless shelter. It is a constant struggle for survival, and reporting any wrongdoing or disturbance endangers any person's survival.
In the event that you do not see my editorial next month, you will realize that I truly was in danger and that the DC Police did not see fit to render assistance to me. Maybe it is because of my ethnic background, my gender, my accent -- none of that matters when my only desire is to remain safe.
Editor's note: Obviously I did survive!
I was compelled to return to my shelter because the program that kept me in protective custody would not fun a longer stay in a safe location. I came back to hear someone say, "I don't know if I want to be sleeping next to you. You're a marked man. People say you know stuff you ain't got no business knowing. I don't want to wake up in the afterlife to see how true that is."
Needless to say, I couldn't see such a remark as a welcoming statement. However, I had to get on with my life, so I let it slide for the moment. Since then, over and over, I have had to interact with the police because of threats against me. The people who prompted me to go into protective custody before made some threats. Those who apparently are less than thrilled with having a "marked man" around made other threats.
The frightening part is that I saw the truth of my last editorial proven again and again. Many times when I spoke to the police, they refused to take any action whatsoever on my behalf, even when the incidents involved violations of a civil protection oder issued by the DC Superior Court. In one case, the police actually advised the assailant to file for a protection order to counter the one I held.
Would these same incidents have taken place had the person filing the complaint was not homeless? I have reason to doubt that. True, the DC Police Department is a rather confusing organization, segmented into many divisions, and each division seems to act according to a different set of rules, but all the divisions seem to show a certain indifference or even revulsion toward dealing with the homeless.
Because homeless shelters are often populated with persons with problematic backgrounds often involving criminal activities and/or substance abuse problems, it is easy to understand that a call from a place in which such a population is in control might not generate a lot of sympathy. But at the same time, those persons residing in these shelters are also entitled to live safely, and ignoring these calls -- a problem from which I have suffered often -- is hardly acceptable.
No matter what the argument might be, a homeless person who calls for help is still a person in need. Calls made for invalid reasons cannot be excused, but ignoring a call without investigating the reason for calling cannot be excused, either.
Tonight I am not sure where I will sleep because I am afraid to return to my bed. I cannot know if I will not end up the victim in some war between factions at my shelter in which I have been labeled the enemy. As I have learned, trying to walk the straight and narrow, to obey the rules, and to avoid confrontation are not enough when living in a homeless shelter. It is a constant struggle for survival, and reporting any wrongdoing or disturbance endangers any person's survival.
In the event that you do not see my editorial next month, you will realize that I truly was in danger and that the DC Police did not see fit to render assistance to me. Maybe it is because of my ethnic background, my gender, my accent -- none of that matters when my only desire is to remain safe.
Editor's note: Obviously I did survive!
Published in Street Sense, June 2004.
posted by MasterWriter at 2:20 p.m.
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