Being homeless is a hassle.
For one, you might not always know where you will get your next meal from; whether it will be from the soup kitchen, Meals on Wheels, or whether the organizations we rely on are closed. Then you have those such as myself, who want meals that are worth eating. I know some people think folks like me should be grateful to have anything to eat, which is a fact. Any human being, however, would not want to keep eating the same thing over and over.
Before you say “Get a job,” you have to give us equal opportunity instead of judging, entrapping and discriminating against us. Businesses and non-profit organizations lie to the world and the Lord. You make these commercials that state you need help and would love for people to join your team, and that the doors are open to anyone who qualifies.
What a joke!
From my understanding, if you’re not attractive, or if you’re not a certain color, you’re out of luck. That’s why some people are homeless — because they’d rather die in the streets before they sell their souls to the devil. Some of us still have morals and would not give that up for any amount of money.
We also get hassled trying to use the restrooms. Businesses deny us service and try to make us pay to use the restrooms. We’ve been cursed at, had our rights violated, been yelled at, harassed, threatened, and worse.
We can’t go into certain places like libraries because they made a policy about the number and the size of bags we can and can’t bring in. That was intended for us specifically. Then they tell us we can’t go to sleep or we’ll be put out — even in places where others sit down, like Whole Foods, Safeway, and Starbucks.
We don’t have enough port-o-potties and wash stations to wash our hands. Workers do not attend to them. The port-o-potties are overflowing with filth because they aren’t cleaned regularly, and the portable wash stations aren’t refilled.
The shelters are dangerous and dirty. There aren’t many places to sleep, wash clothes, take showers and things our tax dollars are supposed to be spent on. When we complain about it to the city, nothing happens. I’m not saying they’re not doing anything about it, but we see no results.
Hospitals and first responders have even denied us treatment, misdiagnosed our ailments, and violated our HIPAA rights.
According to the D.C. Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, the city is supposed to give us two weeks’ notice before they destroy our property, but they don’t. They never have. I’ve noticed this even before I started living on the streets. They “raid” tents. City workers will approach homeless citizens and tell them that they have to vacate the premises and whatever they can’t take with them will be disposed of. What’s the use of an oath if you don’t uphold it?
Homeless citizens like me have phones through the EBT/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but are unable to charge them because libraries, restaurants, and parks decide that they want to shut the power off so we don’t use the outlet, or cover and bolt the outlets so that we can’t use them. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library especially shouldn’t deny access to power. Some of us have medical appointments, case management appointments, court appointments, and psychiatrist appointments to arrange. We are also tax paying citizens. Our tax dollars helped put those outlets there.
The mayor says that there’s opportunity for us all, but where are they?
The president and the mayor adress all types of situations, from gay rights to abortion. But they don’t address how we homeless citizens are being robbed and lied to, sexually assaulted, falsely imprisoned, and most of all, how doors are being shut in our faces. But these are the same people who swore to American citizens that “all” would be treated fairly.
Why aren’t we getting fair treatment and the opportunity the Constitution states that we’re entitled to? Where’s our help? Where’s our justice?
Donté Turner is a vendor and artist with Street Sense Media.
