The Weight of the Streets

On Sunday, I was waiting for the bus along with an older man, probably around 60, who had just walked out of a bike shop. We started talking, and I told him about my internship at Christ's Body and how I work with the homeless. Without hesitation, he scoffed and said "I don't care to help the homeless, all they f***** do is hang out and do drugs." I tried to explain that the issue of homelessness is a little bit more complicated than that, but he didn't seem to care and followed up by saying "why should they get free s*** when I'm working all week?" I am growing increasingly close with the homeless community in Denver, so this man's words really irritated me. My bus arrived and I immediately hopped on because I didn't want to listen to his bitter views. I sat and thought about what he had said and shamefully realized that his thoughts weren't that different from many of those I grew up around, some of those thoughts which I couldn't help but buy into growing up. The misconceptions painted by politics, greed, and premature conclusions, which I was exposed to on a daily basis.

Thinking back on it, I wish I would have missed the bus that day so that I could tell him what I've learned during my time in Denver. I wish I would have told him about this past week, when one of my homeless friends, holding back tears, told me how the night before a man was shot right in front of him, shattering the perception of safety he may have had on the corner he calls home. I wish I would have told him that the homeless can't afford a therapist, so for many, drugs and alcohol are the only way they know how to cope with the realities of the world which they witness daily. I wish I would have told him that most of the homeless would love to have jobs, but because many have mental illnesses, criminal records, or problems with addiction, this is difficult or sometimes impossible. I wish I would have told him collecting a criminal record on the streets of Denver is incredibly easy, too. The city has made it illegal to camp in the city, essentially making it illegal to be homeless. Police can easily give a homeless man, who is sleeping in a park, a ticket, which they can't afford to pay, which results in a warrant, which puts them in jail. I also wish I would have told him that I have not met any homeless person who would not love to leave the bike shop on a Sunday afternoon , just in time to catch the bus home, turn on the Broncos game, eat a full meal, and fall asleep in a warm suburban bed instead of dealing with the realities of the street. The realities of having to drink yourself to sleep because of the constant fear of being arrested, robbed, or even killed. The realities of sleeping on the pavement under an awning in hopes of staying dry. The realities of wearing the same clothes for weeks on end and almost never taking a shower. The realities of not knowing when your next meal is. I wish I would have told him that the "free s***" that the homeless get comes at a far greater cost than what one might think at first glance.