Have you hugged a homeless person today?
I moved to San Francisco from middle America over two years ago. There was a lot about the City that was new and interesting to me like the tall buildings, the taxis, and the bike messengers. But one thing that has never stopped fascinating me is the homelessness. When I first arrived here I was typically disturbed by the dirty and often desperate looking people sleeping on mats of cardboard, drinking alcohol from tiny single shot bottles, and urinating on the sidewalk. Many seem belligerent and mean when they've had a particularly rough night, but some have great a great sense of humor and seem to want your smile as much as they want your leftovers. Some will beg for change with signs, their arms tucked in their thin t-shirts as they shiver in the San Francisco mist. Some sell Street Sheets at busy intersections for dollar bills. But there's one thing they all have in common; they will look you in the eye with the most sincere kind of gratitude you've ever experienced as they shake your hand. They need whatever money you can give them, but what they seem to need more is the acknowledgement of another person. They need one of the hundreds of busy people walking past their cardboard box to stop, say hello, and ask them what their name is and how they are doing, instead of hurrying past avoiding eye contact. They need respite from the dehumanizing shame of living on the margins, in vacant lots, and deserted alleys. They need to feel the warmth of a human hand in theirs. I believe that, and I feel the same need from time to time. I don't know how to help them improve their life. I doubt most of them want help aside from what ever rations they can scrape together themselves, and I understand that. But everyone deserves to be looked at like a human.
posted by Jesse Hattabaugh at 3:52 PM
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