From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Perhaps the list serves to show us how far we
are from peace of mind when mere e-mails can inflame us to such hatred and
outpourings of vitriol. I hope that he continues to post freely.>
Why do you like dangerous people? I am sorry that I flamed you about bums a
couple of days ago, but it did not occur to me that you honestly like to put
your hands into the fire like that.
What makes you bring bums into your home where they could murder you and
then rob you? Where these REAL bums (that smelled like urine and feces, with
matted hair and filth-encrusted clothing) or just Homeless People living in
Shelters (but otherwise relatively normal and clean)?
I will understand if you are reluctant to answer. The metaphysical poet Sir
Thomas Carew said "One man's meat is another man's poison" and I promise
that I am not going to comment negatively. I cannot imagine what you did. So
I would like to hear it from you, if you want to share the actual
experiences.
Al
Hi Al,
Violent people I don't like and try to avoid if possible. If it's
not possible, I try and talk only to their calmer side so as to decrease the
possibility of their suddenly lashing out.
As for the guys we brought up to our apartment well, there was a lot of
sidewalk sitting and getting to know each other first and they only came in
when
we were confident that they could handle it.
One guy that used to come up a lot was 'Little' Joe or 'Crazy' Joe as he
was sometimes called. He had a wonderful intuitive talent for playing and
singing blues and would come up and, on a good day, make up a song on the
moment with a rhythm so crisp it made hairs stand up on your neck. On a bad
day he
would start shouting about something and we'd have to ask him to leave.
After a while he would recognise what he was doing and leave without being
asked
if he was starting to get cranky.
Another guy I had a lot of time for was Gene, a very humble and softly
spoken guy, slight in appearance. He'd lost his low rent apartment by fire
(I'm guessing arson) and came to the shelter for his meals and to hang out in
the daytime. In the nightimes he'd go up to somewhere on 78th Street where he
had 'a warm' spot sleeping on heating vent. He could've been bussed out to an
old airfield like most of the guys but he preferred to stay where he was out
of the way of bullies. We used to sit on the doorstep and share some vodka
and orange juice sometimes and occasionally it'd seem to refresh rather than
depress our minds and he'd suddenly jump up and exclaim ' Well Brian, this
here's some MAgic potion. He was a lovely guy and, unlike Joe who would ask
for a
little money from time to time would never ask for anything.
There are others I ought to mention like Walter, who I was standing
outside talking to when 3 Peurto Ricans scooped up my sunglasses from the
step.
He said 'Hey leave them alone they're Brian's.' They surrounded him and I
pushed in and said 'Hey what are you doing.' At this one of them punched me in
the face and it looked like I was in for a good kicking. Suddenly about 20
voices shouted out of the open windows 'Leave them alone.
Leave them alone.' They 3 Peurto Ricans loked around and left, leaving
thesunglasses behind with a parting remark from one 'You ever been stabbed?'
The point is, (if you're still reading!), that many of them were real people
that were good to deal with. Yes you had to establish limits with them but
don't we do that with 'polite society' as well? Also, getting to know some of
these guys can actually be a help when out of neighborhood thugs are around.
All this was in the '80's. Joe disappeared, maybe he went back to
Detroit. I don't know what happened to Walter, he wasn't well, had a purple
face
and was always worried. Gene I know was shot on the street for being a 'bum'
presumably in 1985.
The other fact I should mention before leaving this strand for good is
that we were 3 guys sharing an apartment that cost $39.13 a month, getting by
doing whatever construction, moving or waitng jobs came by. We were only too
aware that the entitlement to the rent controlled apartment was the only
thing keeping us from the shelter.
Brian
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