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It’s not just the cops. When I was full time as a paramedic, we got called for “man down” or “cardiac arrest” or “sick person” or whatever on homeless people all the time. So now, we have to go and wake this person up who just wants to be left tf alone and make sure they aren’t actually dead or dying because they had the absolute gall to lie down where some dingus with a cell phone could see them. If you don’t think the emergency healthcare system isn’t also weaponized against the poor, you’ve got another think coming, it’s just not nearly as overt as with the cops.
Ambulance service is fucking expensive. This is part of the reason why “give all the homeless houses” is the cheaper solution.
So one time I was homeless during the winter and it was below zero while I was stuck outside. I stuffed my jacket full of newspaper and hid out in a breezeway, but I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through the night. It was really, really cold.
The first business that opened was a bagel shop, and it was still subzero when it did. I went in, sat down, and refused to leave. They threatened to call the cops, I told them to go ahead and threatened suicide so they’d PC me and bring me to the hospital. That happened. The ER gave me a warm bed for a few hours and fed me; probably saved my life, certainly my sanity.
I hope the last part of that story isn’t a complete fluke. Getting warm shouldn’t require a morbidly clever exploitation of the emergency medical system for the sake of survival. I certainly would have welcomed someone showing up hours earlier and offering me a warm bed.
Also the cop who kicked me out of the ATM I’d taken shelter in could have just, you know… not.
I’ve lived on the sidewalk and dealt with the dehumanization involved in that. It’s certainly ugly. But I’ve also seen people who are legitimately terrifying for good reason. Like, randomly pulling a knife in a Starbucks while arguing with someone who isn’t there terrifying. Both of those situations require empathy, but the latter maybe also requires someone with a taser in case guy decides to get stabby. Personally, I’d rather that someone not be a cop, but the options are kind of slim in that department.
It’s not all one or the other.
Pointing fingers at one another in outrage on the internet probably won’t be the thing that helps though. Go buy somebody lunch.
This.
As someone who’s also overcome that challenge in their life (congrats, btw — that shit is deceptively difficult to get out of), this is a rational and fair response, and I appreciate the inherent empathy and mature wisdom it comes from. I hope others here will listen and understand your view, neighbor. 🤙🏼
Lol - look at this special little flower who has never been mugged.
Maybe I’m special but I can tell the difference between “dude who is in a bad mood or maybe needs meds they can’t afford and so they’re yelling” and “guy who is actually threatening me with harm.”
Agree and that’s not well enunciated in the post.
Dude having a bad night? Let him be. None of our business.
Dude following my so when she’s out with her gal friends, saying he’s gonna skull fuck her eye socket while they watch? Different sitch.
I think there should be better social services and shelter accessibility for homeless people. But let’s not pretend that we can always tell who an intruder is by how they look. There is no universal ‘look’ to them because they aren’t cartoon characters. Intruder and robbers could easily pretend to be a homeless person and prey on unsuspecting people like you.
I think it’s true that a lot of people call the police because they are racist or just hate homeless people. But let’s not treat this like a black and white issue and dismiss the legitimate concerns of safety that some people have. I’ve lived in my fair share of shitty neighborhoods and was broken in twice before. I have also called the police on someone who was yelling at me while I pulled up at home with my bike. Maybe they were only homeless or were mentally ill and wasn’t a threat, but I’m choosing between being rude to this person and potentially being robbed, raped or killed. Most people, especially women and elderly, don’t have the luxury to not call the police.
Yes, the system is fucked up. But don’t blame everyone people at home for trying to keep themselves safe, blame the NIMBYs, the lack of social safety nets, the regressive social policies that target homeless people, the lack of fucks given by politicians, and the fucked up medical system that puts people one hospital visit away from homelessness. It’s fucked up, but that doesn’t it make it less fucked up for victims of break ins and assault.
Now he says he has a superpower allowing him to read the minds of junkies and nuts.
Removed by mod
Yeah I’m not giving anyone free pass on being threatening to others.
I think it’s a bit gauche to describe a guy living on the street as having gotten a free pass.
Ever heard of context? I’m not giving them a free pass to harass or threaten others. Nobody should do that, irrelevant of their situation.
I think we’re visualising different people. Op’s post didn’t mention violence or threats at all. You’re taking about something different.
Although some people would view a dirty or mentally troubled or simply sleeping person, on the sidewalk as threatening.
One of the scariest things a man can be to me is unpredictable. I am sorry if someone lives on the street, but the second someone starts breaking social rules (be it following me, talking to me in an inappropriate context, or invading my personal space) I get very afraid that you will break other social rules (like that you will touch me, over power me, rape or kill me). I will never apologize for prioritizing my safety over a man’s feelings, and I don’t think it’s right to ask women to prioritize a man’s safety over her own.
Calling the cops on a homeless person is definitely putting them at risk, but allowing an unpredictable person into my space is also putting my safety at risk.
Unhoused women, mentally ill stranger women, or women who are clearly on drugs do not give me the same fear, so I am polite, and then just prioritize getting away from them unless they do something egregious. They don’t give me the freeze, fight, or flight response.
How sympathetic and saccharine and naive.
I’ve traveled and lived on the streets and met my share of psychotic and/or very lost people. Can’t say I’ve met outright dangerous people, most were quite decent. But a lot of posters from the third world country formerly known as US might have it way rougher on their streets than we have in Western Europe, I don’t know that.
Am I the only one that thinks that calling them uNhOuSEd instead of homeless makes absolutely no fucking difference to the homeless person but serves only to make the person calling them uNhOuSEd feel a bit morally superior?
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone explain why they decided to call them unhoused instead of the normal term homeless.
This is the explanation I got from a super liberal person. I don’t know if I fully agree with it, or if it’s even the correct origin of the term. Here it goes:
Sentences like “he is unhoused” instead of “he is homeless” are important to assign blame/responsibility to society/governments. Since “unhoused” is a verb, it sort of implies/specifies that not all homeless people are homeless because of their own actions but rather due to a society’s/government’s inability to protect its people from the realities of life (mental health/disability/escaping from abusive families/evicted by a shady landlord etc etc).
It was meant to change people’s perception of homeless people and demand better from their governments. But words can have the power to ignite our imaginations - there’s a reason why “gigantic” exists when “large” would be enough. And there’s a reason why when most people think that a homeless person is homeless because of their own fault and deserve it.
I guess it makes sense why some would choose to use it, but I feel like it’s just going to make people roll their eyes when they hear it. It’s not like homeless was assigning blame to the homeless people or anything.
looks like some people read this and took personal offense lol
In a presumably leftist/anarchist Lenny instance, even.
It’s fucking terrifying how many leftists have internalized the capitalist propaganda that unhoused people are inherently dangerous and that collusion with agents of state violence is necessary to protect us from them.
It’s like veganism, really. It’s sad how defensive people get when their feelings contradict their moral principles and they decide to put their feelings first.
Nothing inherent about it. Where I live homeless people are often mentally ill addicts and that naturally brings unpredictability and danger to others. Being homeless isn’t a free pass on being a danger to others. So calling cops seems entirely warranted if someone is being threatening or dangerous to others.
And in any case if he tries to stir shit up, you’re healthier and will win that fight. Also the cops will side with you either because fuck that guy or because he’ll be warmer in jail.
