Issue: Homeless Members of Crossroads

while I was waiting to catch a trolley downtown to get home after a long day of work and class I was approached by a man who claimed to be homeless and living at Crossroads of America. He called out "excuse me sir" at least 4 times from a distance before he reached me. I asked him what he wanted but very dryly and cold, he claimed to have wanted money to catch a bus back to crossroads. This was because the last bus he tried to catch wouldn't let him on because he didn't have enough. I told him I had only enough to get home, which of course wasn't true. The reason I am writing about this because it makes me think about what we discussed in class today...

so let’s look at the situation. Here's a man, who obviously is down on his luck, I know nothing about him. From his appearance, he's scruffy looking and to the untrained eye looks a little rough around the edges. Automatically a man downtown asking for money is a "bad" person. But then I think about it after our little conversation. Is he really a guy who happened to miss his bus and is homeless, looking for some sort of means to an end to get home? Did he once have a job that paid well but lost it because Rhode Island is "downsizing" jobs? Or did he just come from the Sportsman Inn (a strip club located near where I was standing waiting for a trolley) and spends/spent all his money on lap dances and cheap drinks?

This specific dilemma plagues me, as well as frustrates me. All I can think is what would have happened if I gave him a couple of bucks to get home, would he have really used it for that? Or would he have ducked into Maldowne's Pub for a pint? Do I give a man, obviously less fortunate than me money for him to get by for the day in a positive way or do I support a habit that has gotten him into that position to begin with? Yet, here I am enforcing stereotypes about this person, making it seem like he WILL use it for substance about because he asked me for money, this comes hand in hand with the Johnson article which was read for class. Coming from a middle class white background, I am no better than the privileged higher class whites I read about in the article, maybe he really needed to get home, but how would I know? How does anyone know anything about anyone you just meet? Maybe I really am part of the problem...and that really bums me out to know that I am.

Woo YEAH!

First blog entry, pretty sweet! first day of class turned out pretty good. i gave my choice for my 15 hours, i am waiting for the okay from Dr. Bogad, but just to give a heads up to the school of my choice i swung by there, told them about the class and pretty much got the okay from them! should rule. YEAH! WOOOOOOO!