Rumor Has It: Girl, The Rumors AREN’T True

It is constantly stated that ALL people living in poverty are just taking advantage of the system, using up all of our tax dollars and are lazy. At times when we see a homeless person we cross the street to avoid being asked for money…because hey, they might be using it for drugs or alcohol and we don’t want to contribute to that. As Adele so eloquently sings it, “Bless your soul, you’ve got your head in the clouds…”

Today I’m sitting in “My Spot” the balcony of the Foxy Loxy Cafe, one of my favorite cafe’s in Savannah sipping on my iced Mexican Mocha. I love sitting out here whether it is rainy, snowing, or hot as hell humid Savannah. I’m able to see all of the tourist walk by, the locals take their families to the Bull St. library, and observe the actions and conversations of the seemingly disenfranchised men that congregate across the street at the park behind the library. But today is different…there is a contractor doing some construction in front of the Fox today. He arrived here early this morning when I pulled up. He brought a few trucks with his own materials, equipment, and more importantly his employees. While concocting the abstract of my thesis, I notice a number of men from across the street stop by and speak to the contractor. The first two gentleman walked across the street with enthusiasm and asked the workers if they needed any help. The contractor attempting to be friendly simply stated “No, we’re good right now” and the men replied “Ok, we’ll be right across the street if you need us.” They waited there for an hour before heading to their next destination or maybe just to get out of the heat. I’ll remind you that this time of year is hot as hell in Savannah, today its a mere 91 degrees with a humidity level of 61% so it feels like 106 degrees (and this is not even one of the bad days). Thank God for this Live Oak tree that towers over the Fox balcony with tons of Spanish moss to block the sun.

Anyway, the next man approached one of the contractor’s employees and asked for work and the employee just shook his head so the man kept walking. The next gentleman was a bit older than the others that had stopped by. He was pushing a shopping cart full of unique items and provided a more interesting approach, he said “Excuse me, are any of you all veterans?” Which made all of the workers stop what they were doing. The shopping cart man repeated himself, “Are any of you veterans? Well I’m a veteran, I’m homeless, and I’m just trying to find some work.” I couldn’t hear the contractors response but from the look on his face it was the same as the others, he didn’t need any help. The shopping cart man walked away discouraged and said “All I’m trying to do is work.”

This directly correlates to the Masters of Science Urban Planning degree program that I’m a candidate in and more specifically one of the focuses in my thesis topic. “Providing fair resources can create positive social impacts to a community” or in this case an individual person. I’m not saying that the contractor is obligated to hire them, but if these men that want to work actually obtain jobs it could dramatically change their life and possibly a cycle that has impacted their families for generations. Without having the specific education or background to be competitive in the job market they are left with odd labor jobs, the tourism hustle, or asking people for food and money. Providing free education and job options for those that actually want to improve their life can change the world! (and maybe save some of those tax dollars that people always seem to mention). Of course this isn’t everyone’s story but I just want to remind people before placing judgement, that ALL people that have fallen on hard times aren’t lazy.

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” — Mahatma Ghandi

The World Changing Column Lover, Kel

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