Opinion
Homelessness: A Resident’s View
“Offering a job to the homeless was part of my original plan to give back. An easy job like handing out flyers. I did not expect their reaction.” A gripping eyewitness account by Christina W.
We see them sleeping on sidewalks, panhandling on street corners and immediately we feel empathy and sympathy. Back in 2008, as the PR manager and spokesperson of a local icon company, we chose homelessness as our cause to support that year. I recall how proud I was that we raised awareness and funding. But as it turns out, I knew almost nothing.
A year later I started my own company specializing in tourism. Offering a job to the homeless was part of my original plan to give back. An easy job like handing out flyers. I did not expect their reaction. They laughed at me. First, they boasted they earned more by panhandling. Secondly, in South Beach I discovered how one’s car was towed within 10 minutes of illegally parking. The homeless tipped off the towing companies and made their cut of $80+.
I moved from Brickell Avenue to north of the river downtown. On Saturday evenings, a church used to drive over and donate meals right in front of our building. More than 50 homeless persons appeared. This was a kind gesture. To repay that kindness, rather than take a few steps to deposit their trash, the homeless would litter our streets with the remaining food and styrofoam plates. But worse, they would throw their glass liquor bottles against the sidewalk. Trash, food and shards of glass strewn all over the sidewalk. Families with children and pets could not walk the sidewalk on a Sunday morning. It was a landmine. “Why would they do this?” I asked myself.
To better understand the situation, I would sit on the street curb with them and simply listen. These individuals do not want to go to shelters. They refuse to live with rules and do not want to give up their drugs or alcohol. Clearly there were mental health issues of varying degrees. The danger of this became evident on several occasions. Homeless killing homeless (a stabbing) occurred right next to our building under a bridge where they built a shanty town. Another evening a homeless woman tried to attack me when she recognized my face after talking to officers to share my observations and concerns. Thankfully, other homeless individuals nearby held her back. Lesson learned-never let them see you talk to any official.
Many homeless moved into our neighborhoods after the dismantling of the homeless camps under the Julia Tuttle 195 bridge. News reports claimed they would move into shelters. But I knew otherwise. Civil rights laws dictate the city can only offer shelters, the homeless are not obligated to use them. For Miami city/county, aesthetics for tourists was more important than the safety of our residents. Many of these under-the-bridge campers were registered sex offenders. And we also learned that New York City purchases one-way tickets for their homeless to spend winters in Miami. Snowbird gypsies.
What about the police? Stay tuned for part two.
Christina W. is a downtown resident since 1998, who for obvious reasons requested anonymity. This is the first of two commentaries based on her observations.
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