I thought I would forever regret not having asked his name, until I rolled into the same McDonalds a week later. There he was, just like before, food spread across the table and belongings spilling from an overflowing backpack. He wore the same oversized Carpenter’s jeans, faded brown T-shirt, and velveteen hoodie with the nap worn down to nothing. When he glanced up I was again I was struck by the twinkling eyes, ruddy cheeks, and grizzled beard that put me in mind of Santa Claus.

“Hello again,” I said. His momentary blank expression turned to a wide smile.

“Well hello, darlin’! You’re back again. Didn’t recognize you at first.”

“I don’t think I introduced myself last time. My name is Barbara,”

“Rudy,” he replied, enfolding my soft, manicured hand in his rough calloused paw.

He extricated himself from his pile of belongings and joined me.

We had chatted briefly the previous week about being on the street but now I asked the question that haunts me, where the homeless are concerned. Why?

“Because I travel.” He looked down at the table for a moment, lost in thought.  “Folks don’t realize that homeless are same as anyone else. Most of us have had jobs, apartments, been married and had kids – at one time. But I really don’t want to give my money to some landlord. So I sleep in cuts and under bridges. It’s cold sometimes, but I’m from Colorado so it’s not too bad. I wake up shivering, but as soon as sun comes up I’m OK. I’m tough.”

“Do you worry about being mugged?” I asked, recalling recent incidents where homeless were beaten and Read the rest of this entry »

A few days ago I read an article about a 911 dispatcher in San Francisco who uses all her spare change to buy hats and gloves from secondhand stores. When she finishes her shift at midnight, she drives around the Tenderloin district and hands out the hats and gloves to the homeless.

Today I watched a video about folks who have started an organization in Peru that trains the handicapped to make jewelry, providing jobs for people who otherwise would be unemployable. (Check out the video here)

Each time I learn about a person or an organization that does this work, it makes me examine my life. What am I doing to help my fellow man? What am I contributing to society? I help people whenever I can but I always feel Read the rest of this entry »

On Friday, January 19th, St. Petersburg, Florida officials raided a community of homeless people who had taken up residence in tents under the I-375 overpass. Ostensibly this was due to concerns about fire code and health and safety violations: people smoking and cooking inside their tents, tents located too close to the street, and the lack of permits. To remedy this situation police and fire officials showed up with scissors, knives, and box cutters and slashed the tents to the ground, in some cases with the inhabitants still inside. The whole operation took less than ten minutes. Watch the graphic video below: This, however, was not the first time that the homeless made the local news during the past week. St. Pete is still reeling from bad publicity over two homeless men who were recently shot and killed in broad daylight in two separate incidents, just 30 minutes apart, two days prior to the raid. The murders shot fear through Read the rest of this entry »