Local opinion: Compassion, not judgment, should guide our response to homelessness

As I sit here to write, I realize that what I say may offend others, and that certainly is not my intent to do so. However, at the same time, I cannot any longer be silenced about this issue and must speak my truth.

Homelessness is a problem, not only here locally, but globally. When did we stop caring about one another and having compassion for our homeless brethren? All too often we turn a blind eye to the suffering of another, without our hearts so much as being stirred. To be homeless is one of the greatest sufferings there can be. This is the plight of society and one in which we seem to have lost a genuine sense of humanity. “But for the Grace of God, there go I.”

The issue is not just that we care not enough, but rather, more devastating is how we feel about the homeless and how we treat them. Often, it could not be farther from compassion than what it is. We judge and condemn them when we have no right, and we do not know their story. I have been involved in working with the homeless for several years, and at the heart of nearly every single story is a tragic upbringing or some great source of trauma. We try to force them out of areas when they have nowhere else to go. Even worse, their belongings are now being tossed aside and thrown away as they are shamelessly uprooted.

It was just this past week that an incident occurred that saddened me deeply. I was on my way to court (I am an attorney by profession), and I saw a homeless man who was doing absolutely nothing but sitting on the sidewalk. Several law enforcement officers surrounded him, questioning and interrogating him, and he was weeping and saying, “I didn’t do anything; I was just sitting here.” My heart broke at that moment. I was shocked and saddened by what I witnessed. I was ashamed that I simply walked by. I should have spoken up then. I did not, and I deeply regret it.

Just this afternoon, as I walked in a grocery store parking lot, it was a very similar occurrence. I saw an officer telling a homeless man that he had to leave. His words of, “I am just trying to eat,” remain echoed in my soul. This time, without hesitation, I stood my ground and was prepared to do so no matter the consequences. I told the homeless man to say no more, and then to the officer, to let him be. I said that I would be his attorney, and he had done nothing wrong. The officer said something along the lines of the property manager did not want him here. I said that I do not care, that he has a right to be here with me. At this, the officer turned and walked away. Thankfully, it had not escalated any further. In this moment, I wanted to cry. I just told him, whose name was Carey, that I was so very, very sorry that he was treated in this way. I apologized not only for the officer, but for all of us. I apologized also for myself- for I, too, have at times turned a blind eye.

It should not make a difference that I am an attorney, but it does. My voice will not be silenced. I will do what I can to make a difference, one encounter at a time, one person at a time. I always thought as a little girl that if we helped make a difference in the life of one person, we have helped to change the world- even as an adult, I still firmly believe this.

What do I hope to accomplish with this opinion? To encourage others to not turn a blind eye to suffering, to have a heart that is moved with compassion and pity, rather than judgment and condemnation. To not be among those who try to push our homeless community out, but to be among those who try to help. At the very least, to simply care.