They were a peculiar clique. Even in 2014 its still a bit surprising to see a young nerdy looking white girl hanging out with an elderly black man. Another younger guy in the group looked like he might had been in a band at some point. There was a middle aged women wearing thick black eyeliner and carrying two duffle bags. They sat on the grass in a circle, each draped in a gray blanket. In another life, or even earlier in this life, they would have never been friends.
Earlier that day I walked past that same young girl and guy. “LEAVE ME ALONE” she screamed, he tried to reason with her. “LEAVE ME ALONE” she continued to scream. Her voice screeching at the end of her outbursts. Maybe it was the bystander effect, or maybe there was no reason to be nervous, but I walked away the fastest I could.
I attend Suffolk University in downtown Boston, and I am most nervous when walking to class. It isn’t that I’m actively avoiding anyone in particular. My anxiety is a result of the alerts that have been sent to my phone in the past few months. “Stabbing in the Boston Commons,””stabbing in Burger King,” “all clear. He left via MBTA,” are just a few of the many notifications I have received since the semester begun. Suffolk students have always received these alerts, but instead of growing comfortable with my surroundings, I get more nervous every year. The messages are getting worse.
Everyday I walk past dozens of homeless people. Its easy to dodge eye contact with lifeless eyes. Its easy to pretend you don’t hear a beggar when you have your headphones in. I’m not sure if this is a matter of guilt or fear, I just know its easier to pretend it isn’t happening then truly grasp the situation we’re facing.
More than 80% of the deaths amongst the homeless population in Boston this year have involved opioids. Addiction doesn’t discriminate. Downtown crossing in Boston is a community of lifeless bodies, sunken eyes, and drug related outbursts. This past March Deval Patrick declared a public health emergency due to the increase in heroin overdoses in Massachusetts. We also have the leading growth of homelessness in the country. Coincidence? I think not.
I don’t have a solution for those under the bridge, but when we dehumanize these people we belittle their issues. We’re like children who cover their eyes when they sense danger; if we can’t see them, they can’t see us. But these people aren’t monsters. They’re chronically ill, they’re addicts. They are humans in a lot of pain. Many of them have people that love them. Some of them may have people who wonder where they sleep at night. None of them were born to be homeless.
Winter semester my freshman year of college, I watched a homeless man as he was dying. It was in the middle of the day, and police men surrounded the area. I couldn’t tell exactly what was going on, from what I could see he was having a seizure. He looked lifeless. I walked away, what else was I supposed to do? We’re taught to be numb when we see beggars, that their bad decisions led them to that point. Maybe this is true in many cases, but they are still living beings in pain. Rehumanize the homeless, and then see how easy it is to ignore it. See how easily we can fix it.
