One of the realities of Washington, DC that I have wrestled with since I have been here is the stark contrast of the privileged and homeless here. On the same streets you see the wealthy and the poor. I remember being shocked by the amount of homelessness in Phoenix, Arizona. It is the same here. It is difficult to walk by human beings who have made a piece of the paved sidewalk their home. They have stacks and bundles of what little belongings they can manage. They spread blankets on the ground to sleep. Day after day you walk by them. Sometimes you give some change or money in your pocket but as an intern in an expensive city, I can't do it everyday. I begin to avoid eye contact because I don't want to see the hurt and need in their eyes, but not be able to help. I am unable to "not" see them though.
As I walk through the city to go to work or run my errands, I wonder what their story is. I wonder where their family is and how they feel about their loved ones situation. I see shame in many of their eyes but I think about how many of us are one or two paychecks away from a similar fate. Most of these individuals obviously have mental health issues or issues with addiction and substance abuse. Many of the privileged walk by to attend meetings to decide their fate. Will they fund programs to help them, will they cut funding, will they delay decisions that directly affect the lives of those they walk by everyday? Do they even see them anymore? Some days, I look again and I see a kind word being given, a sincere "how are you? being said, and generosity being displayed to these souls wandering the streets. I am touched and I appreciate human kindness. One of the reasons you can see the homeless everywhere you go in DC is because the homeless are not forced to leave public spaces. This means that in the evening when the post office closes, many lay on the pavement lined up one after another to sleep, under the protection of the post office's covered walkway. They sleep next to all of the memorials, statues, historic buildings, and public parks. I feel that at least this is one thing they are doing right here. The privileged and the homeless coexist in this city. They don't try to force them to leave. They accept them. They are our neighbors... but still I wish there was more for them.
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Daphne ThompsonPursuing a Bachelor Degree in Public Services and Policy, Daphne is starting her senior year this fall. Archives
March 2016
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