I really, really wonder what the world is coming to sometimes. And I can't really blame cynics for being the way they are. But I found out firsthand that in some places, it's illegal to give others help. Here's what happened.I'm not really sure how it started, but for the past 11 years I've been feeding the homeless. And it's been a grass roots effort. Once every two weeks, I go to the store and get 4-5 loaves of bread, a pound of chopped or boiled ham from the deli (whichever is on sale), packs of cheese crackers or cookies, a couple of boxes of those little juice bottles (they're called "Hugs" in some places), a couple of bags of oranges and apples, and some peppermint candies. When I get it home, I'll make a little assembly line on my dining room table and put together some bags of food. Each bag will have a ham sandwich (cheese, lettuce and tomato), a bottle of juice, a pack of crackers or cookies, a piece of fruit and a piece of candy. On a good day when I'm paying attention to the cashflow thing, I can make 40-45 bags and it'll cost me only about $30-$35. I load the bags up in the Jeep and head into the city. Depending on how much gas I have or what day it is, I'll either go into Wilmington, DE or Philadelphia, PA. Once I'm there, I'll drive around in the areas that the homeless frequent and hand out the bags of food. That's why it's more of a grass roots effort, because I put the food directly into the hands of the people that need it. I feel good, they feel good, the world is a wonderful place, blah, blah, blah... That's not the point of this entry.What happened yesterday gave me a totally different perspective on the state of the state that is our society. In one area, there is this alleyway where a lot of homeless men and women live. And it's very, very "rustic". And that's a generous description. There are lone men, lone women and couples sleeping on the ground in this alley covered only by a dirty blanket if they're "lucky"; a piece of cardboard or nothing at all if they aren't. The people out there cover the spectrum; the 'typical' homeless person who is dirty, disoriented, and either dillusional or demented; the very articulate, intelligent and coherent person who anyone can look at and say, "There, but for the grace of God, go I"; and everything in between. Some of these men and women have been and are abusers of drugs and alcohol, some have mental disabilities, and some are just down on their luck. If nothing else at all, when I return from what I have called over the years, "A homeless run", I feel so very blessed, and some of my problems, even if for a short time, seem relatively insignificant.Yesterday early evening while I was distributing some of the bags in Philadelphia, I looked up and coming up behind me was a police car, lights-a-flashin'. For a split second, I assumed that he was coming up behind me to make sure I was okay since the area wasn't necessarily a tourist trap. In my mind, though, I was thinking that I'd tell them I was okay because I had been doing this for quite a while and have only had a couple of 'challenges'. That thought quickly dissipated, however, when these two police officers walked up on each side of my car and to my windows. Before I had a chance to utter a word, the one on my passenger side pointed to all the bags in my passenger seat and said, "Buddy, you can't be giving out stuff on the street like this." As you might imagine, I was dumbfounded. So as eloquently and articulately and precisely as I could, I responded, "HUH??" It was then that they explained that there was a law against distributing food to homeless on the street. If they wanted to eat, they would have to find some way to get to a shelter. Well, as hesitant as I was to question these two people with guns while I was in this alley (the homeless people had scattered a bit), I had to ask why not. Apparently, most large cities have ordinances prohibiting this type of effort outside the auspices of a formal charity organization. I checked it. It's true. The rationale is that they want to keep homeless people from "congregating and thereby creating and/or maintaining an environment that is not conducive to promoting a feeling of safety and cleanliness." Their words; not mine. This is the first time I've heard of this in over ten years, and as you might imagine, I was floored. The penalty? Third offense can be a fine of up to $1,500 and a jail sentence of up to 3 months.God bless America.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Is it just me???
I'm the first one to admit that I would probably be a front-runner in the "Damn, do I have some quirks!" election. But in my opinion, some things that really annoy me are not as much a result of my needing stronger anti-anal medication as they probably are because they would annoy most people. That being said...
WHY is it that when I'm walking into a store, building, or other edifice that doesn't have automagic doors, and I stop to hold the door open for a lady who might be several steps behind me, she walks through without as much as a simple acknowledgement (much less a "Thank you") of my gesture. Hell, it makes me feel like I should just run home, change into my doorman costume and stand there with my hand held out for tips. (Note that I said "lady" because in my experience, I can count on 3-4 fingers the number of times this has happend when I held the door for a man. Of course, I don't discount the reality that in today's world, women tend to be a bit more..."cautious" than men. I also don't discount the possibility that I might want to start shopping at better stores. Sigh...)
WHY is it that so many men these days (or more often than not, younger men) see nothing wrong with wearing a hat or cap while they're sitting in a restaurant (albeit a casual one) sharing a meal? I mean, at the end of the day, I could be told to just look away or get a grip or other similar "dude-just-chill" advice. But it just bothers me that this type of common courtesy isn't important anymore. Sure, I come from a home and community (the deep south) where that type of demeanor is taught and expected, but somehow I believe that the south wasn't the only place that it was deemed polite. I know the days of removing one's hat when entering a building are loooooonnnnnggg gone, but the dinner table?
WHY is it that some parents get really annoyed when I beat their kids at a game (or two) of Whack-a-Mole? Geeze! It's just a game! Lighten up parents! So what if I'm 47 and your kid is only 8 and he's not only at a significant disadvantage because his eye-hand coordination isn't quite honed yet, but he's probably more than just a bit intimidated by this big black guy standing next to him jumping up and down and screaming at the moles? It's a simple solution. Take the kids over to play Skeeball. I hate Skeeball.
WHY is it that you can't park next to an expired parking meter for more than 12 minutes and 14.338 seconds before a metermaid (or to give equal time, meterbutler) strolls up to plaster a parking ticket on your windshield, but so many people boldly pull into handicap parking spaces long enough to complete a shopping spree in the mall and stop on the way out to get a hotdog and Orange Julius without attracting attention because there's no one there watching those spaces? I would suspect that most people would prefer "penalizing" those who intentionally take advantage of resources provided for those in most need that those who happen to lose track of time while sitting at a parking meter. (Which was probably because they were held up while trading in all the tickets they won at the Whack-a-Mole game for a Road Runner Pez dispenser. I'm just sayin'... )
WHY is it that when I'm walking into a store, building, or other edifice that doesn't have automagic doors, and I stop to hold the door open for a lady who might be several steps behind me, she walks through without as much as a simple acknowledgement (much less a "Thank you") of my gesture. Hell, it makes me feel like I should just run home, change into my doorman costume and stand there with my hand held out for tips. (Note that I said "lady" because in my experience, I can count on 3-4 fingers the number of times this has happend when I held the door for a man. Of course, I don't discount the reality that in today's world, women tend to be a bit more..."cautious" than men. I also don't discount the possibility that I might want to start shopping at better stores. Sigh...)
WHY is it that so many men these days (or more often than not, younger men) see nothing wrong with wearing a hat or cap while they're sitting in a restaurant (albeit a casual one) sharing a meal? I mean, at the end of the day, I could be told to just look away or get a grip or other similar "dude-just-chill" advice. But it just bothers me that this type of common courtesy isn't important anymore. Sure, I come from a home and community (the deep south) where that type of demeanor is taught and expected, but somehow I believe that the south wasn't the only place that it was deemed polite. I know the days of removing one's hat when entering a building are loooooonnnnnggg gone, but the dinner table?
WHY is it that some parents get really annoyed when I beat their kids at a game (or two) of Whack-a-Mole? Geeze! It's just a game! Lighten up parents! So what if I'm 47 and your kid is only 8 and he's not only at a significant disadvantage because his eye-hand coordination isn't quite honed yet, but he's probably more than just a bit intimidated by this big black guy standing next to him jumping up and down and screaming at the moles? It's a simple solution. Take the kids over to play Skeeball. I hate Skeeball.
WHY is it that you can't park next to an expired parking meter for more than 12 minutes and 14.338 seconds before a metermaid (or to give equal time, meterbutler) strolls up to plaster a parking ticket on your windshield, but so many people boldly pull into handicap parking spaces long enough to complete a shopping spree in the mall and stop on the way out to get a hotdog and Orange Julius without attracting attention because there's no one there watching those spaces? I would suspect that most people would prefer "penalizing" those who intentionally take advantage of resources provided for those in most need that those who happen to lose track of time while sitting at a parking meter. (Which was probably because they were held up while trading in all the tickets they won at the Whack-a-Mole game for a Road Runner Pez dispenser. I'm just sayin'... )
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