Post by LimitedRecourse on Jul 3, 2010 18:16:43 GMT -5
Please don't forget why & how we are able to continue to celebrate our independence:
THROW-AWAY SOCIETY
The term "throw-away society" has been used to describe the United States. I never really understood the extent to which that practice had come to be utilized until recently. We have sunk lower than a society should ever have sunk.
Mr. Wilson is a pain in the ass. He is a common sight in the downtown area, occasionally begging for a spare dollar, but mostly bumming cigarettes. He's one of the "regulars" but with a slight difference: Mr. Wilson is TRULY homeless. Now, I don't mean homeless in the common language sense. He didn't just choose to live on the streets. Mr. Wilson has issues. To begin with, he is disabled. He sits in his wheelchair in the middle of any sidewalk and bums cigarettes. He can not really get a job because of his disability. He has no home, as he lost everything over the course of several years when he became unable to hold down a job. Mr. Wilson has also been to jail a few times, which doesn't look so hot on an application. Panhandling, simple assault (of a nurse, no less) and indecent exposure are not real assets to prospective employers.
Mr. Wilson has no family, either. Never married, his parents are deceased, and his only brother died while Mr. Wilson was in jail the last time. So, he has no one to care for him...or about him. Mr. Wilson is truly homeless.
Mr. Wilson used to get a check for his disability, but his last arrest caused a revocation of a previous probation, sending him to jail for 6 months. This stopped his government support. Now, having had all his identification stolen when his wallet was pilfered, Mr. Wilson can't prove who he is to get the checks started again. On top of that, he has no way to traverse the several miles from downtown to East Brainerd in his wheel chair to apply.
The last indecent exposure arrest also got him labled as a "sex offender" since there were families in the area of his display. This makes him a persona-non-grata at all the area shelters, so he can't get any assistance from them either. With no place to go, no way to get assistance, and no one to turn to, Mr. Wilson is the first truly homeless person I have ever met.
The most recent encounter began as a panhandling call. Mr. Wilson was begging for money and cigarettes again on a major downtown thoroughfare, and this would simply not do. Upon arriving to the scene, I couldn't help but notice the peculiar behavior of the people walking past Mr. Wilson. A look of sheer horror or disgust would cross each face as they gave as wide a berth as possible. They were also holding their hands over their mouths and noses.
After exiting the mobile office, I approached Mr. Wilson and was hit about twenty feet away with one of the most horrendous smells I've ever encountered. As I drew nearer, I could clearly see that Mr. Wilson was the source. He was covered from the waist down in his own feces. By the amount of flies crawling in and out of the holes in his pants, as well as circling visibly in the air, it was fairly obvious he had been in this condition for several days.
A few minutes of questioning confirmed that Mr. Wilson had been ill (and drunk) three days ago. He could not wheel himself to a bathroom in time, and thus had his "accident." As people need to get close in order for Mr. Wilson to beg from them, he was unable to procure any funds. After a day or two, the odor he was sharing didn't garner him any sympathy, either. So, Mr. Wilson sat in his own filth for more than three days with nothing to eat or drink. This was the state I found him in, and he needed medical attention.
We all know that firemen are perverts, so I would not have hesitated in dumping Mr. Wilson into their laps to handle. EMS personnel are a different story. Just as you never want to piss off the nurse who is about to take your blood or place your catheter, you never want to piss off the people who may potentially be in the position to save your backside by literally plugging the holes in your body. So it was with a thousand apologies and a ton of regret that I called for an ambulance to take Mr. Wilson to an emergency room.
When EMS arrived, I was given looks that should have been fatal. There are not enough apologies in the world to make up for the hassle it took to get a wheelchair-bound man to a hospital. When the EMT's picked Mr. Wilson up out of that chair, I very seriously nearly lost my lunch. The smell was that bad, and then some. After more profuse apologizing, we parted ways.
I'd like this story to have a happy ending. It doesn't. This is the real world, folks. Mr. Wilson was treated for severe dehydration and open sores on his legs and buttocks caused form three days of filth-sitting. The out-processing social worker at the hospital, along with the case worker at Adult Protective Services and several other social services agencies, tried to get help for Mr. Wilson. No shelter or home would take him because of the "sexual offender" label. With no family and friends, Mr. Wilson was sent back to the streets with no food, no water, no money and no hope. Ironically, I was told that to make him go to a home would have been considered "abuse" since he didn't really want to go. Apparently abandonment isn't abuse.
Did I mention that Mr. Wilson has moderately advanced Parkinson's Disease and can barely feed himself? He also has almost no strength in his arms to wheel himself very far or very fast. Did I mention that Mr. Wilson is nearly 75 years old? His retirement plan needs some adjusting. Did I mention that Mr. Wilson is a Korean War veteran who served two combat tours? The next time you're downtown, if you happen to run into Mr. Wilson, be sure to thank him for his years of service for our country. While you're out enjoying your freedom, Mr. Wilson will be looking for that next dollar, or bumming another cigarette. But look for him soon---it won't be long before we've thrown Mr. Wilson away for the final time.
THROW-AWAY SOCIETY
The term "throw-away society" has been used to describe the United States. I never really understood the extent to which that practice had come to be utilized until recently. We have sunk lower than a society should ever have sunk.
Mr. Wilson is a pain in the ass. He is a common sight in the downtown area, occasionally begging for a spare dollar, but mostly bumming cigarettes. He's one of the "regulars" but with a slight difference: Mr. Wilson is TRULY homeless. Now, I don't mean homeless in the common language sense. He didn't just choose to live on the streets. Mr. Wilson has issues. To begin with, he is disabled. He sits in his wheelchair in the middle of any sidewalk and bums cigarettes. He can not really get a job because of his disability. He has no home, as he lost everything over the course of several years when he became unable to hold down a job. Mr. Wilson has also been to jail a few times, which doesn't look so hot on an application. Panhandling, simple assault (of a nurse, no less) and indecent exposure are not real assets to prospective employers.
Mr. Wilson has no family, either. Never married, his parents are deceased, and his only brother died while Mr. Wilson was in jail the last time. So, he has no one to care for him...or about him. Mr. Wilson is truly homeless.
Mr. Wilson used to get a check for his disability, but his last arrest caused a revocation of a previous probation, sending him to jail for 6 months. This stopped his government support. Now, having had all his identification stolen when his wallet was pilfered, Mr. Wilson can't prove who he is to get the checks started again. On top of that, he has no way to traverse the several miles from downtown to East Brainerd in his wheel chair to apply.
The last indecent exposure arrest also got him labled as a "sex offender" since there were families in the area of his display. This makes him a persona-non-grata at all the area shelters, so he can't get any assistance from them either. With no place to go, no way to get assistance, and no one to turn to, Mr. Wilson is the first truly homeless person I have ever met.
The most recent encounter began as a panhandling call. Mr. Wilson was begging for money and cigarettes again on a major downtown thoroughfare, and this would simply not do. Upon arriving to the scene, I couldn't help but notice the peculiar behavior of the people walking past Mr. Wilson. A look of sheer horror or disgust would cross each face as they gave as wide a berth as possible. They were also holding their hands over their mouths and noses.
After exiting the mobile office, I approached Mr. Wilson and was hit about twenty feet away with one of the most horrendous smells I've ever encountered. As I drew nearer, I could clearly see that Mr. Wilson was the source. He was covered from the waist down in his own feces. By the amount of flies crawling in and out of the holes in his pants, as well as circling visibly in the air, it was fairly obvious he had been in this condition for several days.
A few minutes of questioning confirmed that Mr. Wilson had been ill (and drunk) three days ago. He could not wheel himself to a bathroom in time, and thus had his "accident." As people need to get close in order for Mr. Wilson to beg from them, he was unable to procure any funds. After a day or two, the odor he was sharing didn't garner him any sympathy, either. So, Mr. Wilson sat in his own filth for more than three days with nothing to eat or drink. This was the state I found him in, and he needed medical attention.
We all know that firemen are perverts, so I would not have hesitated in dumping Mr. Wilson into their laps to handle. EMS personnel are a different story. Just as you never want to piss off the nurse who is about to take your blood or place your catheter, you never want to piss off the people who may potentially be in the position to save your backside by literally plugging the holes in your body. So it was with a thousand apologies and a ton of regret that I called for an ambulance to take Mr. Wilson to an emergency room.
When EMS arrived, I was given looks that should have been fatal. There are not enough apologies in the world to make up for the hassle it took to get a wheelchair-bound man to a hospital. When the EMT's picked Mr. Wilson up out of that chair, I very seriously nearly lost my lunch. The smell was that bad, and then some. After more profuse apologizing, we parted ways.
I'd like this story to have a happy ending. It doesn't. This is the real world, folks. Mr. Wilson was treated for severe dehydration and open sores on his legs and buttocks caused form three days of filth-sitting. The out-processing social worker at the hospital, along with the case worker at Adult Protective Services and several other social services agencies, tried to get help for Mr. Wilson. No shelter or home would take him because of the "sexual offender" label. With no family and friends, Mr. Wilson was sent back to the streets with no food, no water, no money and no hope. Ironically, I was told that to make him go to a home would have been considered "abuse" since he didn't really want to go. Apparently abandonment isn't abuse.
Did I mention that Mr. Wilson has moderately advanced Parkinson's Disease and can barely feed himself? He also has almost no strength in his arms to wheel himself very far or very fast. Did I mention that Mr. Wilson is nearly 75 years old? His retirement plan needs some adjusting. Did I mention that Mr. Wilson is a Korean War veteran who served two combat tours? The next time you're downtown, if you happen to run into Mr. Wilson, be sure to thank him for his years of service for our country. While you're out enjoying your freedom, Mr. Wilson will be looking for that next dollar, or bumming another cigarette. But look for him soon---it won't be long before we've thrown Mr. Wilson away for the final time.
