IT'S NOT RIGHT!

I awoke this morning to the morning news. The head of one of the biggest shelters here in town was on the news stating that with the bitter cold weather no one is turned away. Then went on to state that they opened addition bedding for women and children and there is still plenty of room there. The one problem with that is, most people on the streets are men. Yes, no child should have to endure this weather or spend the night on the streets, but if there are empty beds why do we have people sleeping outside? Oh Yeah, they said no one was turned away. What we want people to hear and what is the truth is not always the same.

With temperatures dropping down to minus five last night, I was thinking that was great, those who normally do not have a place to stay found shelter from the cold. I still wanted to check on the guys and headed to the underpass. There were the guys, bundled under many blankets, but thank God alive.

I started asking around about how everyone is doing and what can I do to help them staying warm. I said, “So you were able to get into the shelter last night?” “No”, was the reply. One was turned away stating that the shelter said they were full. When the cop found him early that morning, he stated his reason for camping out. The cop drug him to the shelter and when asked the shelter stated that no one was turned away….who do you think the cop believed? Trespassing ticket was issued. No money for the ticket and now he will have to do time for something someone else lied about. Another one of my guys has a prior conviction, which I will not get into here. He has done his time; he doesn’t drink, is always trying to help others and is an all around nice guy. Because of his conviction he was told he couldn’t stay there.

These are just two and there are many other stories. It was minus five last night and if I would have left my dog outside and someone found out, I would be in trouble for animal cruelty. I want to know why in the hell an animal has more rights and is treated better than our fellow human beings? Yeah I am mad, mad that a shelter will say anything to make themselves look good to the public, so donations keep coming in and in fact they are turning people away. I want to know why the same place will continue to hold judgment over a man, never giving him a second chance? Every year we lose people to the elements and it is always the same on the news “just a homeless guy who lost his life to the cold.” Well it wasn’t some homeless guy, this is someone I cared about, someone I loved, and he was a friend and part of my extended family. I am so tired of see my friends discarded like a piece of trash on the side of the road and I don’t know how to change it.

Yeah I am on a rant, I am venting…call it what you want, but no matter what you call it…IT’S STILL NOT RIGHT for people to be treated like this and we will have to answer for our actions in the end!!!