I Am Disturbed (in more ways than one)
Hearing about three homeless folks beaten in Florida disturbs me. It doesn't disturb me that it happened so much-- frankly, it happens to homeless folks all the time, if they are passed out or so mentally ill that they are clearly helpless. I have known a number of homeless folks who have been raped, beaten while sleeping, mugged. Recently, two homeless folks have been murdered and left in the Sandy River. This is normal life, and most homeless folks are aware of it.
I guess I'm disturbed by the surprise. Why do folks think that the homeless WOULDN'T be beaten? The homeless, the mentally ill, they are the pariahs of our society, the "niggers" of the twenty first century. They are the rejects, the outcasts, the mocked. They are not taken seriously as human beings. And they are defenseless. They have no recourse, no options. If a grave injustice was done them, could they hire a lawyer and sue? Could they get the police-- who just recently raided their camps or openly harrased them on the open street-- to stand for them?
But what I'm really disturbed-- and angered-- by is the ignorance. The churches who are calling for racial and national harmony but ignore the class persecution that is happening in our backyard. We can pat ourselves on the backs because we have encouraged a process of equality, but we still neglect the least equal.
Why do you think these young, white teenagers attack the homeless and the mentally ill? Because they are easy targets? Surely this is true, but there are other targets just as easy, such as elderly widows who live alone. Because they live out of sight? Possibly, but that didn't stop the two teens from beating a man in light, in front of a camera.
The fullest cause is the disgust and fear the normal American has for the homeless and mentally ill. This comes from not understanding the truth of the situation. This comes from ignorance. I have had one person call me, supporting their prejudice against the homeless say, "It was right near a homeless camp that a friend of mine was raped!" Yes, and I have had my friends beaten and murdered by people who are middle class and live in houses-- does this mean that I have the right to limit the opportunities for all middle class homed people? It is just this kind of thinking that create prejudicial policies against the homeless.
It is time to stop the prejudice against the homeless and mentally ill. And we need to begin in our hearts. Then in our churches. Perhaps then, we can move on to society at large. But let's start now.
I guess I'm disturbed by the surprise. Why do folks think that the homeless WOULDN'T be beaten? The homeless, the mentally ill, they are the pariahs of our society, the "niggers" of the twenty first century. They are the rejects, the outcasts, the mocked. They are not taken seriously as human beings. And they are defenseless. They have no recourse, no options. If a grave injustice was done them, could they hire a lawyer and sue? Could they get the police-- who just recently raided their camps or openly harrased them on the open street-- to stand for them?
But what I'm really disturbed-- and angered-- by is the ignorance. The churches who are calling for racial and national harmony but ignore the class persecution that is happening in our backyard. We can pat ourselves on the backs because we have encouraged a process of equality, but we still neglect the least equal.
Why do you think these young, white teenagers attack the homeless and the mentally ill? Because they are easy targets? Surely this is true, but there are other targets just as easy, such as elderly widows who live alone. Because they live out of sight? Possibly, but that didn't stop the two teens from beating a man in light, in front of a camera.
The fullest cause is the disgust and fear the normal American has for the homeless and mentally ill. This comes from not understanding the truth of the situation. This comes from ignorance. I have had one person call me, supporting their prejudice against the homeless say, "It was right near a homeless camp that a friend of mine was raped!" Yes, and I have had my friends beaten and murdered by people who are middle class and live in houses-- does this mean that I have the right to limit the opportunities for all middle class homed people? It is just this kind of thinking that create prejudicial policies against the homeless.
It is time to stop the prejudice against the homeless and mentally ill. And we need to begin in our hearts. Then in our churches. Perhaps then, we can move on to society at large. But let's start now.
posted by Steve Kimes at 4:36 PM
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