by Pa Rock
Observer
I wrote about seeing the homeless encampments along the beaches on our first day in Honolulu, and now, as the trip draws to a close this morning, I thought the subject might be worth one more mention. (I am a social worker, after all!) There are many pervasive descriptors of this energetic city - with natural beauty and laid-back attitude ranking high on the list. But Honolulu is also a city where homelessness seems to constantly rub up against affluence.
The governor of this great state, David Ige, received some criticism this week because he addressed Hawaii's citizens and kept his focus on the recent ballistic missile scare - when many residents felt that he should be focusing his attentions on the situation of the street people who lack permanent housing. The homeless are everywhere on the island of Oahu, but they seem to gather in particular proximity to the public beaches where they can lay down and relax and try to blend in with the tourists. Most beaches also offer showers, a health and welfare necessity. Food is brought in by numerous relief agencies and churches.
I remember hearing a few years ago that Hawaii had chartered a cruise ship and sent a boatload of homeless individuals to California. That is a practice that social workers refer to as "Greyhound therapy." That cruise to California may have helped temporarily, though it certainly did not help California, but mostmof those who were relocated have probably drifted back by now. People who appear to have little to nothing in the way of real assets still manage to make their way to the warm climate and ocean breezes of beautiful Hawaii.
(And if a person does not have a dwelling to call home, it just makes sense to live somewhere with good weather.)
I had two up-close-and-personal encounters with homeless individuals here in Hawaii that both occurred at the McDonalds just down the street from our hotel. That business establishment has no restrooms, probably an attempt to keep the homeless at bay (there are public restrooms across the street on Waikiki Beach), and there are signs posted telling people that they can only refill their drinks if they remain inside the building to eat. You cannot bring a drink cup in from off of the street and fill it - even if the cup is from McDonalds.
A couple of nights ago I stepped into that local McDonalds to get a cup of iced tea. A homeless man was inside filling his McDonalds' coffee cup with water. The cup was a bit on the grungy side and was obviously one that he had carried around for awhile. However, the homeless man was not the problem. There was a loud and obnoxious fellow yelling at the homeless man. "Hey, you can't do that! That's against the rules!" And then as the poor man, who remained quiet throughout the ordeal, got his drink and headed to the door, the tourist bully continued, "You're spreading germs in here, that's what you're doing!" Pa Rock, never one to mind his own business, stepped up to loudmouth and remarked, "You are pretty rude, aren't you?" He responded, so loudly that I figured he was in the process of blowing a gasket, "That's right! I am pretty rude!" We weren't in Missouri, so no guns were pulled.
This morning I was at the same McDonalds getting breakfast when, as I was leaving, I encountered a homeless lady walking down the sidewalk pushing her cart. She was screaming, "Get away from me, evil doers! Get away from me, evil doers!" Of course most of the "evil doers" were laughing at her. Why is it that in the richest country in the world we often look to the hardship of others for our entertainment?
All of which leads me to ponder if it is the homeless who are the problem - or the rest of us?
Homelessness in America is a very real problem, one that impacts and defines us all. It is something a Christian nation would address with compassionate solutions. It is on our street corners, our beaches, and scuttling along in the cold shadows of our wealth. It is here, it is now - and it is not fake news.
Observer
I wrote about seeing the homeless encampments along the beaches on our first day in Honolulu, and now, as the trip draws to a close this morning, I thought the subject might be worth one more mention. (I am a social worker, after all!) There are many pervasive descriptors of this energetic city - with natural beauty and laid-back attitude ranking high on the list. But Honolulu is also a city where homelessness seems to constantly rub up against affluence.
The governor of this great state, David Ige, received some criticism this week because he addressed Hawaii's citizens and kept his focus on the recent ballistic missile scare - when many residents felt that he should be focusing his attentions on the situation of the street people who lack permanent housing. The homeless are everywhere on the island of Oahu, but they seem to gather in particular proximity to the public beaches where they can lay down and relax and try to blend in with the tourists. Most beaches also offer showers, a health and welfare necessity. Food is brought in by numerous relief agencies and churches.
I remember hearing a few years ago that Hawaii had chartered a cruise ship and sent a boatload of homeless individuals to California. That is a practice that social workers refer to as "Greyhound therapy." That cruise to California may have helped temporarily, though it certainly did not help California, but mostmof those who were relocated have probably drifted back by now. People who appear to have little to nothing in the way of real assets still manage to make their way to the warm climate and ocean breezes of beautiful Hawaii.
(And if a person does not have a dwelling to call home, it just makes sense to live somewhere with good weather.)
I had two up-close-and-personal encounters with homeless individuals here in Hawaii that both occurred at the McDonalds just down the street from our hotel. That business establishment has no restrooms, probably an attempt to keep the homeless at bay (there are public restrooms across the street on Waikiki Beach), and there are signs posted telling people that they can only refill their drinks if they remain inside the building to eat. You cannot bring a drink cup in from off of the street and fill it - even if the cup is from McDonalds.
A couple of nights ago I stepped into that local McDonalds to get a cup of iced tea. A homeless man was inside filling his McDonalds' coffee cup with water. The cup was a bit on the grungy side and was obviously one that he had carried around for awhile. However, the homeless man was not the problem. There was a loud and obnoxious fellow yelling at the homeless man. "Hey, you can't do that! That's against the rules!" And then as the poor man, who remained quiet throughout the ordeal, got his drink and headed to the door, the tourist bully continued, "You're spreading germs in here, that's what you're doing!" Pa Rock, never one to mind his own business, stepped up to loudmouth and remarked, "You are pretty rude, aren't you?" He responded, so loudly that I figured he was in the process of blowing a gasket, "That's right! I am pretty rude!" We weren't in Missouri, so no guns were pulled.
This morning I was at the same McDonalds getting breakfast when, as I was leaving, I encountered a homeless lady walking down the sidewalk pushing her cart. She was screaming, "Get away from me, evil doers! Get away from me, evil doers!" Of course most of the "evil doers" were laughing at her. Why is it that in the richest country in the world we often look to the hardship of others for our entertainment?
All of which leads me to ponder if it is the homeless who are the problem - or the rest of us?
Homelessness in America is a very real problem, one that impacts and defines us all. It is something a Christian nation would address with compassionate solutions. It is on our street corners, our beaches, and scuttling along in the cold shadows of our wealth. It is here, it is now - and it is not fake news.
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