Sunday, February 19, 2012
San Francisco Looking Up
Walking around downtown San Francisco, looking up is a good thing to do. Looking street level one's eyes encounters too many people who are doing poorly. There were many interesting faces and bodies, people I wanted to talk to. I wanted to find out how things got this way with them. But I don't feel comfortable taking pictures of people who are down and out unless they give permission. So, I spent a lot of time looking up.
2 comments:
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My Uncle was a street person in SF for many years. He was originally from NYC .. a child of Jewish immigrants .. destined to be a great successful man .. very bright .. but his problems began as a teenager; late teens. He was treated for depression with electro shock therapy .. he went in and out of depression .. he never was a substance abuser .. but simply could not cope the way most of us do .. working, family, hobbies. He was beloved by us, his nieces and nephews .. but there was nothing my mother could do to help him . he always refused meds and help .. and went back to the streets where he was known well by the street community .. cops and all. He eventually was seen in bad shape in a Bart station .. died in a hospital. in his sixties. Sad story .. but .. a lesson in having compassion for street people .. they are not bad people .. not lazy people .. I like to give Anchorage street people attention, a smile .. and healthy foods .. fruits and such.
ReplyDeleteanonymous (again!) .. Jessica .. regular reader.
Jessica, Thanks for introducing me to your uncle. I know that lots of folks I see on the streets have reasonable explanations for why they are there - their skills sets don't work in our society. Or they have some characteristics that make them unacceptable to most employers.
ReplyDeleteI did nod and smile when I made eye contact.