Rainy Winter day in Tucson

It was early morning or late night, I could tell, there were no stars or moon. The love of my life was sleeping peacefully. Some neighboring coyotes named Brock and Luna were nestling around. I had been woken by the rain drops falling on my blankets over my ears. They had gotten harder and closer between the drops. I thought to myself looking around if we should move to higher ground or cover. The walk would be 10 minutes, we would have to pack everything up. I laid down hoping to not waking the beautiful woman next to me. At that point I heard thunder in the distance and no mountains on the horizon. Very noticeable with them being 7000+ feet. The ground was moist, the blankets damp. The smell of fluoride in the air had been replaced with a fresh water scent. Like most night there were helicopters above, I could here anywhere from 3-5 of them, from near by Davis Monthan Air Base, the neighboring hospitals and so on. Holiday light flashed on and off trying to spread the holiday cheer not being felt by those out side in the cold. So I made the decision and woke my love up, we quickly packed up and moved to the nearest place we could find a dry spot. There we were surrounded by traffic and flood lights, no trespassing signs, not a very welcoming spot, but its dry and worth a good night sleep, even if it means a cop giving us a ticket.

These were are options a sidewalk where anything can happen on a given night, a tunnel, an alley or hidden. The space although not inviting , was warm, dry, and the gray brick was only comforting to us with the help of two blankets. The rain hit hart , the rain picked up, other who had been in the area also began to gather. We woke up late, we headed to hide our stuff in the Coyote Javelina Public storage that we had dubbed our daytime hiding spot. The to Sister Jose's a place for women to get a coffee, a bite of toast, sometimes laundry and clean up. I went to Saint Vincent to get a pair of clothes, then to a near by houseless walk in center for pain medication. The rain started to come down again, this time in a drizzle. I sat there for a while, waiting for my love to appear through the gates, my stomach rumbling. Thinking back, thanks to the rain my blankets probably wouldn't have the white ponder from the crop dusting planes whose powder when falling to your lips taste sweet and metallic.

We walk slowly through the rain, past the houses all looking rustic and colorful, not surprising in a historical neighborhood, which reads quietly no poor people allowed. As we get closer to downtown the energy changes to a gloom as recent events has cause a hamper on the houseless community. People greet us and want to talk about how its continuing. We march forward wishing for a spot to be alone, we also march for a quick cheap filler of food. Anything you can fill up on for the day on less than $4 if you want to make it through the month. If you have higher food quality and nutrients, this is not the state for you. This is a food desert brought to you by Monsanto. There they are again the helicopters flying over again. As I look white thin lined clouds appear in the air. I get some chips and a chicken wrap. Yum. We look for a place to sit. Its still raining so we want a place dry. No where to be found out side. I think back on whether our blankets are okay, still laying in Public Storage, not insulated greatly from the drizzle. We head for the library, the savior of the houseless population in Arizona come hot summer sun or cold rainy winter days. A place to get online, learn a hobby or read a book.

The hard part about getting a hobby, is you have no funds, you have no resources so you need to use what ever is at your disposable. A paper , a pencil, maybe your food wrappers. A question forms in my head , how is it with what you can carry on your person, maybe $15 at most, and access to a computer 4 hours a day, and a piece of scrap paper or a golf pencil, how is it you can make a living for your self. How can you make yourself presentable for a job interview if you are working with limited donated clothes, most not even close to work casual. You can walk a mile and get some food, not necessarily healthy, not even close, most not even filling, you can walk a mile and get hygiene items or clothes a shower is still a miracle at the most more than twice a week. Most using a restaurant bathroom or a public fountain. Today I fell tired, not filling like I have a chance to change the world when I cant stop the crop dusting or making see the mass population know that we don't have places to sleep legally, we don't have a place to clean up, we want healthy food choices not slop as Tom puts it. We deserve this because its a human right, we need equal buying power, to have constant government and private sector restrictions on us.

Why we need to listen.

It is often said we need to hear twice as much we talk because that's why we have two ears and one jabber. But have we really adhered to this advice? The wide range of information and media out there overloads us with information, mostly to the point of view of someone else's agenda. We see people suffering each day, we see the lines going around the block for food, and other services being offered to the houseless but we just see it as another distraction on the way to work, much like a billboard sign or a speed limit sign. But what are the stories of those handing out the food or other items and those receiving them? Where you may ask is the government who widely talks about such things, and what are the names of these people? Are there holes in the system?

When speaking to other generations we hear about how neighborhoods would come out and feed and wash the feet of the houseless in the area, local stores would not let you leave empty handed because you had two dollars, the YMCA provided shelter to travelers as did Hostels for a low price. The elderly were cared for by the youth and parents allowed their kids to stay in the home until marriage. A experienced journeyman in any number of trades would mentor someone into receiving their trade, companies would move you up getting you training in skills they needed. The government would not run off a person down on their luck but help them. The government seeing someone is no longer able to do their trade or career because of a lack of jobs in that market or medical issues would retrain you in another. An employer listened to demands of their workers, gave holiday bonuses and better pay. Because of this more people succeeded, less people suffered. Now that is not to say that many did not see this or experience this because of the high prejudice then, because they did, and now we treat every one under the Jim Crow flag now. We dictate and walk away, not hearing the words others have, this has left many no longer wishing to be apart of something.

This we know that we do not help the houseless because we believe the stereotypes we have seen and heard about them, The same reason we become cautious when around those out of our comfort zone. We pay not attention to the person who is the symptom of the bigger problem. We consider that public transportation costs we face shouldn't be raised because we cant afford it. We don't consider that many already are excluded from the privilege because they don't have money. We don't consider that a business license costs more than a monthly pass. If we cant afford the bus pass we surely cant afford to purchase the things that will help us move up the ladder. We see boy scouts helping folks, but why not the homeless, is there something we don't see? If so we must listen, for the reason why. If we do not hear the complaints of those under us we cannot serve them appropriately. If we allow the government to not hear certain populations of our citizenry then, we will not be heard, we are will live in a place of judicial anarchy, we will have roaming thugs, and will have open communication change to open violence, the rights and traditions of America is the defining idea that makes us different than many other countries.

If we do not understand how our thinking, action, and decisions effect those around us, than we will not be able to make the change we want, we will not be able to work together. It is not on those speaking to judge their behavior as okay, but judgement is in the hand of those on the receiving end. Everyday we hear words, but actions lack. Models are created but not finished. Its then on each of us to be the peacekeepers, the referees and the bigger person. Not holding yourself accountable is the first step to the path we do not want, the first step by any entrepreneur or activist is to see where the missing pieces of the puzzle are and provide that to the community. The difference is one does it for justice, the other does it for profit, both help and hinder in their one way. Both create jobs, one gives equal footing, the other provide financial opportunity. Together collaborated they can create a direct action benefiting and changing the conversation and create good government where no government is acting on the cause. because the country is for the people by the people , represented by the people, citizen direct action is good government, what you see in Detroit, Ferguson, and other places is bad government, one that makes its own rules, responsible to no one, and considers no one. Proof that government and community are only reflections of each of us, and in that we must change, each becoming better listeners, better providers, better neighbors. Not being irritated by a loud neighbor but considering the reason the neighbor does such things. A man left out in the cold, viewing others inside and warm , may get loud and disruptive, but the answer is not removing him or criminalizing him, but making sure he is warm, Just as if someone is not presentable for a job interview, it not that they are not a good fit for your business, but a bad economic situation they are in, unable to change that because the resources are lacking. Further a lack of communication has never brought peace to any war torn country or between two countries so how do we feel it will have a positive therapeutic effect on our relationships? We must listen, consider, and hear others to move ahead, there lies the cause of misunderstanding, a lack of trust and many other pillars we build relationship on including respect for our fellow human.
Thank you for reading, please leave me your thoughts, I will respond back to any questions. Please share with a friend.