"Is Anybody Human Anymore?"

Tuesday, 27 April 2010 09:15

"Is Anybody Human Anymore?"

Written by Mitch Herrick

(3 votes)

"A man, woman, or child who loves, feels, and expects nothing but dignity and respect." This is how Keven Allison, resident of the SAMMinistries men's residential facility on the campus of Haven for Hope described the homeless population. Why, then, do so many not get the love, dignity, and respect they deserve?

I just finished reading an article about a terribly tragic event in New York City. In short, a homeless immigrant witnessed a man being physically violent toward a woman and he stepped in to intervene. Upon helping the woman, the homeless man endured several stab wounds and collapsed to the ground as he chased the man away.

How many stopped to help this Good Samaritan? Nobody. At least seven people, one even turning the man over, walked by the homeless man who, by this time, was unconscious and laying in a pool of blood and offered no help. Is this what we have become? Insensitive to violence and unappreciative of human life?

Yes, this man was homeless, but that makes him no less human. I can almost assure you that if this man had been dressed in new clothes, had a fresh haircut, and a white pair of sneakers, those seven people would have stopped, they would have helped. Why did they just pass by? Was it because they thought this homeless man was intoxicated, passed out? Unfortunately, that was probably their assumption. Regrettably, that is the assumption of many. This small population of homeless individuals is the most visible, making them the face of homelessness, but don't they still need help as well?

I know many homeless individuals who are not this way. They have goals and aspirations; they want to be independent again. They want to work, have their own place, make their own food, and enjoy all that comes with relying on oneself.

The most upsetting truth to this story is that this man probably saved that woman's life, but no one, NO ONE, had the decency to save his. He, just like you and me, was a person "who loved, felt, and expected nothing but dignity and respect," but, regrettably, was denied the most basic of human rights.

Please join the fight against the stigmas of homelessness by treating these people as people.

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Mitch Herrick

I have been blessed with the opportunity to begin the Employment Development Program at SAMMinistries. As the Employment Development Specialist, I have been given the privilege of getting to know our residents on a deeper level. This gives me the opportunity to better educate San Antonio businesses on our program, creating greater opportunity to partner with these businesses to provide living-wage employment opportunities to our residents. Finally, I am grateful to those I work with every day who strive to "Offer Hope to the Homeless."

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3 comments

Comment Link Wednesday, 19 May 2010 13:12 posted by Kaycie Tyler
Wow, this is pretty amazing. I guess I live in a bubble because I could never imagine anyone passing up someone dying in the street regardless of how they look.
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Comment Link Saturday, 15 May 2010 20:09 posted by Marieth Ramos
I'm from New York City and I was devastated when I watch the incident on the news channel. I know of a woman with two children who is a victim of domestic violence. She lost her job and became homeless with her two children. She landed up in a shelter and one day was not feeling well. To make the story short their lives have been devastated, not only by the abusive father but by the very government and the agencies designed to protect them. The shelter's and other agencies should have made a prioty to protect her and the children from further victimazation. by the abuser. Instead of helping this women and her children they betrayed her by helping the abuser get custody of the children. I belive that these goverment agencies and other agencies should be monitored to make sure that services are being rendered accordingly. The good lord gives us experiences so that we can better help someone else. Is heart breaking for people to treat the disadvantaged with out dignity and respect.
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Comment Link Wednesday, 28 April 2010 14:24 posted by Beth Holmes
Ugh, this makes me feel sick. I almost don't even have anything to add in this comment, because treating people like people is so sensible that a person can't say more about it than you did here. I just don't understand where the disconnect is. Douglas Adams talks about a phenomenon in one of his Hitchhiker's Guide books called the "SEP field": the Somebody Else's Problem field. It's as though the homeless are walking around with a permanent SEP Field Generator that they can't get rid of, even when they are the ones doing the right thing and everyone else is silently justifying their own lack of action. It boils my blood, and I'd challenge anyone with a heart to say differently! (I find it funny though that my ReCaptcha security words below are "the spasm," because that's what my body did when I read this.)
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