TONY
“You know, I just got 2 bucks from the guy who writes up the parking tickets on Ronces. He’s always been a pretty good guy.”
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The word from the street
TONY
“You know, I just got 2 bucks from the guy who writes up the parking tickets on Ronces. He’s always been a pretty good guy.”
This entry was posted on October 16, 2008 at 1:54 pm and is filed under homelessness.
Tags: balance, chronometer, parking tickets, Rohinton Mistry, Roncesvalles
Homeless Man Speaks
October 16, 2008 at 11:33 pm
OK, I’m back, again.
The elections are over, Kennedy’s in, in your riding. But Phil, I haven’t heard anything – that you contacted him, or anyone re seeking housing for Tony. So what’s up?
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You know.. while you ARE bringing light to the homeless with this blog which is very positive, I feel you could start using this blog (maybe already are) as your creative outlet, with puns, cultural allusion – double entendres like ‘au clair de la lune’, posts spotted images of artist like Chagall who most street people certainly have no knowledge of etc….and what does that say in the end?
Now back to housing.. could you do something about it – before posting an image of Jean Cocteau?
Thanks
Maya
October 17, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Hi Maya,
Thanks for your post.
I can tell you that for the last several wks, Tony has been renting a friend’s basement room for $20 a night, which he is able to afford pretty much every night.
Philip
October 18, 2008 at 1:46 am
That’s great news Philip!
October 19, 2008 at 10:52 am
Thanks for letting us know Philip. That’s a relief as cold weather
will be here in no time. May Tony’s good fortunes continue and may he get a little ‘room of his own’ too, soon!
October 21, 2008 at 10:11 am
I have experienced the misery of homelessness at several points in my life and, although there is a certain sense of freedom to it, it is a dangerous and miserable lifestyle that is hard to rise out of.
Contrary to popular belief, most homeless did not become so out of choice. Most did not become homeless because they are lazy, stupid, or immoral. Many homeless people are victims of abuse in the form of neglect and abandonment by their parents or other caregivers. Like many victims of abuse, a lot of them have chemical dependency problems. Their existence is so miserable that they use alcohol or other drugs as an escape. Some of them are simply victims of life’s tragedies, such as hurricanes, fires, or other catastrophes from which they simply don’t have the resources to recover.
Also, there is a snowball effect that occurs with homelessness. After all, who is going to hire someone with no address? Most homeless people don’t have the resources to even do their laundry; who is going to hire someone in filthy clothes? Also once a person has fallen to the level of living on the streets it is very difficult for them to get a job even if they are capable of working, because the condition of homelessness creates a low sense of self-esteem which makes it difficult to relate to other people. It is difficult to find, much less keep a job once a person’s self-esteem is so badly damaged.
I invite you to my website: http://www.FreetheGods.com. There you will find pictures I have taken of homeless people. I always give them a dollar or two for the privilege of photographing them. Usually, I am surprised by their cheerfulness and sense of pride. Often, they will show themselves to have some kind of talent. There is a fine line between genius and insanity.
David Settino Scott, III