What If…
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WHAT IF…
What if in the following scenario, a situation involved members of your family or friends who experienced hardship, suffered loss and became unhoused as a result and life on the street was their last resort? Will you turn your back, walk away because you find them dirty, disheveled, needy and having an unpleasant odor? Do you feel them fallen victim to unfortunate external circumstances change the internal core of who they are? Do you view them in an unfavorable light? Are they now unworthy in your sight and their existence is minimized because of circumstance and you simply don’t care? Of course not! You would gladly offer what you had to spare knowing their whole life is in shambles and utter disrepair with no other lifeline or life support. It’s only you who’s there! You would lovingly intervene and lessen the heavy burden they now bear.
Let us all be encouraged to reach out and show we care to other human beings who are experiencing the same hardships, loss and despair with no home, life’s existence turned into an empty shell. All once accessible avenues for their basic needs are no longer met, new life on the street a total mind reset, fresh new anxieties crowding in, oppressive moments etched in time, setting the stage for rapid mental decline. Tiny fragments of the fragile mind shattered into a million pieces, terror pervades with constant internal conflict, desperately trying to control the external chaos of life.
Psychological mind games distort haunting images that manifest from the profound, devastating effects of victim of circumstance. Unforeseen life events and uncertainties dictate they now live in crime and germ-infested environments, that’s where many lay their heads to sleep, eat and spend most of their existence. Sometimes people walk right by them not even realizing they passed away and have been in that unfortunate state for hours until someone eventually comes along to check on them. Their deaths could be related to many various causes, but many are associated with living and existing on the disease and germ-ridden streets.
Being exposed to all of nature’s elements, but especially when unpredictable weather shifts collide. This is where the human body and nature clash, over-exposure to either extreme you die. This is what happens to some of society’s most vulnerable where temperature was the underlying or contributing cause of death. As injustice continues to discriminate against the unhoused they are no longer able to sleep on a park bench or most places now, controversial anti-homeless architecture enforcement now exists, the respite spots they used to seek are no longer accessible or allowed.
We promise not to slide too far down into the rabbit hole, but here is where some of the real story begins to unfold. Desperate souls, especially those new to the unhoused street life seek refuge after dark, some with their families in tow searching in the seedy alleyway overflows, public parks are no longer an option, they are deemed illegal, violators will be ticketed and vacated. Unable to find adequate safe resting spots, last resort for some of the unhoused is sheltering down in the dangerous tunnels, the precarious underground life. This group of the unhoused are termed the ‘mole people’ another derogatory name to describe human beings. They also reside along the railroad tracks, resulting in an uptick of railroad train fatalities, a dangerous side effect of an enormous unmet need for affordable housing and adequate safe shelters. The parameters of limited space and overcrowding add to further unpredictable danger and violence.
There is the high risk of being a victim of human and sex trafficking, becoming an unwilling participant in sex and drug-filled escapades, the defiant and reckless criminal outsiders setting tents and sleeping bodies ablaze, murder and mayhem at an all-time high nowadays. The unhoused, poor and needy are on the top of the human food chain, primed for exploitation and other unspeakable crimes.
Most crimes of violence perpetuated against the unhoused population oftentimes occur from the prison system when ‘newly released felons and repeat offenders’ are introduced back on the streets, your mixed variety of thugs and criminals with nowhere to go, no job, and no money other than the prison gate release stipend of $200, which all felons in the state of California and maybe other states are entitled to under a 51-year-old state law. The stipend is intended to help them cover basic necessities in their initial days of freedom. Long before that money runs out, they’re already plotting and planning evil on how to exploit the unhoused, poor and needy. The mindset for some and the easiest, quickest way for them to get by and survive is victimizing the most vulnerable sometimes in disguise.
Some criminals are trapped in a cycle of aggressive, violent behavior, particularly against the poor and defenseless, while others however are very savvy at mastering the game of manipulation, betrayal and deception. A game that never ends, used over and over again like recycled plastic in an overfilled trash bin. The predators and scammers who hide their BMWs and Mercedes Benz, quick change of clothes to blend in, carrying their ‘please feed me’ and I’ have cancer’ signs, stealing from the unhoused, poor and needy with greed in mind, taking handouts from the unsuspecting public and robbing them blind! These ruthless gangs also pretend to be homeless and use the tent encampments to sell fentanyl and other drugs.
The unscrupulous parasites feed off the already suffering and those in desperate need while hiding under the cloak of deception and murderous greed. They are void of a conscience and remorse when they deliberately with calculating, methodical behavior, rob, rape, murder and steal with savage force. The ones in greed greatly jeopardize the ones in need exploiting others for personal gain. May God have mercy on their souls! Sometimes it’s not always the outsiders that creep in, it’s the others who are fake and pretend to be one of them, wrecking havoc, infiltrating their small, unhoused communities and tent encampments from within, they are really the big bad wolves disguised in imitation sheepskins.
Not every smile holds kindness, some hide daggers instead with malicious intent that victims misread. Shrouded under the cover of darkness stalking their next victim to consume with a sinister anticipation of impending doom. These career criminals who prey on the hungry, destitute and poor may possess chameleon like traits and blend into any social environment and catch the unsuspecting completely off guard.
Living the unpredictable street life, the unhoused are exposed to highly contagious diseases and illnesses due to extreme unsanitary living conditions, cohabitating with dangerous and unsavory characters and everything in between sets a highly volatile murder scene. Nowhere to hide, no available safe haven, reminisce of the epidemic quarantine. Very few may be able to collect enough money for a room for a night or two to escape the rampant onslaught of violence and find refuge, safety and peace because that level of comfort is far and few.
They say seeking public shelter is cruel and inhuman treatment and it is like being in a revolving jail cell from hell, you have the same concerns like being on the street just enclosed in a confined indoor environment, which makes living conditions worse. You never know who’s coming into shelter down with you, it could be a friend, acquaintance, a foe or someone far more menacing, you just never know. Some shelters may come with their own internal dangers and deemed unsafe.
Being unhoused and experiencing poverty is very difficult, it is a miserable situation to find yourself having to now exist in, it is a major threat to your health and your survival. Being forced into an unhoused living condition due to unforeseen circumstances will put into question your ability to continually provide all of your survival necessities such as shelter, food, water and protection on a daily basis. Not addressing these critical, lifesaving survival needs earlier on, you will find yourself in a harsh and unforgiving test of your survival acumen resulting in deadly consequences…some newcomers succumb to the ravages of street life, claiming yet another innocent victim.
It is survival of the fittest in an unrelenting environment that requires a variety of basic survival skills and ingenuity. Be kind and compassionate, you never know what other less fortunate human beings have to endure on the brutal streets of ‘Devastation & Nowhere To Turn Avenue.’ Extend words of comfort or a kind gesture, a warm hello, a smile goes a long way. They say they’re feeling invisible and suicidal on any given day.
Everyone should extend compassion without judgment. You could be saving the life of someone who cannot cope by offering a kind word, a sense of humanity, giving that person the gift of hope. These things cost nothing. Most will care, some won’t. It’s not really about what you think, it’s what you do. They benefit, yes but so do you. We can’t depend on society’s powers that be to save the day, we need to unite and do what we can do to lead the way. This is not just a ‘them’ problem, being unhoused and experiencing extreme poverty is systemic oppression, an epidemic, a social disease, it’s an unnecessary human condition in the strata of society which can adversely affect anyone and should be eradicated.
Here are some what if scenarios that are not too far-fetched to imagine what life would look like if suddenly today or tomorrow you lost your home, your business or employment. Having to endure a long-term disability, a permanent injury, loss of a spouse who is the only breadwinner, who left no life insurance or had any savings set aside. Your hard earned investments lost, scammed out of all your life savings and you no longer have any financial security. You became a victim of identity theft, your personal banking access denied, all credit cards declined.
Another unknown twist and turn you won’t see coming is falling victim to the fraudulent home title theft scam no longer having a legal right of ownership to your property or land. This crime will leave you out in the cold without a place to call home, with this type of scheme you won’t even know it’s happening until it’s too late. Sadly, it has happened to some unfortunate victims living on the street. There are many other unpredictable tragic losses that can occur from severe weather storm systems, natural disasters, devastating wildfires resulting in total loss of your home, loss of loved ones and all your worldly possessions destroyed. Your life as you once knew it now lay in utter ruins from a heartbreaking catastrophe. Without refuge, money, job or family to support you, where would you be?
All of the above real life, unfortunate and paralyzing events can create immediate and long-term complications leaving behind a trail of destruction and chaos that some never recoup or recover from. The blow of experiencing any loss is never easy. The same or similar horrific circumstances happened to many of the unhoused, the working-class and poor, the attorneys, doctors, former athletes, educators and more. Some have degrees, others hold a PhD, they come from all walks of life you’ll see them on the street.
Some of the uncomfortable realities is that people never think life’s negative and devastating circumstances can happen to them. It’s been countless times stated on the news broadcast of families saying, “I never thought it could happen to me or my family.” Life happens good, bad or indifferent to the rich and poor. God is the maker of them all. Life’s criteria is not based on who you are, your status in life or your earthly material possessions. It is your character in the end that truly speaks to who you really are inside. It is vital to other’s well-being to be able to extend empathy and a helping hand to those who truly suffer. Unfortunate and unpredictable circumstances can happen to anyone, sometimes life has a way of teaching us humble lessons to appreciate our current blessings. No one is immune to life’s curve balls or untouchable to its devastating effects. Let’s be good to one another by always exercising the spirit of kindness and let love, empathy and compassion be your guide.
Rather than a handout let’s offer a hand up as many struggle for survival. Are you putting your faith into action by serving others? Share your heart, be apart, support and give. Mind reflect… What if some of the most beautiful attributes of being human are the precious gifts of the reciprocal overflow of returned love, understanding, compassion and empathy? Let’s not live in a world where love is invisible. Mind reset... It’s the spirit of the heart that matters not the physical wardrobe displayed. All human beings should be treated with dignity, respect and value. Is one human life more valuable than another? What’s the cost of a human being? There is none the cost is inestimable, ALL human life is priceless!
Never take for granted the blessings of life, or judge others because of their woeful plight. Circumstances can change right before your very eyes. Life consists of a multitude of uncertainties, complexities and variables, an unpredictable maze. Life is not always what it portrays, it presents itself in many different ways. Some of life’s unsuspecting gifts come wrapped with sleight-of-hand, smoke & mirror tricks and unknown twists. Aren’t we all just a few traumas away from internal, external circumstances beyond our control? Life is sometimes abstract, filtered through the lens of shades of gray, black and blues and other complex kaleidoscope hues. When you think things are only happening from afar, your vision may be a little out of focus, look at the words on your side view mirrors after entering your car, objects in the mirror are closer than they appear. An introspective view will make your vision crystal clear. The hidden logic of deception that further prove things are not what they appear to be is believing the illusions of the late, great Harry Houdini escaping without a key. Nothing in life is guaranteed. Humbly consider the above scenario, WHAT IF… THAT WERE ME? -ArkCha’GivingHope.Org