There is a part of me that greatly admires the people that live on the streets. I have no idea how they do it. I got stuck for a couple of hours at Higgs beach and even though I had the newspaper and my dog and my camera for company the prospect of sitting around day after day doing absolutely nothing fills me with dread. And then there is the living publicly shuffling your possessions around for all to see.
Homeless people get no respect either. We are afraid of them and afraid of becoming them so we ignore them. I can't imagine how great that feels.
The problem in Key West is that so many of the street bums are that by profession as it were. They tend to hang out in parks and put other citizens off using the facilities. I saw this motorcycle breezing along with all his bags and I figured, ironically it was $20,000 of machinery that separates him from the bums walking their possessions! That and a different attitude no doubt. Oh and a job maybe...
If you think parking issues are intractable in Key West the homeless issue is just as bad. A lot of comments in the paper point out St Augustine doesn't have the same transient population, but one could equally point out St Augustine, as pretty as it is, isn't nearly as vibrant and colorful as Key West.
I was reminded of all this when the food van drove by checking, I presume if Salute, the Italian restaurant I enjoy so much, had food to give away. I think it is one of the better programs offered in Key West operated by the Catholic Church. Some people argue that the homeless are attracted by soup kitchens but I have to imagine that as indolent as they may be, the residentially challenged are drawn to Key West as much by the gorgeous climate as are those of us with houses and jobs and all appurtenances of respectable living. And I am not bored, never in life.
Homeless people get no respect either. We are afraid of them and afraid of becoming them so we ignore them. I can't imagine how great that feels. The problem in Key West is that so many of the street bums are that by profession as it were. They tend to hang out in parks and put other citizens off using the facilities. I saw this motorcycle breezing along with all his bags and I figured, ironically it was $20,000 of machinery that separates him from the bums walking their possessions! That and a different attitude no doubt. Oh and a job maybe...
If you think parking issues are intractable in Key West the homeless issue is just as bad. A lot of comments in the paper point out St Augustine doesn't have the same transient population, but one could equally point out St Augustine, as pretty as it is, isn't nearly as vibrant and colorful as Key West.
I was reminded of all this when the food van drove by checking, I presume if Salute, the Italian restaurant I enjoy so much, had food to give away. I think it is one of the better programs offered in Key West operated by the Catholic Church. Some people argue that the homeless are attracted by soup kitchens but I have to imagine that as indolent as they may be, the residentially challenged are drawn to Key West as much by the gorgeous climate as are those of us with houses and jobs and all appurtenances of respectable living. And I am not bored, never in life.
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