HN Photos: Patrol officers have the uncomfortable task of telling homeless individuals they are no longer allowed to camp on the bandstand…

HYANNIS – [HN NOTES] – Ever since a young man was stabbed to death on the Village Green this past May, police have had zero tolerance for the homeless attempting to camp on the bandstand.

It’s the same old Hyannis homeless problem, tough times, tough weather, no place to go…

In recent years, the authorities routinely turned a blind eye to homeless individuals ducking in out of the rain and snow to bundle up in their sleeping bags under the bandstand’s roof. As long as everyone behaved, it wasn’t a priority for the patrols to arrive and clear the deck, telling everyone to find someplace else to go.

It has become a Hyannis nativity scene of sorts, no room at the inn but there’s the bandstand, so bring your own manger and ‘we’ll turn a blind eye as long as nobody complains or gets stabbed.’

But that’s all changed since May’s bloody murder.

And we’re straight back to ‘no room at the inn.’ Tonight HN overheard one of the would-be campers complaining about being unable to stay awake and needing sleep. Another mentioned something about a tent, probably somewhere out in the nearby woods…

This is a complicated issue and I personally cannot think of a simple solution that wouldn’t potentially cause additional issues. The homeless, or “street people” as they were once referred to in less PC times, are and seemingly always have been a part of the Hyannis backdrop. And most of us don’t have an abundance of wealth or space to take people in, but speaking for myself, I can at the very least keep the less fortunate in my prayers tomorrow as I give thanks and count my own simple blessings…

… and as I’m typing this there’s a woman overdosing in a movie theater bathroom at the Cape Cod Mall, police and firefighters are now rushing there in an effort to save a life. It is one of several overdoses across the Cape this evening…

… and whenever I have a depressing thought this time of year, I’m at least thankful most of my personal hardships are not even close to the constant misery I witness among those living out on our streets.

Again, most of us are not in a position where we can afford to solve the problems of others. But we can pray for them. And we can truly give thanks for being in a comparably better place. And if you’re like me, you know how it feels during these dark weeks when it sometimes takes all the energy one can muster just to get up and going in the morning. I can only imagine how much harder this time would be if my home was a tent in the nearby woods.

These are the dark weeks, from now until Christmas, the winter solstice or shortest day of the year being on about December 21st .
But here’s the good news, the days after the winter solstice steadily grow longer and longer, brighter and brighter, and everyday the strain seems to lift a little, until the blinding sunlight bounces off the snow covered days of January and February, and there’s the gradual optimism that comes with every day getting longer and longer, brighter and brighter…

… eventually warmer and warmer too.

And it’s our main job, regardless of our temporary circumstances, to keep plugging away, to keep right on until the end of the road. To keep trying to do the right thing and hopefully make our lives a little easier as we go. There’s really no other sensible alternative.

And we also cannot forget to count our own simple blessings if at all possible.

Happy Thanksgiving.

P.S. – Today’s Hytown Vignette music is brought to you by Argent… [PRESS PLAY! COUNT SOME BLESSINGS!]

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