HN PHOTOS: The Homeless Christmas Tree…

HYANNIS – [HN NOTES] – I met Steven Harry Laurie (and he proudly pointed out “Harry” was his father’s name) at a homeless hangout/camp behind an abandoned downtown Hyannis business earlier this afternoon. There were about 8 or 9 individuals there, some I had met before, others I had not.

I had been in the area and stopped by, curious to find out whether everyone had a warm place to stay this evening – unfortunately a couple of the women did not – one mentioned she is no longer allowed in the overflow hotel shelters. (I was unable to learn why, yet…)

According to the forecast, the temperatures, although warm now, are expected to dip into the mid-20s come Monday.

Steven pulled me aside and asked if I had a moment to talk. He kept calling me “sir.” I insisted he call me Rob. Just Rob. “I’m not a sir… just some guy with a camera documenting what’s real.”

Steven mentioned that he was good. That he was staying at the shelter and he considered himself very fortunate for that… but he was bothered that some of the homeless women in Hyannis were no longer accepted anywhere, for one reason or another. Steven says it’s far more dangerous for the homeless women and that he has seen them assaulted, sometimes sexually. He told me he has reached out to local politicians and wants to start collecting signatures, petitioning the government to do more for the women. I told him that I particularly liked the fact he cared to help others despite being homeless himself.

It was then Steven told me about the Christmas Tree he set up for the women who often camp where we were standing. According to him, he had been helping a friend cut down a tree in exchange for booze and cigarettes when the idea occurred to him. So, he decided to keep some of the prettier branches. He was especially enamored with the abundance of long perfect pine cones. (I had to agree. They were pretty special…) “That’s a nice tree, Steven. Here, stand over here and let me take a picture of you with the tree. Then give me your number and I’ll text them to you after doing a little write-up.” Steven liked that idea. He agrees, as I do, that we need to focus more on the human beings living on our sidewalks. It’s a complicated issue that Steven and I both planned on talking more about, the next time I was up during the daytime and in the area.

The winter is no joke for the homeless, male or female. I have literally seen people frozen solid. It seems at least one person dies from the cold every year in Hytown. And nobody talks about it… aside from the occasional callous remark, referring to deceased homeless persons as “bum-sicles” or other shallow attempts at humor… hellish coping mechanisms to deflect ourselves from realities and circumstances we rather not fathom, let alone deal with… And to quote Mark Twain, “I believe our Heavenly Father invented man because he was disappointed in the monkey.”

“People suck,” is another popular quote I keep hearing from just about everyone these days…

People suck, indeed…

And I’m nothing special either. I’m not a dedicated homeless case worker. I’m not trained in dealing with homeless issues. I don’t have an abundance of time or money to solve these problems. I’m just a guy with a camera. Beyond that I’m relatively useless, even powerless (and not far from being on the streets myself, when I think about it). But I have a mission to not shy away from these stark realities, the ones I’ve been seeing in my neighborhood every single day for well over the past 50 years. And I strongly believe that documenting the truth accurately, honestly and with compassion is the best and only disinfectant. Because maybe, just maybe, those much more powerful than I will become more informed, inspired and able to chip in the best they can. It’s all I really got!

God bless!
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Recent HN bonus photos. Hyannis, my favorite village of uniquely interesting, ever-changing contrasts: