Our Society

Tonight was the 3rd consecutive night of Lesley Delivers as a part of Hunger & Homelessness week. We’ve had an impressive attendance count this week and it is really exciting to see so many students expressing interest in the club’s mission. The energy levels have been high, and it is clear that the impact of the experiences this week has been strong.
Last night, two groups set out in Harvard Square with 30 sandwiches to deliver. The run itself, while effective and eye-opening for most, was not anything out of the ordinary- that is, until the end of the run, as both groups witnessed an event as they made their way to the meeting spot. A gentleman who was standing outside of a store with a change-cup was being openly and publicly scolded by a police officer to leave the area. In a tone that was called “aggressive” and “scary” by multiple students in the group, the police officer did not seem to show any signs of sympathy for this individual, and was not concerned that he may have been humiliating him.
As I saw the event unfold, I had the impulse to express to the officer that what he was doing was not necessary; I, along with the rest of my group, was not bothered by the presence of this man. There was such a contrast at that point: the officer, concerned with getting this man to go away because he believed that the community and store owners would not want him there, and a group of students, on a mission to help the same individual by giving him a meal. If the police officer was scolding him for our sake, he was not helping us in any way. Why did we have more of a right to be present in the area than this man? We didn’t do anything to earn this right. It seemed so incredible that the officer, an individual who serves the community and is cognizant of the rights of citizens, can treat another citizen with such hostility. Wasn’t it clear to him that there may have not been another safe place for this person to go?
What is clear to me now is that the police officer was probably helping others in the community by doing this. The store probably enacted a “no loitering” policy which the police officers are expected to enforce. The man asking for change was probably hindering business at the store because people in the community were not entering the store when he was there. The problem is not with the police officer; the problem is that in our society, not everyone views the man who is homeless as just another citizen. They view him as dangerous, scary, as someone who they would want to avoid if they can when going shopping in the square. It is not right to be angry at the police officer in this situation, but to be impassioned to change the system. Eyes need to be opened that “homeless” is not synonymous with “drug addicted,” “a thief,” or “violent.” Because of the stigma in our society, homeless is not seen for what it really is. Individuals are blamed and misunderstood. Help is not given. In addition to delivering sandwiches, we need to deliver empathy and understanding so that our community realizes that we are all humans first, and deserve the right to be treated as such.

-Elissa