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Topic: The Lady in front of my building (Read 1266 times)

Addams
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The Lady in front of my building
« on: May 14^th, 2003, 8:54am »

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I have worked in this building for about 2.5 years however I have walked by this building for at least 10 years on a regular basis.

In front of the building on one of the heating grates sits "the lady". She sits there day in and day out. She comes under the building awning when it rains or snows hard. Only in the bitter cold of winter does she seek refuge off the street.

I used to give her 5$ each week when I went to the bank machine but then she asked me to stop and said no more.

She watches everything but says nothing unless someone speaks to her.

She is very neat and has all her belongings in a trundle buggy.

This morning I arrived to find her not in her place and all her belongings strewn everywhere. The City then came with garbage trucks and put all her belongings into a big garbage bag including her trundle buggy and knapsack. They dumped into the garbage truck they had brought. She was left with nothing.

Two of us stood up for her and asked what was happening. At that moment one employee announced that HE was being harassed doing his job. Sigh.

No one cares. They claimed her things were strewn everywhere and therefore they were helping her (yeah right).

I came into the office and spoke to my staff. One person here said he actually spoke with her to see if he could help her with her belongings. She said that a man had come and kicked all her stuff everywhere with his boots and shoes. JB said he asked if he could help her put it back and she refused.

I am arriving distraught that she has lost all her things. As I left to go up to my office the "bag lady as some are wont to call her" was taking down the license plate numbers of the vehicles. I guess she didn't think she was being helped.

But as was explained to us she hears voices and does things that are not rational. Right and the City always does rational things.

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Rhune
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #1 on: May 14^th, 2003, 9:20am »

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A terrible shame. Sad

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Rhune
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #2 on: May 14^th, 2003, 9:32am »

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Maybe if she wouldn't accept your $5, you could get her a new knapsack? I don't know if you want to get that much involved, but from your words I can tell you want to do something to help. Maybe everyone there who wants to could pitch in and get her a new knapsack with some essential things in it? Nothing so fancy she'd be robbed of it...I'm at a loss for what items would be essential for someone living on the streets would be, aside from the obvious food and money...a handkerchief? A bottle of water so she could keep the bottle to refill it? A light rain jacket or rain poncho? A gift certificate to a grocery store or second hand clothing store (second hand because again, anything too fancy and she'd likely be robbed of it)? A gift certificate to a shoe store? I'm just kinda throwing out wild ideas here.

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darnchts
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #3 on: May 14^th, 2003, 9:47am »

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I came from the country..had never been to any place other than a quick day trip to Boston when I moved to Manchester, NH to go to college.
It isn't like Manchester is a big city..but to someone who had spent 18 years in the country..it was way too much of a city. My first experience was having to walk from our dorm (which was a converted apartment building since my college did not have a real campus) to the school each day. There was a lady there who sat on the steps and threw rocks at us..it was always a challenge to get by her and I was terrified of her. I went home to Vermont for the first time in November and discovered when I got back to NH that someone had chopped her up in the park and left her in her own shopping bag..it gave me chills.
Later as I got more used to the city..we would spend most of our free time (what there was of it) walking all around Manchester. There were many "street people" and each of them had a security level to them that we were all very aware of. We knew which ones were "safe" and which ones had sniffed glue and were not to be trusted. One of the "safe" ones was a man that I will never forget to this day. He had a long fur coat on that he wore year round. He was always preaching to everyone and you could tell he was very intelligent. He would draw a crowd and everyone would stop and ask his opinion of this and that and he would put on speeches in the middle of the city until the cops came and broke them up. He really stunk and was hard to stand next to but he was fascinating to listen to.
A year later when I was sitting in Pysch class..the professor decided to use the street people to show the different forms of depression and problems each had. He talked about "the preacher" and I was blown away. This man used to be a professor at a NH university. He was considered to be one of the best teachers that NH had. He had many degrees and many people would ask from all over for him to come and speak at various functions cause he was fascinating to listen to. Then one day his wife and boy decided to go visit her parents. They went for a week and flew back on a Friday nite. He was running late from the school and when he arrived, he discovered that the plane had crashed and his family was killed instantly. He stopped living at that moment.
He still will interrupt his speeches to say that he has to go pick up his family. We used to hear him mumble that and just thought it was him being crazy..never having a clue what had actually happened in his life. I never looked at a street person the same again. I know each one of them have a story and none of them want to be where they are..just things happened in their lives that put them there. I will always thank that teacher for teaching me to be more humble.
Anyway..I am saddened to hear your story Cymbals as I along with many others stepped in a lot of times to get the cops in Manchester to stop harrassing the street people there. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I thought I was going to be locked up cause the cops were not used to someone giving them a hard time over beating up a street person. We even went one time and filed a complaint against one who was just being horribly mean to a little old lady who was bawling her eyes out. I believe they suspended him and he never was allowed back. It is a sad world that most just blind their eyes to. Since moving further north in NH, I rarely ever see street people. I know they are out there but not as many as Manchester.

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Addams
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #4 on: May 14^th, 2003, 10:22am »

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This past year we supported a fund raiser gala for a program in Toronto that is run by former street people. They buy real homes that are shared in "safe" circumstances. They provide counselling and even tuition to help folks return back to their lives from the street. Many have had something traumatic occur and through no fault of their own they are left with nothing. We don't all have safety nets and we are not all caught by public safety nets.

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Addams
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #5 on: May 14^th, 2003, 10:24am »

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Rhune I love your idea of us buying a new bundle buggy and blanket and knapsack. Whatever we could afford and to put a few items into the knapsack. She had a metal cup she always drank from and she likes to eat cookies as snacks. Some coffee money (I see her going down for coffee every morning at the food court).

I do know she sleeps and showers and eat somewhere - I just am not sure where. She has some public resources but that spot on the street is hers.

She has blonde hair and she is so neat but something happened to her - nobody knows what it was.

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east
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #6 on: May 14^th, 2003, 10:54am »

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thank you so very much for sharing this with us addams and you too dar...i think one of the things that you both touch on was the humanity of people who seem so 'other' to us. this is something that i have to remind myself of time and time again. too often, the homeless and in the case of the two individuals both of you spoke about at length, the mentally ill, are the ones i feel quite strongly about. not just because of my own mental health issues but also because they find themselves on the stret and often it is not a choice they would have chosen if they were healthy. (now to to fair, drug users can and often have very similar issues.)

anyways, i concur with rhune, if you have the ability to help her replace her knapsack, blanket, etc. this may or may not be received due to her mental health but it can always be donated elsewhere if she doesn't want it. i am curious about what shaped this woman...the events that led her to the front of your building.

i have often thought as i learn more and more about people's personal stories that they should be circulated in such a way to help us see beyond the 'us' and 'them' with them as 'other'.

as an aside, you are a special person addams to care about this woman. i know there are others like you in your building but many would just be happy to see her removed.

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GAS
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #7 on: May 14^th, 2003, 11:58am »

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That is aweful to hear, I think I would have a similiar reaction. I think pitching in to get a knapsack with a few items is a good idea.

K-A, I really liked you insight to the 'other' people. It's true....

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MzWings
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #8 on: May 14^th, 2003, 2:45pm »

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One of the first person's I thought of while reading addams story, was K-A. She's always ready and willing to help another.

Addams - if you and some of the people in your building could pool some bucks together for a trundle buggy and a few supplies (or whatever) for that dear woman - you will all surely be blessed. And "the lady" will also. Actually, you're already blessed for being the caring person you are.

The same goes for you too, Dar.

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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #9 on: May 14^th, 2003, 5:34pm »

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Nod, at the heart of this post is a message about having a good heart and caring about others, especially since she didn't intend this thread to be about that. It just goes to show the true character of Addams, and what kind of person she is at heart - someone who cares about others, even outside her immediate circle, and someone who wants to actively do something about the mistreatment of other people. I know I should let sleeping dogs lie, but I just want to say I have seen a lot of negative things posted about Addams on other sites recently, and if anyone has any question about what kind of person she is, don't look to *crap* other people write. You can see for yourself through the heart of the fighting and see in many posts like this one what kind of person she is - someone I'm proud to call my friend.

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darnchts
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #10 on: May 14^th, 2003, 7:37pm »

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Addams knows how much I care about her. I never listened to what others said cause there was too much proof from things she has done and said to me privately for me to ever believe any of the crap that has been said. Addams..you are a special lady and I will always be there for you!! :grouphug:

Well of course you knew that anyway...but I just decided I would tell the rest of the world in case anyone wanted to still try to convince me otherwise...

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Rhune
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #11 on: May 15^th, 2003, 8:50am »

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Steering this thread back on track...

I'm curious what happened with the lady. Did you all get her a knapsack, etc?

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Addams
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #12 on: May 15^th, 2003, 9:10am »

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Well actually I don't do things quite so fast. I am doing the single working mom thing this week and yesterday was a busy day with having to leave work early to get Wednesday an early dinner into her little tummy before her evening group cello lesson followed by an evening of a children's version of The Magic Flute down at the Canadian Opera Company.

It's been hectic.

Getting back on topic, when I arrived this morning the lady was not there. I was feeling bad and then I saw the building manager and asked him if she was back again this morning. He said that she was! I asked what happened yesterday. The building manager said that the lady made the mess herself because she got frustrated looking for her soap.

Since i have not seen any of this it is hard to know.

Still it seems she was there this morning. That is good to know.

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Roo94
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #13 on: May 15^th, 2003, 1:24pm »

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addams

What a sad story. It would be great if you were able to replace (and she accepts) some of her items.

Dar - your story shows that with the snap of a finger, it could be any one of us out there.

We must all do our best to help our fellow man (and woman!)

Roo

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LibertyBelle
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Re: The Lady in front of my building
« Reply #14 on: May 15^th, 2003, 7:07pm »

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Taking this thread back off track for just a moment...

>>someone I'm proud to call my friend<<

Ditto. Totally ditto.

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