The Frountain
As I sit at my computer, I'm constantly watching the activity in the park across the street. Sometimes, I become so engrossed in this voyeuristic practice, I accomplish very little in the way of [computer] productivity. Actually, I sometimes use the pretense of working at the computer as an excuse to simply sit and watch the people outside my window.
There is a water fountain at the end of the park, across from my window, directly in my line of sight. In recent weeks, I've observed this one particular indigent, using the fountain as a washing station. He saturates his filthy rags in the basin, which is only inches away from the spout from which people drink, and washes himself, reaching inside his shirt to clean his torso and then wiping down the outside of his clothes ...constantly returning this disgusting rag to the basin of the fountain to re-wet it for more cleaning.
He even has some sort of soap product that he squirts on the various pieces of clothing he pulls out of his sack and actually washes them there in the drinking fountain. When I think of all the people who will drink from that fountain throughout the day never knowing how it's been used... But then again, if you choose to drink from a public fountain, located in an outside park, you have to realize that it's not the most sanitary of water dispensers.
My reaction to seeing this homeless person abuse this utility is somewhat mixed. On one hand, I'm disgusted by the act, the disregard for the utility and the use for which it was intended. I cringe to think that people are actually going to drink from this, are going to lift their infant children up to the spout to quench their respective thirsts. If they only knew.
Then on the other hand, the guy is homeless. His life is already hard enough. Like any other homeless person, he has to fend for himself and try to improvise on those facilities we take for granted. Using the water fountain to clean up is rather ingenious. And I give him credit for taking the initiative to keep himself clean ...or make the attempt. Besides, the park is for everyone, not just the neighborhood elite, with their screaming kids and barking dogs who piss all over everything.
Still this is a disgusting habit he's developed. The funny things is that all the people seeing him just pass by and pay little or no attention. So for that very reason, I can see why he'd continue with the practice. Nobody was objecting.
Then today, just moments ago, I notice that there was someone who was objecting. As I suspect, with so many things in life, most people turn a blind eye because they just don't want to get involved. Well here was someone who wasn't turning a blind eye, who didn't hesitate to get involved. He stepped between the fountain and the [homeless] guy who was still in the process of cleaning himself as if in the privacy of his own bathroom.
The stranger verbally chastised the public bather and refused to let him continue. The homeless guy became very agitated and in a violently outburst, slapped the stranger across the face with the wet rag he'd been using to groom himself. By now, I'd abandoned any pretense of working at the computer and my attention was undividedly focused on these two who I was sure were about to engage each other in a physical altercation.
To my surprise, the stranger, took the blow without reacting. He simply stood his ground and refused the homeless guy access to the fountain. Seeing this was a fight he couldn't win, and probably knowing he was wrong in the first place, the homeless guy walked off, swearing angrily at the stranger who still unfazed, stood like a sentinel guarding the fountain.
My sympathy for the plight of the homeless notwithstanding, I was glad someone had taken action and put a stop to this practice. It'll be interesting to see if the homeless guy comes back at a later time ...since this had become a daily habit with him. If not, I wonder where he'll go to clean himself ...or if he'll even bother.
A funny thing though. After the episode was over, the stranger, as if waiting for some kind of affirmation, looked around the parked at all the other people sitting and standing nearby ...only to find no support for the actions he'd taken. By their demeanor -- I couldn't hear the actual conversation from so far away -- all the people he approached seemed to not really give a damn one way or another. It seemed as if they were regarding this stranger as the cause of the commotion. Sort of a "why don't you just mind your business" attitude. This is precisely why I never considered getting involved in this. I could see myself calling the police or reporting this to the authorities, (after spending the time to find out who the authorities actually were), only to be met with the attitude of "he wasn't bothering you, why don't you just mind your business".
He even has some sort of soap product that he squirts on the various pieces of clothing he pulls out of his sack and actually washes them there in the drinking fountain. When I think of all the people who will drink from that fountain throughout the day never knowing how it's been used... But then again, if you choose to drink from a public fountain, located in an outside park, you have to realize that it's not the most sanitary of water dispensers.
My reaction to seeing this homeless person abuse this utility is somewhat mixed. On one hand, I'm disgusted by the act, the disregard for the utility and the use for which it was intended. I cringe to think that people are actually going to drink from this, are going to lift their infant children up to the spout to quench their respective thirsts. If they only knew.
Then on the other hand, the guy is homeless. His life is already hard enough. Like any other homeless person, he has to fend for himself and try to improvise on those facilities we take for granted. Using the water fountain to clean up is rather ingenious. And I give him credit for taking the initiative to keep himself clean ...or make the attempt. Besides, the park is for everyone, not just the neighborhood elite, with their screaming kids and barking dogs who piss all over everything.
Still this is a disgusting habit he's developed. The funny things is that all the people seeing him just pass by and pay little or no attention. So for that very reason, I can see why he'd continue with the practice. Nobody was objecting.
Then today, just moments ago, I notice that there was someone who was objecting. As I suspect, with so many things in life, most people turn a blind eye because they just don't want to get involved. Well here was someone who wasn't turning a blind eye, who didn't hesitate to get involved. He stepped between the fountain and the [homeless] guy who was still in the process of cleaning himself as if in the privacy of his own bathroom.
The stranger verbally chastised the public bather and refused to let him continue. The homeless guy became very agitated and in a violently outburst, slapped the stranger across the face with the wet rag he'd been using to groom himself. By now, I'd abandoned any pretense of working at the computer and my attention was undividedly focused on these two who I was sure were about to engage each other in a physical altercation.
To my surprise, the stranger, took the blow without reacting. He simply stood his ground and refused the homeless guy access to the fountain. Seeing this was a fight he couldn't win, and probably knowing he was wrong in the first place, the homeless guy walked off, swearing angrily at the stranger who still unfazed, stood like a sentinel guarding the fountain.
My sympathy for the plight of the homeless notwithstanding, I was glad someone had taken action and put a stop to this practice. It'll be interesting to see if the homeless guy comes back at a later time ...since this had become a daily habit with him. If not, I wonder where he'll go to clean himself ...or if he'll even bother.
A funny thing though. After the episode was over, the stranger, as if waiting for some kind of affirmation, looked around the parked at all the other people sitting and standing nearby ...only to find no support for the actions he'd taken. By their demeanor -- I couldn't hear the actual conversation from so far away -- all the people he approached seemed to not really give a damn one way or another. It seemed as if they were regarding this stranger as the cause of the commotion. Sort of a "why don't you just mind your business" attitude. This is precisely why I never considered getting involved in this. I could see myself calling the police or reporting this to the authorities, (after spending the time to find out who the authorities actually were), only to be met with the attitude of "he wasn't bothering you, why don't you just mind your business".
posted 30 August 2006
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