OUTREACH STORY #7: He Was Petrified... to say the least!

He was petrified... to say the least!

He had no money, so he slipped behind someone through the turnstiles to get onto the train and the police swooped in and arrested him. He spent a few hours sitting in a jail cell before he was released with an iBond and a pending court date.

To most people I work with, this arrest would be annoying, frustrating, and maddening, not petrifying! Most people know arrests like this, normally result in either being thrown out or receiving a small fine. Most people know how important it is to ensure they attend their scheduled court date.

But for this elderly gentleman, it petrified him... to say the least!

He'd never been to jail before, he didn’t drink alcohol, he didn't smoke cigarettes, he didn't use drugs, he wasn't in a gang and had once had a somewhat successful business that had gone belly up. He was proud of his clean record and lifestyle, and everyone knew how he loved to look down on all the others experiencing homelessness. He loved to tell me how righteous he was. He loved to proclaim to others how different he was from them. He would tell me how he was better than everyone else unhoused. He used to say "I'm not like all of them!" He had distinguished himself as worthy and everyone else as unworthy. And now, to his utter shame and embarrassment, he'd been arrested for stealing about $2 from the Chicago Transit Authority.

The truth is, if he wasn't petrified, I would have never known of his arrest. He was convinced that the Judge was going to send him to prison. He realised he needed to humble himself because he needed advice, reassurance and a transit card to get to Court.

I spoke to him several times over the following weeks, trying to convince him that all he needed to do was show up and it would most likely be "thrown out". I tried to convince him that he wouldn't receive prison time. I explained to this highly educated proud man that "stealing a ride" is not a prisonable offence. He calmed down a little but still was petrified... just a little less than before.

The fear this confident man experienced was palpable. The shaking, the tears, the red face, and the quiver in his voice were all there. What seemed so huge to him seemed so minute to the rest of us. This man had lofty dreams, they seemed unrealistic and unattainable to most of us, but to him, they were realistic and attainable, so he also feared this sneaky little act of desperation would ruin his plans to change and better the world.

When his Court date arrived, he showed up, and the Judge threw it out.

…and we moved on and never spoke of it again.

…and we eventually helped him get housed in a little subsidised apartment.

3 Reflections on My Encounters with This Man:

1. Those experiencing homelessness don’t fit into one box or stereotype: The reason I wrote this story is to challenge our thinking about who is experiencing homelessness.
2. The Justice System Causes Trauma: I also wrote this story to challenge our thinking about how traumatic being arrested, jailed and standing before a Judge can be, even if it is for just sneaking into someone’s turnstile to get a free ride to advance your lofty dreams.
3. Love is the answer: It is always the answer. This man was among the most difficult people I have ever worked with. His pride, condescending attitude toward others and inability to take advice made the path difficult. Love calls us to not give in. He helped me improve my de-escalating and peacemaking skills because conflict followed him like a bad rash. Love calls us to patiently put in effort even when we receive no thanks in return. Love calls us to keep working with those we find difficult, even when others tell us to give up on them. 

To read more about my reflections on Outreach and why I believe it's needed, please click this Link: The Eclectic Path of an Outreach Worker: Reaching Out to Those Experiencing Homelessness