By Grace E. Reed, Contributing writer
I am a 63-year-old, well-educated, well-dressed, handicapped woman working for social change for the homeless, jailed and oppressed youth at risk. I am a professional mediator, certified and all that.
Monday (Jan. 15th) I rolled over to Pioneer Mall, went up to the third floor, established a place at one of those cute little patio tables, was sipping on my hot tea, munching on my sandwich when I noticed some street people, mostly youth, gathering, coming in from the freezing weather, sitting at the tables, there in the corner of the mall, in back of my table. No smells, no noise, no disturbance, just kids trying to get warm and rest. Some got some coffee, some, the two in back of me, just laid their heads on the table to rest.
Then the disturbance did happen. The security guards walked by, saw them, the “others,” made the choice to disturb them, get them out of the mall, back out into the cold. First a female guard came up — gently tapped them, ask them to wake up but they were exhausted and cold — it was hard to wake up. She panicked, called her superior, he came over, hit their arms and violently shook the table yelling at them, “You have to move! Get out of the mall!”
I had already gotten up and was on my way to the table to offer them some money for coffee but the guard beat me to it. We intersected, me offering help, them evicting them from the table. I put the money into their hands and ask them to get some coffee before they had to leave. The young man guard, young enough to be my grandson, a very angry young man, yelled at me and demanded I leave the mall as well. He made a point to let me know I would not be welcome to the mall for at least six months. He said I was interfering with his work. I pointed out that as a humane person I had a right to buy these kids some hot coffee before they had to leave and I asked him, “Where is your heart?” He got even angrier with me. He yelled, “You leave the mall now!” I said back, “No I won’t leave the mall, I am a paying customer and I reminded him that he would speak to me with respect. He kept saying stuff I no longer chose to hear, I turned to his female companion guard and ask her why she did not teach him to be kinder. She said he was her superior and shrugged her shoulder and reminded me that they were doing their job. I told her my job was to be kind, respectful, compassionate and caring. I also reminded her it was not illegal to buy someone a cup of coffee at the mall.
This happens every day: homeless kids gathering at malls, sitting at tables, trying to blend in, using the restrooms, trying to fulfill human needs we all take for granted. People walk by these “others,” cock their heads, whisper, roll their eyes, and wonder why these people don’t disappear. I see it every day all over Portland in my day-to-day activities and so they, the head cockers, the whisperers, hire angry little guards and train them to evict.
Well, what they weren’t counting on was crossing lines to evicting elder people in wheel chairs that reach out to help. They did cross the line there at Pioneer Mall on Monday and now they are going to have to explain to me and to you (please get involved), why? Why? Why all the disturbance, the hate, the misunderstanding, the lack of love and compassion and education and all of it---why? How many homeless are there? You had better know those numbers people, because it is chronic and we are all involved. Where are the hearts? Where is your soul going as it ignores the “others?”
