I came across this on Twitter. It is Collier Gwin, the owner of San Francisco art gallery Foster Gwin. Hosing down a homeless women in the cold. The video is disturbing on several levels - the poor woman struggles under the spray - I imagine she is calling for him to stop, as well as calling for help. Mr. Gwin's nonchalant pose is chilling in itself. From Saint Matthew’s Gospel—"as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."
"Take care, brothers and sisters,
that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart,
so as to forsake the living God.
Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,”
so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin." - Hebrews 3
Hardened by the deceit of sin.
I try to look at this from both sides since I have a nephew who lived in San Francisco in a nice part of town. He says that he paid high rent only to have homeless folk blocking his entrance to and from the apartment 24/7 plus using the sidewalk as a toilet and a place to shoot up. They refused to move (the homeless) so he and his wife had enough of their disregard for others and just had to move away entirely. The guy in the picture looks like he's watering a plant and looks fed up too ... I admire those who can look at these sad people with the eyes of Jesus. It is an ongoing struggle for me because we have our share here close to home since I have a brother who is not only a drug user but seller with some homeless folks coming into our yard looking for a fix. My mother's oblivious to it all because of her dementia while I am trying not to pull my hair out as I confront my brother to please respect my mother's property and house. Once in a while he listens ...
ReplyDeleteI get the frustration, I do, I lived in SoMa for ten years, I know that intersection well (entering North Beach/Chinatown area, super touristy, lots of panhandlers as a result). But it is not HER fault. I suspect this same man has voted over and over and over again for the same progressive politicians who have used the homeless as a political football for years and years. His ire should be directed towards them, not a person whose life is so sad, so low, so bereft of anything good, just a daily grind for something that feels like survival. If he had a shred of decency or honor left in him, he'd stand up to his own artsy-fartsy wokety-woke progressive SF arts community and say enough with the bad policy, let's vote for common sense, but no...Mr. BigBadBraveBoy will hose off a mentally ill homeless woman and show "them"...ugh. Sorry. This sort of thing really makes me full-blast bridge & tunnel pissed off.
ReplyDeleteSo many people and things have failed to get to this point. I was angry when I first saw this. Then I wondered what brought this man and woman to this point. It is not a lack of resources, but rather a lack of follow through and follow up. Mental Illnesses & drug abuse most likely at the core. None of us would want this at our front door. Yaya, I am sorry you are forced to deal with this. I will pray for you to have some relief.
ReplyDeleteYou are always so kind and thoughtful, Mr. WH. I thank you for your prayers. Be assured of mine as well. Relief does come and go here on the home-front and perhaps one day, it will be permanent. Solo Diosito sabe. ^^)
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