Landscaping his home

I wasn't going to post today, but I saw that one of my unhoused neighbors has started a garden to brighten up his home on the sidewalk next to a church. Somehow he came by a pot of tulips, and they fit perfectly with the tidiness and comeliness of his home. I've often spoken with him, if I happen to pass when he is sweeping the sidewalk or sitting in his lawn chair, and I've surprised him with coffee and snacks a few times, but he hasn't ever told me his name, nor has he ever asked for anything. He lives peacefully near a busy corner with a four-way stop, so cars are constantly hitting their brakes and car-farting as cars do. 

I am outraged at the City's latest round of "sweeps." A gang of well-paid bullies called "Rapid Response" is dispatched to "clean up" the homes of those who have no housing. The bullies trash tents, sleeping bags, and possessions. They order houseless people to "move on." Last week and this week the sweeps covered the entire downtown area, all the parks, and all areas under bridges. There is nowhere for houseless people to go when their homes are "swept." There are a few huge shelters, but most don't open till dark and are infested with lice, bedbugs, and other vermin. About 65% of houseless people suffer from severe mental illness, for which poor people in this country cannot receive treatment. Some have addictions. All are suffering in this supposedly "wealthy" country.

I fear for my neighbor with the tulips. Those of you who read my journal regularly may remember Anthony, whose home looked very similar to this one, though his tent was about six feet to the right of this one. I've never heard a word about Anthony since that day.