by David Griffith.
In 2002, the Austin city government passed a resolution to clear out homeless camps. Basically, all this accomplished was to run them into woods. I had a homeless patient who was a heroin addict. I would stay in touch with her by calling on my cell phone. She would tell me where she was, and I would meet her there. One time I was at a bus stop doing wound care on her when the cops showed up. They told me that somebody had called to report that there was a lady there who had been stabbed, and some man was sewing her up. Property owners are concerned about their property values, and in our society, the owners’ rights outweigh human rights.
Recently, Dave posted the following relevant note on Facebook:
“I have now emerged from a 4 year long struggle with IBS/Crones disease. During this period I had to quit my job, and a couple of years later I let my nursing licence expire. During this time, I’ve always been so grateful that I’m not a homeless person. How many homeless people, are sick. A couple of years ago I was driving through downtown Austin, and I saw a homeless guy suddenly pull down his paints, squatted and shot a stream of diarrhea onto the sidewalk. I knew that If I was homeless, that would be me. Homelessness is a reflection of a dysfunctional society. In my days as a nurse, I once had a patient with ALS. His paralyzed arms just hung by his sides like wet noodles. He also had IBS. During this time I have always been so grateful that I can wipe my own butt.”
From Struggling in Place: The Art of David Griffith, published by Lulu.com.