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you are treated by society in general and the police in particular. Where I live there is a law called "Unlawful Camping". Basically the law was written to make being homeless a crime. If you are caught camping within city limits, whether it is in a tent, motor-home or your car, you are subject to arrest. If your grandparents came to your house and parked their motor-home outside of your house, they would technically be breaking this law, though they would never be arrested. What the police do when they arrest you for this "crime", is to slash your tents and your tarps, break the tent poles and throw all you clothes and bedding out into the rain, essentially destroying everything that you own. I contacted the ACLU about this as it was a violation of our civil rights. Their response was that I had a case, but they wouldn't take it unless I was able to get enough people to make it a class action lawsuit. Because of the way that the homeless have been treated there was no way that I could convince them to go up against the police in this town.

While standing outside the Mission, the people that drove by would yell obscenities at us, give us the finger and pretty much treat us like dirt. After being beat down like this for about a year, I found myself walking around town in the alleys so that people wouldn't see me. I also started walking with my head down, trying to make myself as small as possible and trying to not make eye contact.

Because of all this abusive behavior, most homeless suffer from severe depression. There is nowhere that these people can go to get treatment, so they sink deeper into despair which usually ends up with them drinking or doing drugs. I was one of the lucky ones. After attempting suicide I was in the hospital where I met a man that was affiliated with a local mental health agency. He treated me for free and showed me how to get benefits and medical coupons. All I needed was a hand up and within a year, I was off the streets. Now I return to the Mission to talk to those that I know and to help those that want it to get off of the streets. Mostly, what they need is someone to believe in them and to show them what they need to do to help themselves.

I feel that my duty is to honor the man that helped me by helping those that are still in need.

Learn more about this author, Jeff Stepper.
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