Without a Home Story - Elizabeth's Fire
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This is just a story that made me mad. Happened April 3, 2023. I was walking down the street, hoping to finally interview Tony B Conscious for our Homeless on Haight street, when I met Elizabeth.
Elizabeth's Fire Story
Sun, Apr 3, 2022:
As I walked down Haight street on a freezing cold evening as dusk and suddenly noticed fire on a side road. There was a homeless woman - probably in her mid 30s - lying in a makeshift bed of cardboard box and the box had just caught on fire. I saw another woman, a well-dressed women in her 40s, stare at her without even flinching. It was clear that the homeless woman was trying to put out the fire and was pretty flustered. She clearly could use a hand, or else this box fire might get out of control and burn her and her nearby dog.
I ran over to the box to offer help. It took a minute, but eventually, we managed to extinguish the flame, since cardboard is so flammable. The woman thanked me for helping. I asked her name and told her I'd be happy to be of service is she anything like a meal for the night. She tentatively introduced herself as Elizabeth and explained that she wasn't hungry, but she was cold and needed warmer pants and socks. Unfortunately, Goodwill had just closed, leaving her with no options.
I told her that I would try to help and that I would try to be back soon, that I had some stuff at home, and was only about six blocks away. As I walked around the corner, I noticed the woman who had walked past earlier on the phone, calling the police or fire brigade to report a woman lighting a fire. I quickly chimed in and told them that the fire was unintentional and that it was already out, so there was no need for a phone call. She didn't ignore me, but she seemed convinced that the fire could have been intentional, versus an accident that might happen when you light a cigarette. The woman's lack of sympathy and her assumption that the fire was lit on purpose angered me. Who would light their place to sleep for the night on fire on purpose?! Instead of offering to help, she called the police. It was clear that she either had no empathy for anyone on the street, or was just clueless period. In my head, the name of this grumpy older woman was probably Karen. She looked like a Karen. Maybe she thought she was helping the community, but in my eyes she was just thoughtless, because when you call the police on someone camping on the street you may as well just walk past and kick them while they are down.
I walked back to my house and grabbed an old tent, a salad, a slightly beat-up sleeping bag, and some warm pants and socks that I hadn't worn in ages. By the time I returned, the police had already ushered Elizabeth away, but luckily I had drive back in my car and found her walking two blocks down a side street to give her what I had found. She was very grateful, and so that made my night.
She said, "I think someone called the police on me." I responded, "Yes, I saw the woman who did it too." If I see that "Karen" woman again on the street I plan to give her a little piece of my mind. I mean I'll be gentle about it, but if you see someone trying to put out a fire shouldn't any decent human ask if they need help? Calling the police on them feels dodgy to me. Shame on you Karen. Sadly there are many people just like her who would pass judgement on someone for being homeless as less than any other human being.
