A New York Times headline last week read, “Suspect in Shootings of 5 Homeless Men Arrested”. Because of my recent conversations with the OSF team, I was particularly struck by the headline, the story, and the pain within it.
There’s sadly no shortage of senseless behavior lately, and certainly no shortage of death. The mind seeks to find a sense of ease by scanning for a narrative or a motive that puts things like this in a convenient box and sets it aside, labeled as ‘figured out’. Sometimes that’s not an option.
A lone gunman, 30 years old with a history of assault charges and mental illness, targeted homeless men in Washington DC and New York City in early March. He shot five men while they were sleeping outdoors, 2 of them died. Motives unknown.
New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, said, “Gun violence against anyone, let alone our most vulnerable populations, is sick, but thanks to the coordination between different levels of law enforcement and the public’s help, those experiencing homelessness can breathe a sigh of relief today.”
Mayor Adams is correct about the atrociousness of this crime given the increased vulnerability of the victims. But it pulls at me a bit to think that not being murdered is the big ‘sigh of relief’ we can offer those who are struggling most in our communities. And if so, it’s a fleeting respite, as people living on the streets are far more likely to be victims of crimes than they are to commit them. Unfortunately, this story is not unique, it seems violent criminals often assume crimes against those they see as 'less than' are justifiable, less fuss will be made. The mentally ill and homeless have up to 87% chance of experiencing violence against them.
No names of family members or stories of the victims were shared in the article. They were only classified as “homeless”. I noticed this in many similar stories, and I've been hung up on it since. It makes me wonder, at what point does the public detach humanity from an individual and assign them a category? Is it the first night spent on the streets they become "homeless"? Is it when the number of people they can call for help reaches zero? Is there an amount of time that shifts classification from “struggling son battling mental illness and a lack of support” across the threshold to just “homeless” or just "mentally ill"?
It’s an invitation for all of us to look within and see where we’re falling into the same tendency. Where do we turn away instead of looking closer? Where do we label instead of listen? Where do we avoid instead of engage?
Policy and community outreach organizations like OSF of course will continue to shape the possibilities for the underserved. But the truth is that progress, real and sustainable progress, starts inside each of us. And it grows from recognizing that we’re all the same; sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. Through embracing our shared humanity, we can elevate our most vulnerable.
