Almost a decade ago, I packed up some clothes, my tent, a cold weather sleeping bag and stepped out of my condo in Chamblee, GA into the cold. A week before, I had been shopping at REI and got all sorts of things that I would need for my trip. I bought a new MP3 player and headphones. It was the end of October, so I bought some long johns. I didn't need too much else. I am an avid camper and hiker and 30 days outside was not much of a push. I locked the door, slid my keys into my pocket, and went to the MARTA station.
I wasn't going hiking or camping though. The idea that this was simply another camping trip was the first thing I had to get out of my head. I wasn't going to the woods. I was going to Little Five Points. Little Five Points, or L5P was a little neighborhood close to the center of Atlanta. Then, it was the center of the Bohemian South. It was exotic and weird and there were people there playing music in the square and smoking w-w-w-weeeed! Not a whole lot has changed about the spirit of the place but the space itself has changed.
There are more condos and gated communities. The neighborhood is a bit cleaner. If you look closely though, you can see some of the same people that I saw back then. There was a man who kinda considered himself the leader of the homeless men back then. He is still there. It had been a while since I had been on MARTA and I made the mistake of paying for a $2.50 ride with a $10 bill. MARTA still gives back golden dollar coins. When I take the MARTA to Edgewood/Candler Park and head into Little 5, I make it a point to give those coins away. I tried to give a couple to the man I recognized, sitting there outside The Vortex. He was sitting just as I remembered him, legs folded beneath him, yet leaning forward to be seen. He was wearing a jacket that he probably had on ten years ago when I first met him and a hat that had seen better days. I had no thought that he would recognize me and didn't entertain the idea when I tried to hand him a few coins. I was not expecting him to stand and hug me at the sound of my voice; to think to ask about a man he had met for just a few nights about ten years ago. I wondered for a moment how many people pass him every day. How many stay for a while and talk. How many he helped with wisdom of the streets.
"Here ya go, M' man." I said. Holding the coins out.
"I'm blind." He replied.
Some things had changed.
Now, ten years on, I am going to do it again. I am not as young as I used to be, but I still feel pretty good for 44. I am going to work during the day on numerous projects in the area. I am going to observe. I am going to remember. I am going to investigate, observe, experience.
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I wasn't going hiking or camping though. The idea that this was simply another camping trip was the first thing I had to get out of my head. I wasn't going to the woods. I was going to Little Five Points. Little Five Points, or L5P was a little neighborhood close to the center of Atlanta. Then, it was the center of the Bohemian South. It was exotic and weird and there were people there playing music in the square and smoking w-w-w-weeeed! Not a whole lot has changed about the spirit of the place but the space itself has changed.
There are more condos and gated communities. The neighborhood is a bit cleaner. If you look closely though, you can see some of the same people that I saw back then. There was a man who kinda considered himself the leader of the homeless men back then. He is still there. It had been a while since I had been on MARTA and I made the mistake of paying for a $2.50 ride with a $10 bill. MARTA still gives back golden dollar coins. When I take the MARTA to Edgewood/Candler Park and head into Little 5, I make it a point to give those coins away. I tried to give a couple to the man I recognized, sitting there outside The Vortex. He was sitting just as I remembered him, legs folded beneath him, yet leaning forward to be seen. He was wearing a jacket that he probably had on ten years ago when I first met him and a hat that had seen better days. I had no thought that he would recognize me and didn't entertain the idea when I tried to hand him a few coins. I was not expecting him to stand and hug me at the sound of my voice; to think to ask about a man he had met for just a few nights about ten years ago. I wondered for a moment how many people pass him every day. How many stay for a while and talk. How many he helped with wisdom of the streets.
"Here ya go, M' man." I said. Holding the coins out.
"I'm blind." He replied.
Some things had changed.
Now, ten years on, I am going to do it again. I am not as young as I used to be, but I still feel pretty good for 44. I am going to work during the day on numerous projects in the area. I am going to observe. I am going to remember. I am going to investigate, observe, experience.
Want to follow along?
Support?
Help?
Let us know. You can contact us at thelifecooperative@gmail.com
Would love to follow along. My commute by foot everyday takes me through downtown Decatur on the east side to the Decatur MARTA station onto GSU and then back again. I meet folks without homes every day. I have learned in Decatur the police have identified a steady number of around 40 folks without homes who make downtown Decatur one of their hubs. Compassionate Atlanta has helped get two cold-weather emergency shelters going for nights that fall below 35 degrees. And then there are many Decatur orgs (Threshold, DEAM, etc.) steadily continuing their work striving to meet needs which seem overwhelming and endless. So glad you will be getting out there helping to shine a light on the stories.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking a moment to reach out! There are a lot of stories that need to be told.
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