San Francisco
My friend, Dr. John, was walking to work when he came across a couple of people looking at a homeless man and his backpack of possessions. The man was sprawled out in a parking lot in such a way that he looked deceased. He looked dead, that’s what caused a couple of strangers to stop.
As Dr. John approached and joined the small crowd, he heard the murmurings of, “is he dead?, someone should check, someone should help him.” After a few verbal attempts to rouse the man, Dr. John leaned forward and put 2 fingers on the man’s carotid artery (neck) to see if he had a pulse.
In an instant, like a scene out of a horror flick, “Mr. Homeless is he dead man?” sprang to life in a violent rage and punched Dr. John in the face giving him a black eye. But it didn’t stop there, “Mr. Homeless is he dead man” went on to repeatedly punch Dr. John and stomped his knee once he was on the ground, causing permanent damage.
Dr. John was left bloodied, bruised, and barely conscious. The onlookers called 911 and Dr. John was taken away by ambulance. Did I mention Dr. John is not a tough guy, but one of the most gentle souls I know? He missed 2 weeks of treating patients because he was physically and mentally traumatized by the attack. He’s still not over it, as we spoke about it recently when he told me how bad his knee still is.
The lesson here, no amount of political correctness is going to change the fact that many people sleeping on the street can be dangerous and unpredictable. Approaching someone as they are sleeping and/or passed out should only be done by first responders.
As much as you may want to help someone in crisis, you don’t know what drug they may be on, what their mental disposition may be, or if they are suffering from mental illness.
Don’t chance it! If you are in S.F. you can call 311 where they will assess the situation on the phone and send the appropriate responders to help. If you are in another city, Google “homeless outreach services” for a number to call. Stay back and stay safe!