By Lyric Rogers
This is a story that I was reluctant to share at first, but it needs to be heard.
Here’s some background. The time is 1:50 p.m. on July 17. I had just finished interviewing several people while field reporting for a youth journalism program in . It was hot, and I needed to get back to our “field base” to pack up the cameras and tripods.
I had just seen two cop cars pull into a parking lot, which caught my attention because there was a gathering of homeless people on the corner, and I was somewhat worried that they’d be in trouble, or worse, arrested.
Then I noticed something that scared me half to death — two homeless people making a deal. One handed over a wad of cash, the other a pistol.
What’s worse is that I had just been over there talking to them, so I could’ve been shot.
What was on my mind was different than what is now.
At the moment, I was afraid that then they’d be seen by the cops and arrested. Then my mind went elsewhere. It was along the lines of “Maybe he doesn’t feel safe because he lives on the streets?” or “Maybe it’s something more like a gang dealing.”
It could be wrong.
There’s a hundred thousand different possibilities, and it’s not always the worst case scenario.
At the same time, it’s something that I’ve never seen before, no matter how long I’ve been around dangerous people.
(I’m not saying homeless people are dangerous. I just would like to put into perspective that many people can be dangerous, and I’ve still never seen it.)
It is my hope that the gun that I saw purchased will never be used, or need to be used. Violence is not the answer, even if someone has been violent.
Ninety percent of the time, there’s another way around things, but I don’t know what it’s like to be homeless now. It’s been 10 years.
What matters the most is that the homeless population doesn’t feel safe, and that they feel it’s necessary to purchase firearms as a means of self protection.
That shouldn’t be the case, so the question I’ll leave you with is this: Why does the homeless population feel it’s necessary to buy and possibly use firearms in Minneapolis?
And what does the city do that makes them feel that way?
Leave a Reply