Justice
On Admitting That Homeless People Make You Uncomfortable
A San Francisco CEO says that in a perfect city, the homeless wouldn't be so visible. He's only mostly wrong.
Every morning, on my walk down Washington, D.C.'s Barracks Row commercial strip, I pass the same homeless man, on the same corner. A year in, we've got our routine down — he says hello, asks me for change, I say no.
I dread this interaction more than just about any other part of my day, and I start bracing for it as soon as I walk out my door. I hate being reminded how unequal things are in this city that I love. I hate that I'm forced to confront how little I'm doing about it. And I hate what my lack of generosity says about me, especially on the days I stop at the Starbucks one block down for a $2.15 tea.