Day 113

So while I was away Dona and Raksha signed US up to help with this morning's pancake breakfast at SafeHouse. However, after a fun night out, I was the only one who made it! Lol

I've been wanting to make it to these breakfasts and finally had my chance! J. Christopher's was there with bacon and eggs and a student group from GA Perimeter College brought the pancakes. We set up the tables inside for a sit-down meal. Some of us stayed at SafeHouse to make the meal, while others went to the nearby parks to invite people in for breakfast.

People came in, sat down, and were served - it was wonderful! I was helping out in the kitchen for the most part but eventually made it out to talk with a few people. One of the guys I spoke to today talked to me about stereotypes and being profiled. If anyone could talk about stereotypes, it would be these guys.

He was telling me about his job - passing out business cards for a new store downtown. As he was doing this he approached a group of people on a parking lot to tell them about the store. When he was done he started to walk off, but a couple of officers approached him, and asked if he had a car. He responded no. They then asked why he was on the parking lot. He explained what he was doing and they basically told him he was not allowed to walk on the lot if he did not have a car.

I've cut across parking lots several times, never hesitating to think about it, and was never told that I was only allowed to be on the lot if I had a vehicle.  But then again I'm just an indian girl.  But people who are homeless get stopped for the smallest things, not because of what they're doing or what they've done.  But mostly because they are homeless. We're exhausted when we have to prove ourselves once or twice with the amenities and luxuries we have. Imagine not having anything and having to constantly prove yourself to everyone in society! We fail to remember that within each section of society there will be a few people that are bad, but the majority are good - the same rule applies to people who are homeless...