This is not a stock image. I took this pic w my own phone, yesterday in front of MSG, walking back from physical therapy.
So that no one thinks I’m a callous ass, after this gentleman stopped taking his own pic (not sure what his motivation was), I went over to this poor woman, & did the only thing I thought might help – asked her if there was anything I could do, & gave her the 3 single dollar bills I had in my pocket. Sadly, she wasn’t very coherent.
You might ask why I didn’t ask someone in an authority position to come & help. Well here’s the reality again: in 3 wks of walking to PT now, as NYC attempts to return to some sense of “normalcy,” there is a man or woman like this (& often multiple), on every single street in midtown.
Outside of stints in Chicago, Phoenix & Miami, I’ve spent most of my adult life in NYC. Right now, even w fewer ppl generally outside, due to the events of the last yr, this is by far the LARGEST number of ppl I’ve ever seen laying on street corners, strung out, even falling over as they attempt to walk.
And no I’m not exaggerating – In the last 3 wks, I’ve had to help 3 different ppl: 2 men, 1 woman, step onto a raised sidewalk, bc they just had no strength crossing the street.
I’m sickened by the stat that was shared a few wks ago by the media that “suicides went down this last yr, MH wasn’t as impacted as thought.” What? Seriously?
1) Overdose deaths have skyrocketed, 2) alcohol sales have gone thru the roof, 3) there’s an accumulation of trauma over time that most often doesn’t show for months & even yrs after events, 4) ppl have been isolated for way too long. This is just part of the list. The pic here of the reflection of the cars “just going by” was metaphorical.
There IS a system that doesn’t want this reality out there. Doesn’t want us proactive in working on our stuff. $ is a big reason behind it, & I don’t care how much they suppress these msgs, I/we are gonna continue to share. This has to be exposed bc lives are more valuable than $.
