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July
7
2010
I ran into this guy named Vincent in front of the Marathon station in Clifton. He was a non-aggressive homeless man who just lost his job. All he was looking for was food. So I went back up to my apartment, put together a bag with a sandwich, canned pinneaple slices, canned turkey chili, and an apple. Luckily, I found a package with a plastic fork, knife, and napkin in the pantry—a rare find anymore.
I also just gave him the 1L bottle on the right, filled with water. He’ll surely get use out it.
I told him, after my initial conversion, that I’d be back in 15 minutes. He said he was just about ready to leave where I told him to find me again, because it didn’t seem like I was coming back. I’m glad he stuck around.
Vincent and I talked for a while. We talked about how cruel some Cincinnatians are toward the homeless. There are certainly some aggressive ones, who make it much more difficult for those just looking for food and some small change. He also talked about the strategy required just to make it through the night on the neighborhood streets in places like OTR or Avondale—if you don’t scare them, they’ll scare you. Heck, even politicians in this town vilify the homeless.
He’s hoping to make it back up to his hometown of Cleveland eventually. Times are definitely tough, especially for someone with a criminal record. I really wish him well.
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