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I am homeless and sleeping on a park bench . Please help.
news flash for chuleta and John: homeless people in NYC do indeed take pieces of tin, plastic, plywood and so on to build shacks and shantytowns -- I know because I have reported on these places often. I grant you, NY does bulldoze them from time to time, and there are fewer now than in the past. (NY is a much cleaner and more prosperous looking place these days, and I ought to know, I was born there back in the Fifties!) btw, amazingly, these shantytown dwellers do manage to survive the cold. Many of them do in fact suffer from mental problems and, more often, alcoholism or drugabuse, and while that incapacitates some of them, others manage to survive because, after all, while you can be crazy, you may just be crazy like a fox. I spent a considerable amount of time with a paranoid schizo named, appropriately, "Mad Mac," who was in fact a very very smart guy. With his knowledge of engineering, he built himself a portable shack that had axles in the foundation and could be hitched to wheels and moved. He had a mailbox, a porch, a telescope for spying on people in his radius. And even inthe winter his place was rather cosy. He is an exception I grant you, but I learned not to be surprised at the cunning adaptability of people in extreme circumstances.
such people exist here too: anyone know Ray (Rhadames), El Buitre, who has lived on the corner of Nouel and Duarte for at least ten years? You want to hear it from the horse's mouth, he will fill you in on the "culture" of homeless people here. But watch yourself, he is a rum character.
One thing I didnt see mentioned here was the fact that there are many homeless children living and sleeping in the streets. You might not notice them at first but they are there. I have seen them sleeping on Churchill, in Gazcue, in the Colonial Zone. And they go hungry, FYI.
such people exist here too: anyone know Ray (Rhadames), El Buitre, who has lived on the corner of Nouel and Duarte for at least ten years? You want to hear it from the horse's mouth, he will fill you in on the "culture" of homeless people here. But watch yourself, he is a rum character.
One thing I didnt see mentioned here was the fact that there are many homeless children living and sleeping in the streets. You might not notice them at first but they are there. I have seen them sleeping on Churchill, in Gazcue, in the Colonial Zone. And they go hungry, FYI.
Maybe...
that's one of the reasons why 10,000 homeless people can survive in Los Angeles...the weather! To keep it DR related, I saw plenty of people sleeping on the sidewalk around Zona Colonial and the Malecon; don't know if they were mentally ill or not.
Chuleta de Puerco said:
that's one of the reasons why 10,000 homeless people can survive in Los Angeles...the weather! To keep it DR related, I saw plenty of people sleeping on the sidewalk around Zona Colonial and the Malecon; don't know if they were mentally ill or not.
macocael said:
There is a homeless man in Puerto Plata that most of us simply refer to as "Miami."
The family of this man resides in, appropriately, Miami, FL. Although I have only known the guy since June, I have heard many stories of his intelligence, many people say that he is a genius. The few times I have actually spoken with him, the words "nut case" entered my mind. He recognizes me every time our paths cross and always tells me that I need to watch out for the wolf under the chair - no joke.
Upon speaking with some people who have lived here for a long time as well as some Dominicans who live in dowtown Puerto Plata, I learned that Miami is indeed a diagnosed schizophrenic.
It's said that up until a couple of years ago, when he was taking his medication, he functioned very well in society and did a lot of construction work. He did work for Joanne at Sam's Bar as well. Apparently, he also speaks 5 or 6 languages. As time crept by, his conditioned worsened and his family insisted he live in Florida permanently. Unhappy in the US, he "escaped" back to the DR, went off his medication and is now hopelessly locked up inside himself.
He wears the same clothes for weeks at a time, until they literally fall off of him. When I worked at a bar in downtown POP, I often witnessed him standing all by himself in the street for up to 8 hours, having an animated conversation with absolutely no one.
When he has to use the bathroom - No. 1 or No. 2 - he does his business in the street or on the sidewalk, in full view of everyone.
He sleeps in the streets or in small boats that people leave ashore down at the water.
One thing I have noticed is that he never, ever goes hungry. The owner of the coffee shop next to Sam's makes sure he has coffee everyday along with some mangu for breakfast. When his clothes fall off, someone gives him something fresh and clean to wear. I often see him eating a good-sized meal from a takeout container that someone has brought to him.
Even though other Dominicans make fun of him and give him a hard time, there are always people looking out for him. It's inspiring to me that people with so little still give to others who are even less fortunate.
Larry said:
As far as I can see, he doesn't have teeth. I'm not sure how tall he is - maybe 5'9 or so but definitely not 6 ft. He has a fairly long beard and a large mop of dirty hair.
sunshine_79 said:
OK, diferent guy.
There used to be a guy hanging around Sosua about 4 years ago who would beg...he also spoke 6 or 7 languages...that's why I thought he might be the one. He was following me one day, looking for money. He told me he spoke 6 or 7 languages...and he did. I kept ignoring him. Finally, he said to me "you think I am just a begger huh"? I replied, "yep, if you can speak 6 or 7 languages, I am sure you are smart enough to find a way to make some money and stop asking me for it".
Then he went away.
Larry
Maybe you are talking about an african american mentally disturbed person. he has a few operation scars on his skull. I was told he was from texas and abandoned in puerto plata streets. The embassy doesn't want anything to do with him neither does his family. He walks around aguaceros restaurants asking for money. He may live near the park on some street. He has been beaten up by locals in the past and left naked on the street. He is looked after by a few sympathizers but the man is a full time begger and lives on the street. If you talk to him, he seems almost 100% rational but he has his days. I have not seen him in 5-6 years because i have moved to santiago but I am sure he must be still wandering around POP streets.
AZB
AZB
AZB said:
I think we're talking about a different person but I don't doubt your story one bit - there are plenty of beggars playing without a full deck here in POP.
This guy Miami is not a beggar, though. As far as I know, he's never asked anyone for anything. He bothers people with his ramblings but I've never heard him beg. Strangely enough, the neighborhood people take care of him.
I feel sorry for him. It must be hell to be schizophrenic.
sunshine_79 said:
My wife helps out an aunt that has 4 children inthe states that she receives zero from, and i can give you a long list of Dominicans that don't help their family out AT ALL. Dominicans aren't really any different that people from other countries.
bob saunders said:
No, please don't! I don't want to know of people who don't help their families when their families are in need - these people don't deserve any recognition, at least not in my little world.
sunshine_79 said:
Did you know that the prevalance rate for schizophrenia is approximately 1.1% of the population over the age of 18 (source: NIMH) or, in other words, at any one time as many as 51 million people worldwide suffer from schizophrenia?
With a population of about 30.000 inhabitants, Sosua should have around over 300 schizophrenics, how many of these are expats?
Here's some statistics:
2.2 million people in USA
285,000 people in Australia
Over 280,000 people in Canada
Over 250,000 diagnosed cases in Britain
http://www.schizophrenia.com/szfacts.htm
I think many NYC homeless live underground, out of sight... they have to because it can get deathly cold in the winter.
I think that many people just dont realize how little one needs to eat to actually stay alive!...if you dont do much you dont burn calories, and you need less food....we have it so good and waste so much food it is crazy. And many have active lives and burn lots of calories. That in addition to the warm climate, and the fact that there is pleny of food to be found and stolen and or begged ...that the homless dont starve.....I bet many die out in the boonies from ilnesses that stem from lack of nutrition.....which really isnt starving...but is related to poor food consumption.
I have only been in SD twice, and one night I saw and elderly woman go to sleep on a piece of cardboard right on the sidewalk!!!!!
to tell you how even peoplein the DR dont know about its own country...my GF was scared to death when she almost stepped on the woman... and then she was in amazment when I told her it appears thats where she will sleep for the night...she probably doersnt have a home....she foun dit hard to believe.
probably becasue she comes from a large family out in the country, which would always take care of each other if need be.......
bob
I think that many people just dont realize how little one needs to eat to actually stay alive!...if you dont do much you dont burn calories, and you need less food....we have it so good and waste so much food it is crazy. And many have active lives and burn lots of calories. That in addition to the warm climate, and the fact that there is pleny of food to be found and stolen and or begged ...that the homless dont starve.....I bet many die out in the boonies from ilnesses that stem from lack of nutrition.....which really isnt starving...but is related to poor food consumption.
I have only been in SD twice, and one night I saw and elderly woman go to sleep on a piece of cardboard right on the sidewalk!!!!!
to tell you how even peoplein the DR dont know about its own country...my GF was scared to death when she almost stepped on the woman... and then she was in amazment when I told her it appears thats where she will sleep for the night...she probably doersnt have a home....she foun dit hard to believe.
probably becasue she comes from a large family out in the country, which would always take care of each other if need be.......
bob