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About Homelessness

When Sleeping Is Illegal

Where would you sleep if you were homeless?

— A park?
— A bench?
— A doorway?

Leo found out just how difficult–and illegal–it can be for a homeless person to get rest. Exhaustion just makes it that much harder to escape a tough situation.

From the Street Roots blog: http://streetroots.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/falling-asleep-unwanted-and-waking-up-a-wanted-man/

So I went looking for a covered area, to get out of the rain. I found a doorway and a bench on the corner of a building. A rent-a-cop told me I couldn’t sleep in the doorway. So I asked, “Where can I sleep?” He replied, “I don’t know, but you can’t sleep here.” I didn’t get much sleep that night.

I slept a few nights on the bench until another guard came and told me, “You can’t sleep here.” I looked at her and replied, “Geez, lady, it is 2 a.m. and it’s raining, where can I go?” “I don’t know but you can’t be here,” she said. I just looked up at her. Then she told me, “I’m leaving and if you’re still here when I come back, I’m going to call the police and they are going to take you to jail.” Read more…

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