If you call the cops and say “I’m homeless and starving, please help me!” they are not required to (and most likely will not) help you in any way. But if someone calls and says, “I saw someone taking food out of the trash and sleeping on a park bench!” they are typically obligated to come arrest you or at least chase you away. And yet, people swear up and down that policing is an essential service that is designed to protect us.

They don’t protect people. They protect property. If you don’t have (enough) property, then your protection does not matter to them. This harsh reality exposes the deep fractures in our society. It’s a world where those without means are rendered invisible, their cries for help silenced by a system that prioritizes ownership over humanity.

In the shadows of the city, under the indifferent gaze of streetlights, the homeless struggle to find solace, to reclaim their dignity. The cold benches and discarded food become their refuge, their small acts of survival criminalized by those sworn to serve and protect.

As I reflect on this, my heart aches with the weight of injustice. This reality urges me to question the fabric of our community, to seek out the compassion that should bind us together, and to advocate for a world where every soul, regardless of their possessions, is worthy of protection and care. We must rise to build a society that sees beyond property lines, embracing the shared humanity in each one of us. 😪😔

©️ Beatriz Esmer