Mad at the Bible Belt
A People Newspapers staff member shared this experience she had this morning, which obviously touched her:
Now I know many of us are skeptical of homeless people. Especially when they intrude into the lovely Park Cities, but this morning I came across Gaylynn. As I had finished a breakfast meeting and was discussing a few things with my friend in the parking lot of Javalto in Preston Center, a woman approached us and said she didn’t want anything, just looking for direction. She asked if we knew about First Baptist Church and how long it would take for her to walk there. She was trying to get to a shelter that was suggested around there. She had a business card with 1110 Cadiz written on it.
She then went into saying that she didn’t have any money for bus fare and that she had been to three churches and they had turned her away. She then started to cry and said that a lady had given her $20, but then mumbled something about not having it, and another man asking her for sexual favors for money, but she would never do something like that. We stood there and listened as she cried telling us she had sickle cell anemia and an enlarged heart, had been in Katrina and been bouncing all over, staying in vacant homes etc. but that she was starving and just wanted to get there to get some rest. Misti and I promptly went into Javalto and got her something to eat. Misti walked in first, and as she did I turned and asked the lady her name. She told me and then said that when the woman had given her the $20, the woman’s husband had said “Let the n***er walk,” and she took it back.
We gave her a couple of turkey sliders, some water and oj and sent her on her way. We were feeling good, but skeptical. As I drove down Preston to head to work I saw her walking up to the bus stop to sit down. … I know we all get busy, we do have fear, we do get skeptical, but really? Do we have to treat others in such a manner as that man did- especially in the Christian Park Cities? Maybe Misti and I were naive, but what if we weren’t?
I don’t believe that man said that. Not today.
I think she was saying what she needed to say to play on your sympathy and get some food.
And you all were kind and did the right thing.
Charity towards those less fortunate or in need is a good thing. Your staffer did a good deed. The story that 3 churches in the PC turned her away is not plausible. Neither is a PCer using the N word (at least in public), especially to chastise his spouse about her charity. And to ask for sexual favors from a homeless person? PCers opt to use Craigslist for that.
They definitely did a nice thing (especially providing food and not cash) and should be commended for having such large hearts. However, I had a very similar situation in Preston Center a few months ago… looking for a shelter, turned away from several churches, Katrina, etc… the gentleman that approached me stopped short of stories sexual favors and verbal assaults, but he did get extremely angry at me when I tried to explain that I didn’t have any cash on me. It was at that point that I knew I also did the right thing by getting in my car and removing myself from the situation. Since then I have decided to err on the side of caution to keep me and my family safe.
If you’re not Christian, are you still allowed to live here?
I belong to the church of the human race. It includes more people. Anon have you been offended in the past when being a good person and doing good deeds is framed as “christian?”
Anyhoo I think you and Misti did a very nice thing today.
Dear Park Cities People reporter - go pick up a copy of the book Same Kind of Different As Me. It’s the story of Ron Hall, who at one time lived in the Park Cities, kids went to HP schools (Park Cities People is mentioned in the book) and his relationship with Denver Moore, a homeless man.
It will change your mind. It will change your opinion. It will change your life.
The staff member I alluded to is not a member of our reporting staff.
While there are certainly some people that take advantage of the good nature of others, I think that buying the person a meal and exchanging some kind words is wonderful. It’s not about being Christian (although one would hope that being Christian would predispose one to this sort of behavior, we are all human and therefore not perfect), but being a good fellow human.
I personally don’t give people money, as I have seen that misused, but to provide a meal will obviously ensure that food is used for the right purpose.
I have no doubt that someone used the “N” word toward this woman. Regardless as to where you live, there is prejudice around - both racial and socio-economic. Not everyone treats other people with the respect they deserve.
To the staff member that did this good dead, I say, “Kudos!”
Last week, my fiance and I went downtown to pass out bagged lunches. We do this every week, and sometimes we see things we’d rather not see. We happened upon a group of people who looked so ragged we knew they were hungry, but as we rolled down the windows, we saw some people swapping stacks of cash. We gave food to about 15 people on that stop, about six of whom had fresh joints hanging from their lips.
I’ve always felt that as someone who claims to love God and be a Christian, it’s not really my job to figure out if someone is going to put anything I give them to good use. If I’m called to give, that seems pretty black and white to me. I figure if someone has a need and I can help fill it, God will take care of whether or not they use it well. Also, I figure if someone is sleeping in a park and needs a drink or a hit to get through the day, I should exercise a little sympathy as I have no idea what that person’s life is like. Sometimes a drunk just needs a drink.
The whole story is baloney. The staffer was taken, but it’s hard to fault someone for helping another person. When they saw her sitting at the bus stop, it would have been hilarious if she would have been thumbing through the roll of cash she made.
I don’t know why, but it doesn’t bother me if someone asks if I can spare a few bucks. If I have a couple of dollars, I’ll give it to them. But, it really burns me up when they come up with some BS reason like this lady. She asked for directions to the church and that’s what I would have given her.
I sent Jason a photo that I took of Galin/Galynn Brown approximately one week or so ago on my cellphone when I first met her. She is someone whom I met while walking in my peaceful UP neighborhood. The first time I met her was in the evening and I heard her same stories (with embellishments) as some of the people offered on Merritt’s blog. The second time I met her was a Sunday morning, I believe she had been walking waiting/hoping to see me again. Galin is not aggressive in her nature, has seemingly perfected her story (true or untrue), has an odor about her, only one tooth on the top of her gums, cries on que, got $120 from me that I offered ($60 per encounter), talks about her ‘auntie’ who is ill in New Orleans and says she is trying to get back to her. I actually called a yellow cab for her outside of my home, paid the cabbie to take her to First Baptist DT - she said…. These are my facts of the story. Her color is a fact. Her circumstance is suspect. FYI for the residents in our neighborhood. My gut (can I trust?) says she is a sad front woman for someone else………………. beware all of us…. one nevers knows perhaps until it is too late? There for the grace of God go I/we……………..
anne75205 - People asking for money in a commercial/shopping area is one thing. A homeless person coming to your house is something totally different. If you were my sister or mother, I would tell you to call the UP police if she shows up on your street again.
SCAM, people. SCAM, SCAM, SCAM.
wow! I am amazed at the response, thoughts, caring, feelings, advice, etc. when I saw the photo from our publisher I was SHOCKED that that was here and wondered how someone was able to get a photo of her… was that you Anne75205? While I am glad I gave her food and $8, I was still skeptical about her story, where she was going, etc. I still don’t feel “fooled” in anyway, but I do feel sad. Sad that she has to make up such things to get by… she would do better in Hollywood!
I am a member of the human race and did not mean to slight the PC by saying that it was Christian… and not including others, as I know there are many more races, religions in PC. I grew up here. The majority are Christian.
I will certainly be more aware. This is the first time I have ever done anyhthing like ths and maybe the last. However, we all should take care of each other, scam or no scam.
meant to say that I was schocked that was her….
Nat Schlesinger, Michael Mukasey praised the “remarkable character” of notorious Brooklyn businessman Nat Schlesinger after Schlesinger was convicted of arson in a blaze that killed a New York City firefighter.