Everyday Department of Public Works descends on United Nations Plaza with high pressure steam cleaners. This bit of graffiti will be gone in a few hours, but for the time being I wonder about Amanda and Josh and if they scored. Are they getting the help they need? Probably not. There aren’t any quick fixes to an incredible downward spiral that has people living in poverty, drugs and alcohol abuse.
I once saw a guy holding a big bottle of malt liquor staggering up the sidewalk. He started to fall and as he is dropping, he is eyeballing the beer slipping out of his hand. Both he and the bottle hit the ground with amazing force. The bottle shatters on impact and this guy is out cold; gurgling a bit as someone starts dialing 911.
The sanitary smell of the soap from the pressure washers hits my nostrils as I exit the building. Men in white waterproof suits blast the plaza free of urine, shit and puke. The homeless, drug merchants and other plaza dwellers are displaced for a few hours, but return nonetheless. I wonder if this is official policy to combat homelessness in the Tenderloin or just the city being annoyingly stubborn about clean streets.
Either way the plaza smells better for the time being.
I once saw a guy holding a big bottle of malt liquor staggering up the sidewalk. He started to fall and as he is dropping, he is eyeballing the beer slipping out of his hand. Both he and the bottle hit the ground with amazing force. The bottle shatters on impact and this guy is out cold; gurgling a bit as someone starts dialing 911.
The sanitary smell of the soap from the pressure washers hits my nostrils as I exit the building. Men in white waterproof suits blast the plaza free of urine, shit and puke. The homeless, drug merchants and other plaza dwellers are displaced for a few hours, but return nonetheless. I wonder if this is official policy to combat homelessness in the Tenderloin or just the city being annoyingly stubborn about clean streets.
Either way the plaza smells better for the time being.
