Poignant response.

My name is Tony, and I am one of the people Steve photographed for the blog a few years ago. I have a few comments I'd like to make and one reply I'd like to address. First the reply: I was at every HOWL movie night and, with the exception of one night, everyone (crusties included) was well behaved. The disturbances were caused by "Homebums." Homebums are homeless people that are not travelers. They reside in NYC all year long. Some of the younger ones have taken to dressing like travelers because it's a style choice. I understand the confusion this could engender, but I wanted to clarify that travelers were not at fault at HOWL. I have traveled for about half my life but was born and raised in NYC. I am homeless. I sleep in the street. The clothing I wear could identify me as a crusty, I guess, but it happens to be the most durable yet comfortable clothing that I can afford that also helps me survive the climate. I did not choose to be homeless, but am making the best of a bad situation. To attempt to formulate laws that target a specific group of people and, to refuse aid to people that are not from a specific area, smacks of racism. What's next? Will you refuse us treatment in hospitals if we aren't from NY? Will we be banned from libraries, parks, and other public spaces where (socially accepted) people congregate? This happened to us at Tompkins Square Park a few years ago. A certain group of police officers made an arrangement whereas homebums would be allowed to drink in the park if they kept the crusties out. This resulted in a number of assaults on crusties in the park. Assaults that, if reported, led to an official response of something along the line of, "If you weren't in the park, you wouldn't have gotten beaten up." I was arrested for brushing my teeth in the men's room and told if I returned to the park, I wouldn't have to worry about teeth anymore. I do realize that some people do things that aren't ok, but where is that different from the NYU kids that urinate in phone booths or against the walls every weekend? Where is that different from the weekend warriors that come into the neighborhood, start fights, break windows, then run back to the suburbs or outer boroughs in time to make it to work? is it because of how we dress? because we don't have access to showers and/or a closet full of (designer) clothes. i want to applaud people like Andrea, Lisa, and Raina at The Space as well as Heidi and Alli at Collide for the work they do to help us survive. This winter, as all New Yorkers can agree, was especially harsh. Without those groups, I'm sure some of us would have died. They not only help us survive outside, they actively work towards providing solutions and getting us off the streets. Maybe people should think about helping these groups out and not just singling us out for "legal termination."