Asphalt Anthropology: Finding Presence at the Wrong End of a Knife

<p>Some of the most frequently asked questions I get about personal safety here in Los Angeles are related to homeless people.</p> <p>((( Whew ))) it is a tough and complicated situation.</p> <p><strong>I&rsquo;ve seen things I wish I could unsee:&nbsp;</strong>The young trans kid strung out and sitting for hours picking their face raw in the reflection of an empty store front. Soles of unprotected feet blackened from the city&rsquo;s grime. A dead body and the stains from their bodily fluids where they seeped into the sidewalk.</p> <p><strong>I&rsquo;ve heard things I wish I could unhear:&nbsp;</strong>Screams at 6am from the camp around the corner as they come down from their overnight high, the verbal replay of a rape suffered by a woman as she rocks herself in at the Metro station,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.asphaltanthro.com/post/self-defense-when-compassion-and-vigilance-meet-los-angeles-dtla" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">the soft fragile thank you</a>&nbsp;from a girl I gave money to when I spotted her scrounging for food.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/@Asphalt_Anthropology/asphalt-anthropology-finding-presence-at-the-wrong-of-a-knife-e21aa368a15d"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>