Woman with no shoes

The number of homeless quadrupled tonight, around a dozen. I only had the three blankets to give out, but couldn't exactly give to just a couple and walk off with the rest staring at me. But one black woman talking to herself wearing hospital non-slip socks and no shoes was shaking violently. I gave a blanket to just her. It was only 25°F.

I don't understand how UPMC, the local hospital chain, could legally get away with releasing people in subfreezing temperatures like that and not be prosecuted with reckless endangerment and manslaughter whenever someone gets frostbite or dies.



I'm left thinking back to Iraq, we had a detainment center on my base, and I often did 24 hour shifts in it. It wasn't long term detainment, a decision on trying them in a military or civilian court had to be made in 48 hours.... and it was strictly enforced how we could interact with the prisoners. It was mostly just hesco cages and padlocks, with military folding cots in each one and a blanket. They could ask for water for food, that's it.

Some platoons figured out how to abuse the strictly regulated system. One night a guy was brought in, a school teacher. He cried the whole night. I found out he wasn't even accused of anything, it was his cousin who was the local bad boy. I freak out upon hearing this.... the excuse given was in middle eastern cultures extended families and tribes mattered more than nuclear families and rule of law, they were punishing him to get the cousin to expose himself. I knew a hippie transator from Lebanon and called him on the radio since I couldn't leave, and told him to come down. He talked to him and agreed he was clearly innocent and shouldn't be in jail. I wanted to go wake the LTC up and ask him WTF he was doing allowing this to happen.

My pleas.... I don't know if they worked or not, but he was released. Whenever someone is captured we took them barefoot so it was harder for them to escape. He had no shoes and I knew the unit wasn't interested in driving him home, so he would be released at the front gate. I had a suit and dress shoes in my duffle bag- I didn't want to walk through the airport on leave in uniform, ended up giving mine to him.

There is something inherently evil about the way government regulations are adhered to by jaded, uncaring employees. I don't know how people can collect a paycheck doing such a job where you gotta do such nasty things to others, and think it is just fine.

I hope that blanket keeps her from getting frostbite until she can find shoes. I don't get what is going on sometimes. Releasing people from a psych ward in subzero temperatures without shoes.