Since my last post about the "guest" who is living under a nearby stoop, which I thought was an anomaly, I find that he is actually part of a trend.Today I was walking down 11th Street, and there was another homeless guy squatting in a doorway, drinking coffee. Another scruffy guy appeared and joined him.
Across the street, in front of the coffee shop, a third hobo was sitting on the curb next to his knapsack.
I drove around a bit later on, and saw several more obviously homeless people wandering aimlessly around town or sitting in strange places staring into space. While at a stop sign with the window rolled down, one was overheard saying to another, "Let's go find a back yard to sleep in tonight."
When I first moved here, one of the things that impressed me was how clean the city is compared to where I was living. The other thing that struck me was that there were no homeless people. Except Motorcycle Steve, who wanders around in his motorcycle helmet with his shopping cart, and who isn't technically homeless, from what I gather. Besides, he's a known quantity, harmless, and a local fixture.
So what is going on? Since when has Astoria become a mecca for the homeless? Where I lived before, the place was rife with the homeless; some were harmless, some not so harmless, and some completely demented and downright dangerous. Many didn't want any part of the shelters because they couldn't drink and drug there.
You rarely walked about in the daytime, and never at night, because there were just too many crazies, not to mention gang members, out and about. You drove around with your doors locked at all times.
With this sudden influx of homeless people, call me silly, call me an alarmist, but I don't feel safe here any more.
