The others

It’s 330 am , I roll over to my left side , groggy ,drifting into sleep . There’s a tinging sound of metal , aluminium .Cans crunching in an alley somewhere . It’s the other people . The people that exist on your trash , that clean up the shit you don’t want ……working through the night , in the cold , in the dark ,surviving on nothing but your waste . Several nights later I wake to find Emma not in our bed . She’s creeping around our room . “What are you doing ?” I ask “Ssshhhh , can you hear that ?” she whispers . There’s a voice that’s barely audible,coming from our back alley .It’s 4am on a freezing cold winters night /morning . Our room sits above our back garage . Below our bins sit , along side the back alley . “ Can you see him ?” Emma whispers . We are both kneeling on our bed ,peeking through our blinds . There’s a guy on a bike , wearing a pair of white painters pants ,runners and nothing else . Nothing on above the waist . He’s tying an old broken portable clothesline to his basket on his bike . At the same time he’s talking to someone on his phone . He explains to the person that he gets hot whilst he does his work and thus prefers to work with no top on . At some point the person he is talking to reveals they are in Dana Point , as we hear the guy mention it . It’s bizarre. The guy quietly rides up the lane with a bag over his shoulder and a clothesline on his front basket . Emma and I look at each other ,smile and shake our head .

The next door neighbour app will often have discussions on the people that go through the streets at night . Some would complain about being woken up , or that their bins were messed up ,and some sympathised . Until you see them or know that they’ve been through your bins you don’t have a second thought . I feel terribly sorry for them . They’re real and there’s a lot of them out there . We will often put broken stuff in the laneway knowing that they’ll be salvaged ,even the unsalvagable .

Every week I’ll take Leroy and his mates to a couple of skateparks that are nearby (15/20mins) . We often head to Westchester . Westchester sits about 10km north of us . I always take the beach route as I like to see the ocean and the surf . We cut in through the back of the airport ,passing the Qantas hanger and several of their planes . “Safest airline in the world kiddies .” I declare . “How good does that big red kangaroo look on the tail .” “ Would you want to fly with anyone else ?” I declare . I know my little neighbour will take the bait , he always does . “Yeah , they’re not the best or the biggest Troy .” “ Delta and United would make more money and fly more people . That means they can’t be the best .” he’d reply . It would send us down the same old rabbit hole we always head down .Which country is better ?…. The US or Australia . The little fella is well researched for a 10 year old . He puts up a compelling argument and it’s hard to disagree . Yes the US is the most powerful , the wealthiest , has the biggest companies , the richest men , the strongest military .ect ?…….. Theres no denying he’s right . It’s Americas greatest strength and it’s greatest weakness . This country and its system produces brilliant industry , incredible wealth ,amazing entrepreneurs,but it’s a system that doesn’t cater for those that are not good enough or not capable or not lucky .The lower class and those that are even lower than them are plentiful. It’s the one reply I have up my sleeve for my little mate , but I never go there . It feels unfair .

When the kids skate I’ll pop in the ear phones and listen to a podcast whilst I walk laps of the surrounding parkland . At the moment I’m hooked on Aussie content . Footy , Australian crime and history ,but I do listen to other stuff . The park at Westchester is an interesting place . It’s interesting because it’s a destination for the homeless . I know that sounds bad , or insensitive but I can’t help it . It’s a crisis that seems to be ever growing . It’s a tent city . They border the tennis courts , the perimeter of the baseball and soccer fields . The community centre and its overhanging roofline offer cover for tents , tarps , old couches , bicycles , junk, blankets , rugs , more junk and broken people . They’re in plain view but they are the unseen .

At Westchester it’s out of proportion .Its hard to ignore . It’s merely a matter of time before it becomes a health issue and a news item . The homeless are moving in . Whilst the kids skate , play baseball , practise their soccer skills and work on their backhand the tents keep coming . It’s just the little things ……. How do they wash ? Toilet ? Get food ?money ? ..Some seem normal , maybe Just out of luck . The areas they set up are elaborate. They have bbqs , old couches , fire pits , clothes racks , prams , bikes ….. it’s a camp ground built on the disenfranchised. Others are obviously mentally ill and that is where the real problem lies . The US does not cater for mental illness . It’s a burden , they must fend for themselves .

To my little mate up the road …. You are right , America is an incredible country . The biggest , the most powerful , wealthiest and not ……the happiest . I know of another place