Terror Next Door
The January stabbing to the eye of a former resident of the Next Door homeless shelter, located at 1001 Polk Street, has raised great concern within the homeless community, and ranks a top issue to be pursued and addressed by leaders whose organizations are designed to assist homeless people on their journeys to reliable resources and positive resolution to complaints and concerns.
Residents’ concerns became evident in the early morning hours of Friday, January 5, as the graveyard shift was coming to an end, when suddenly the assailant brought the third floor sleeping quarters for men to a state of chaos and panic. The attacker surprised the men of the floor as he produced a steel knife while attempting to pin the victim against a wall. The erratic and unstable behavior the men so adamantly tried to alert staff of was in full swing, but staff were nowhere to be found. It was at this point that the stabber succeeded in stabbing the victim in the eye. He also attempted to stab another just-waking man who held a blanket up to block the blows. The other residents, with no staff to help, continued to struggle with the aggressor until they were able to subdue him. The paramedics and the police eventually arrived at the scene, where the victim was administered immediate care and transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was treated and later released. The perpetrator was arrested and charged.
The majority of men who witnessed and experienced the incident at Next Door all place blame on the staff of that shelter. We have received reports from three different residents that they individually approached the staff explaining how the assailant’s erratic and unstable behavior made them very nervous. These attempts to bring attention to a situation some felt was waiting to happen seemed useless as no follow-up was performed. The significant inconsistencies of this shelter regarding abuse, safety, and harassment cannot be tolerated: We are not speaking of a simple physical altercation between two or more people that resulted in minor injuries—we are speaking of a gentleman who has literally lost an eye!
The reality of this victim’s experience has shed light on just how close and vulnerable we are to life’s unpredictability. It has also shed light on the attitudes of some people and the way they express their disdain for us, as homeless people, and us, as human beings. Next Door has proven this on so many different occasions and in a variety of ways and scenarios. It is a pity to say that although the shelter has tried to redeem itself concerning this incident by placing two floor monitors on the floor of the male sleeping quarters, there are still many deficiencies that can and will be pointed out regarding this shelter.
Participants in a recent survey of Next Door shelter showed no inhibitions as they voiced their dissatisfaction concerning the incident, the facility, and its staff members, who they considered incompetent and of shallow disposition, dehumanizing nature, and an obvious inability to defuse a hazardous situation.
45% of the respondents said that they had experienced verbal abuse, 42% harassment, 45% were concerned about their safety, and 55% total reported experiencing some form of abuse. Next Door had the highest overall rate of complaints for almost every category! This shelter also receives the highest number of complaints through the Shelter Monitoring Committee and the Mayor’s Office of Disability.
This is a problem. This is the problem. Could this be a contributor to this January stabbing, or to the December 2005 death of female resident?
This is an outrageous, unbelievable, bizarre example of disregard for safety, as it concerns this shelter’s unpreparedness. This incident could have been avoided. Many of us in the community are hoping that Next Door isn’t taking this incident lightly: it’s not a momentary flare-up that will soon pass—the victim will be reminded of that day, daily. Will the shelter pay him disability benefits? Will it pay for his emotional trauma?
As tragic as this story is, I want to end by recognizing the courage, compassion, concern, and teamwork these men provided one another in that time of uncertainty. I ask a higher source to please give this gentleman his eye back. But I ask the shelters here on Earth to do the right thing by the victim of this assault, and by the hundreds of other homeless people who are temporarily housed under their roofs, and under their protection.
Chanel