Didn't End Well

It was a good night at the Downtown Gathering, our "come as you are" time of worship, Bible study and sharing - until the end. An unusual guy named Roy (an elderly white homeless man) showed up as we began; this was the first time he had arrived near the beginning of our evening (rather than right as we're finishing up the meal). This time he was not only on time, but he seemed to be dressed in clean clothes and was without his overloaded shopping cart. As before, he did not engage anyone in conversation, but I have seen this pattern play out several times, with our visitors gradually becoming comfortable enough with us to start participating, engaging and even sharing the deep concerns of their lives (the process may take years!)

But Roy hung around the very front of the room last night, a source of constant distraction as he shuffled back and forth, digging through his bag, writing notes on small scraps of paper, and trying to get someone to read the date on the old wooden nickel he had been given. All this was distracting, but peaceful, and within the realm of acceptable behavior for our gathering. At the end of the evening, after he got a full meal and we were finally cleaning up to leave, he started getting increasingly agitated and obstinate, refusing to pack up his scattered assortment of treasures and trinkets to leave the building. The more we waited, the slower he got and the more we asked him to pack up and leave, the more angry he got. It was a no-win situation that lasted about 30 minutes after cleanup was complete!

Finally, the last three of us were there and we hurried him out the door, as he turned extremely angry, cursing and shouting taunts and accusations. He took a swing at Carl, our elderly disabled friend, and then turned and started pounding the glass window with his fist. Two of us had to constantly circle around Carl to keep Roy from attacking him again. We called for help from the police, but they never arrived, so we got to our vehicles and left the parking lot, thanking God that no one had been hurt.

This type of outbreak of violent behavior saddens me, but is an occasional occurrence wherever the mentally ill frequent. It seems they are more susceptible to the pressures of the demonic forces around us, and are more likely to become disruptive. Steve Lopez documents a famous, similar story in The Soloist, which was made into a great movie this year. He concludes that the best thing one can do for someone with these issues is to just be their friend. That, my friends, will preach! The world is watching!