Picture the Homeless Honors Fallen Brothers and Sisters

n a memorial service that was both poignant and uplifting, homeless individuals, advocates, and friends gathered at Judson Memorial Church on Ash Wednesday to mourn the loss of homeless New Yorkers who made their transition during the previous year. Speaking for Picture the Homeless, an organization led by people who have been or are homeless, Rachel Brumfield explained that they see the memorial not only as a time to remember their lost brothers and sisters, but as an opportunity to raise awareness about the homeless.

During the service there were scriptural readings followed by reflections presented by diverse people of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faith. Along with the passages from the Bible, Donna Estaba shared a verse from the Koran, which was commented on by Nur Nuredine, who thanked Allah for the gift of life and the peace of death, which is part of life.

After a period of sacred silence, there was the lighting of vigil candles in remembrance of those who have passed on. In the dimmed room lit only by these candles, Bruce Little spoke about the fact that as we move about the city, without realizing it, we all pass countless people who are homeless but conceal it because they don’t want to be outcasts. "If you've never been in those shoes, trust me, you don't want to be there," Little stated. "Because when you’re homeless and people look at you like you're dirt, it hurts. It feels like someone's taken a knife and stabbed you in the back."

Next, anyone who wished to was invited to come forward and remember a homeless person who had died. Charles Heck read an obituary of Gregory Brooks, a member of Picture the Homeless’ Canner’s Committee, who passed away on September 5, 2005.

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"Gregory was simultaneously what is right with America and what is wrong," Heck began. And he told of how Brooks was cruising along as a paralegal working for the City until he got on the wrong side of someone in the Giuliani administration. He lost his job, fell through the cracks and eventually lost everything. "Everything except the important stuff – who he was: a man of principle," Heck declared. "What Gregory stood for was fairness and equality for all."

Jean Rice said that Gregory’s was not a wasted life because every time a canner pushes his cart full of cans up to a redemption machine, "anything you bring by the sweat of your brow will be redeemed. Gregory wasn't only a canner; he was a redeemer," Rice noted. "And he wasn’t only a redeemer, but an ecological engineer. For that reason Brother Gregory might be gone, but I assure you, he will not be forgotten."

Michael Ennes, who works with Broadway Community Inc. (BCI), tried to convey to those who’ve never been homeless something of what it feels like. "You get up and it’s moving day – every day," he explained.

He went on to say that the largest group BCI now deals with is a new kind of homeless individual: a person who never in their life believed it could happen to them. "It's a person who was raised middleclass, who always had a lovely bed to sleep in, went to college, and got a job," Ennes commented. "They were leading a middleclass life until something happened, such as 9/11, Enron, a disease or an accident."

Ennes observed, too, that this group is particularly hard to help since they’re angry because this was not supposed to be the deal. "The deal was that you went to school, got good grades, got a job, and you were supposed to be able to make it," he remarked. "But that's not always so. This is a growing phenomenon in this incredibly wealthy nation."

When Andre X took the podium, he said simply, "I know that we all think hell is a place we might go to when we die. But I'm here to tell you that hell is right here on earth, and it's being homeless."

Derek Watson, who has never experienced homelessness himself, spoke of a man named Frank Turner with whom he had become friends. When he died, Frank had no family and is now buried in Potter’s Field. Watson concluded his remarks by stating that he just wanted to say, "Frank, we still love you, and we know that you're housed in God's house now. We couldn't find a better house for you than that."

The memorial service was rounded out with songs, poetry, and prayers, followed by fellowship and delicious food supplied by the parishioners of Judson Church and BCI. Other sponsoring organizations were Life Experience and Faith Sharing Association, Jan Hus Presbyterian Church, and Saint Francis Xavier Church.

Picture the Homeless can be reached at (212) 427-2499, info@PictureTheHomeless.org.