skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Neighbor Encounters Person Sleeping On Basketball Court At Waterway 1
The Laurelhurst Blog received this information:
On Monday, September 19, while on my morning walk, I came across a young man at Waterway 1, where the basketball court is, who appeared to be nodding out on drugs.
He was curled up on the basketball court with a dark blue hoodie pulled over his head, his shoes were off and his skateboard was by his side. I didn't know how to react and was unsettled by his behavior.
I began to hurry by but then, my neighborly and motherly instincts kicked in as I was worried for his well being. I stopped and called out to him a couple of times, just a "Hey, how are you doing? Can I help in any way?" There was no response, so I asked again. He slowly lifted his hand with a thumbs up signal so I walked on feeling helpless.
I saw a neighbor a few doors down in his driveway and stopped to share my account and get his opinion on what should be done. He listened politely and said that he would check in with him in a few minutes to reassess the situation. I was comforted to know that other neighbors were around and were interested in helping, but was left feeling a bit alarmed in not knowing what I could do to help this young man.
I am not sure what the outcome was with the young man. He didn't look like the guy that has been seen and sometimes sleeps in the Park. This person was a bit too tidy and had different behavior.
I guess what was really alarming to me was my indecision on what to do for help. Should we call into Police non emergency and ask for medical aid? I'm not sure of the rights of individuals to nod off or sleep/camp in public spaces. I would like to be directed to a sight that might help me gain current knowledge on the best practices to help " neighbors in need"?
2 comments:
Call the police! Its illegal to camp there, and as you noted he was likely coming down off of a drug of some kind. Given the rash of property crimes in the neighborhood we need to react promptly to incidents like this and make it clear that Laurelhurst isn't a place to crash and that folks are paying attention
I saw him too and did not know what to do. I did make sure he was moving, but I had my two nephews with me, so that is all I did. By the time I got back down to see him, he was up and moving on. I was planning on calling the police so that they could check on his well-being/possibly get him help. I felt sorry for him, not at all threatened and felt rotten for just passing him by the first time.
Post a Comment