Not On My Subway

Not On My Subway

The New York subway was our main form of transportation around the city besides the use of our own two feet. When you see a traffic jam, hear honking cars that seem distressed for no reason and the hustle and bustle of city life above ground and surrounded by buildings that scrape the sky you sometimes forget that there is a city beneath the city. Far beneath.

We were warned not to stare at people when we first got off the plane last Friday while traveling to Manhattan on a bus. This was something that seemed as though it was going to be difficult not to do (not thy I have a staring problem) given I wanted to absorb the people around me- how they act, the look on their faces and applying what we learned previous to our arrival in New York City about what is means to be in poverty.

After forgetting my city pass at the church we were staying at before entering the Empire State Building, one of our fearless leaders and I had the privilege of riding the subway twice. Yes, we had to travel a half an hour back to the church. When we got on the subway for the second time there was a man who announced he hadn't eaten all day. Mind you this was only mid morning and was very apologetic for any inconveniences he had bestowed among those riding at the time. This created silent on the subway car and no one offered anything to feed this man's hunger. Through observation is was hard to tell whether or not he was homeless, in poverty or just needed a meal at that particular moment in time. Given he was a well dressed man, the time of day, and the fact that he was not asking for money, made me question his integrity and motive. What was rustling through my head was whether or not to offer food or money. Most people give dollars to those asking for this type of assistance and in the larger scheme of things, how far will that dollar go and what will it then lead to?

First, we offered him an apple and he rejected it. This was shocking. I then offered him only a nutrigrain bar which at the time was the only piece of food I had on my person, which he took as he ended up taking. The strange thing about our offerings to this man was that at the last minute he requested that he wanted the apple and before we were able to hand it over we had to quickly leave the subway train because we had reached our stop and were in a hurry.

The instructor and myself reflected upon the experience we had just had. We were two people from Des Moines, Iowa who gave a stranger something he needed in order to live. We pondered the idea of what would he have done with a few dollars if we were to give him money. Also, did he even end up eating the nutrigrain bar I gave to him or end up throwing it away because it wasn't what he wanted? His announcement to the subway car was very direct and seemed heartfelt and genuine at the time so of course we wanted to help.

After this occurrence, besides the fact that we were able to make it back to the Empire State Building, we were able to bring our experience back to the rest of the class and I was able to discuss this experience with class. By this point the whole class had seen what are called "beggars" on the subway but in different settings. For example, the number of people on the subway plays a large factor as well as those begging. Sometimes we are packed in like sardines and other times there is much room to spare on our various subway rides. More people to give, but also more people to reject the requests of those asking for food and/or money.

Through this experience, along with others that played out throughout the week, I gained a new perspective on what it takes to get what you need or want on a day to day basis and the circumstances you will go to in order to make it happen. I suppose first, you don't say anything and end up on a corner with a sign, silent, hoping someone will spare you some change. Then on the flip side, if you are surrounded by people who you know will not be moving for a while and are in close proximity with each other, you beg or in other words become vocal about your needs.

This man I encountered on the subway used language and phrasing such as, "Everybody if I could get your attention please. Everyone please for one minute of your time. I hope I am not bothering you and/or making you feel uncomfortable in any sort of way but I have not eaten all day and if you could spare me anything it would be much appreciated. I hope you have a wonderful day and God bless."

After hearing the respect of this man it was very challenging from an emotional standpoint not to comply and give in to his request or any request with that as the starting phrase. In New York City there is a saying called nimby- short for "not in my back yard." People seemed to be so used to "beggars" that they will not even look them in the eyes and stare while they are talking. When someone is requesting simple items that could be life or death at any given point it comes down to your own humanity and whether or not you are an enabler or disabler. The subway is even a place for learning and, given the reason we were there in the first place was because we were taking a class about urban poverty, it seemed as though it was a mini lesson in and of itself.

Thanks for reading,
Sam