Last night, the Etat d'Urgence event kicked off in the park beside the Metro station. I live about two blocks -- or a five minute walk -- from the station. The area is straddled between one of the city's bus stations and a large homeless shelter, as well as being at the tail end of the gay village.
Since I arrived here, I've noticed that it's pretty much ground-zero for homelessness in the city. Groups of people sit or lay around the park all day. I used to hit up a cafe on the corner of St. Hubert and St. Catherine until I became frustrated with the drunks who would make scenes, yell or knock stuff at least once every time I sat and tried to read and have a coffee. It is rare that someone doesn't try to sell me dope when I leave the metro and I would say, on average, I get asked for change about five times from my train to my front door.
I'm not trying to sound annoyed here, but just telling you how it is.
The Etat d'Urgence is being put on by a collective of socially concerned artists to try to raise awareness about the startling poverty of some residents in this city and to counteract the neglect the homelessness issue is being given by the media and politicians. Circus performers are putting on shows, workshops are being held, bands are playing all night, movies are being played and free meals will be provided to anyone who needs one.
Now I don't know if this is some kind of ploy to garner even more attention, but the area has become very weird, even by its own standards, in the past 24 hours. Last night's post, I think, tried to highlight that, but then today, on my way to the library, I witnessed something that shocked me right out of myself.
As I got off the escalator that goes underground at the St. Catherine corner of the Berri-UQAM stop, after watching the man in front of me with a garbage bag slung over his shoulder search a garbage can for recyclable cans, I turned around the corner to see a young lady with short, bleached-blond hair, sort of bent forward against the wall, with a bare butt cheek exposed from the side. Her face was hidden, and I would probably have looked away immediately out of embarrassment, but I couldn't tell what she was doing. I thought she might be about to vomit, the way she was sort of teetering forward, a little off balance. She wore black jeans and a striped red and black sweater under a black jean jacket.
So I'm walking past, still staring, and all of a sudden, there is this gush of water coming out from between her legs and onto her hands and a hat she's holding. This was at 5 o'clock p.m. and while it wasn't full-on rush hour yet, there were just enough people in the hall so you could notice something like this without it becoming lost in the crowd.
The gushing continued until there was a puddle on the ground below her. The girl never once looked up or made a sound.
I didn't stop and do anything or say anything. I just kept walking. And all I heard were people swearing under their breath.
And I don't know if the problem in the area has become more pronounced because needy people are flocking here from all over for the free meals, but considering what I saw today and the fact that a guy pulled a knife on my roommate earlier this week after taking his phone from his hands, I'm starting to believe that we really are reaching a state of emergency.
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