Rather than the dangerous maniac society warns us about, we encountered a soft-spoken man named Robert. He told us he has been homeless on and off for the past 15 years.
While there was a small mountain of beer cans surrounding his otherwise well-kept campsite, Robert was not the stereotypical homeless person. He told us he collects a disability check every month and has been on a waiting list for subsidized housing for the past three years.
Through his tent flap Robert spoke with a lucid understanding of the issues facing both homeless people and the city's efforts to combat it. He talked about recent newspaper articles on the issue and even referenced local radio's "The Dave Ross Show." (It was later revealed that Robert keeps a small transistor radio in his tent.)
While many of us may pass homeless people off as oblivious to the political events that shape their lives, Robert is a reminder that some are tuned in -- even from a tent on a muddy Seattle hillside.
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