Today as I rode my bike up to my school, I saw a woman standing, barely, beside the garbage can out front. It was one of those giant city-owned garbage cans (the ones Spiral Beach got in trouble for postering on), and she was standing on the side facing the street. There were only a few inches of sidewalk between the can and the street. She was hunched over and swaying. Occasionally she put her face down on the top of the garbage can. When she lifted her face, I saw that her eyes were rolling back in her head and she had something that was either blood or chocolate dripping out of her mouth. Numerous people walked by and looked at her and then looked away and kept walking.
I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t just walk by and leave her there. She was obviously strung out on some major drugs and looked like she had little idea about what was happening. I was afraid for her safety and worried about the baby inside her pregnant belly. I was hesitant about calling anyone – I really didn’t want her to get in trouble, I just wanted her to get some help. I knew she probably wouldn’t want to deal with the authorities who would inevitably show up. I couldn’t make up my mind so I went to the front desk of the school and told the faculty member sitting there that someone outside needed help. He called the emergency services.
As we waited for them to arrive, another student showed up to school and spoke to the woman. “Please don’t call,” she said. My heart broke and I felt awful. Was it my place to get involved? Should I have just left her alone? I know that it was better for her to get help than be left on the sidewalk like that, but I still felt guilty. I just hope that she got some help and compassion instead of getting in trouble or thrown back out on the street.
