What I learned from a homeless man about Charlotte

A few weeks ago, I was on my way to a meeting and I didn’t want to be late. As I sat at a red light at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and I-77, the light would not change. I mean it turned green for like 15 seconds but quickly flashed red for what seemed like an eternity. To make matters worse, the cars in front of me weren’t moving during those 15 seconds. So, as I got frustrated, I shook my fist at the light while shouting at the cars in front of me: “C’mon, drive. Go!”

Determined to be on time for the meeting, I looked for an exit strategy or alternative route. But something else caught my attention. There was a man hopping on the median. He was hopping because he only had one leg and was turning around on crutches. As he faced my direction, I could see that his clothing was soiled with dirt, his beard long, his Vietnam veteran hat faded. His cardboard sign read: “please help!”

Suddenly, the car ahead of me began to move. I followed and finally made it through the light. Still, as I drove down I-77 towards uptown, the image of that homeless vet flooded my thoughts. I marveled at the difficulty of having to maneuver on crutches while holding a sign in one hand and collecting money in the other. I wondered how long he had been there. Then it hit me…

That red light frustrated me, but I doubt that it frustrated him. The longer the light stayed red, the greater his chances were of getting help. For me, life would not move on while the light was red. For him, others helped only when they were stopped. Then it hit me, again…

I wonder if our great community is in a rush to move on. Without question, Charlotte has had a rough couple of years. From protests to upward mobility reports to fights with the state legislature, we’ve been forced to stop and to face some hard truths.

Sadly, many of us are tired of hearing about it and are ready to get back to business as usual. People comment about being tired of hearing about race as it relates to politics or economics. They are ready to move beyond those issues. Consequently, I fear that this frustration has caused us to shelve the work of the Opportunity Task Force and to bury the affordable housing crisis. Are we becoming like “frustrated me” at the red light?

Yetthe most vulnerable in our community are like the man on crutches. While they are maneuvering through some difficult times, they don’t ask us for much. They just want the kind of help that can fit into their hands. Frustrated Me could not see that.

Ultimately, while the red light was an inconvenience for me, it was a solution for that man. Likewise, inconveniences for this community are solutions for others. Yes, we have been stopped, and I understand it’s been hugely inconvenient. But we must shift how we view that red light. During the holiday season, we generally welcome the festive red light, don’t we? So, next time that you’re facing a red light, don’t be like Frustrated Me. See things through the eyes of that man on crutches, who needs us to stop a little longer, no matter what we’re rushing toward.

This story was originally published November 17, 2017 at 3:45 PM with the headline "What I learned from a homeless man about Charlotte."