Why can't TriMet find more people like her? WHY?
Edit: 8:05 pm Monday: I’m pretty sure Jay was transported [EDIT: to a hospital. (I didn’t mean to be vague the first time)] last night. Here is what I know:
-Some of his belongings are still where he was laying down, including the large bottle of water he was drinking from and a couple shopping bags with new shoes in them (I’m guessing these were donations he could have picked up at a shelter), and the trash from his Wendy’s dinner last night. I did not grab them because they are likely a biohazard and I wouldn’t know how to get them back to him.
-His backpack was not there.
-I walked around the park and spoke to a couple of folks who were camped out there. They said they didn’t know him.
-I talked to a group of guys, maybe 17-20 who were setting up a soccer game. A couple of them were there last night and said that they left at 9 and he was still laying there. They said he’s been there the last couple of weeks. I asked if they ever saw him up and walking around, and they responded by pointing to two spots about 20 feet away from each other, saying they only saw him laying down in the sun or in the shade but never walking. The first question one of them asked when I said I was looking for my friend was, “did he pass away?” So yeah, Jay was clearly in bad shape.
-I called 911 at 9:20 last night, after the last sighting from the soccer guys.
-Jay was incapable of moving far away by himself.
-My best conclusion is that he was transported by ambulance late last night, sometime after 9:20.
-I called non-emergency just now to see if I could find out the outcome of my call (something I’ve been told I could ask), and was on hold for over 40 min. I will call in the morning when there is (hopefully) shorter hold times.
Also, thanks for the kind words! Be kind to each other and stay awesome. I’ll respond to the comments when I have more than just a quick moment.
Today was an emotional day for me. Overall it was a busy day of driving bus that went pretty fast, but I ended the day calling 911 for a friend of mine.
Jay is one of the first passengers who I remember properly meeting. And I’m pretty sure that he is the ONLY one that knows my name. Maybe he’s the only one who uses it. (Sometimes people think my name is “Fucking Bitch”, but they are mistaken.). When he told me his name, he said it was Jason and his friends call him Jay. He gave me permission to call him Jay.
I would always see him around, limping with a bag of ice. He had a bum foot for a good year or so. It would always take him a while to get his big frame up and onto the bus and when we got to his stop he would say “Good to see you, BridgeCityBus!” as he left. I will go most of my workdays without anyone saying my name. This made him special to me. He’s also just super nice and knows a lot of folks around town. Always friendly and always optimistic.
Earlier this year I saw him for the first time in months. He was walking down the street and I pulled my bus over just to say hi. He was moving a lot better and told me that his feet got better “a long time ago!” He was in good spirits and found a new job. He didn’t like the job “killing chickens” but he seemed hopeful for what it may bring.
I saw Jay one more night after that for a quick ride. He had lost the job but was still in good spirits, as always.
Today I passed a bus stop that appeared to have black garbage bags sitting in front of it. As I got closer, I realized it was Jay, wearing is black sweatshirt, sweatpants and a beanie, as he always did.
I stopped to see how he was. He didn’t look good, but wanted to get on my bus. Jay reached up for me to take his hand, and I tried to help him up. When he got into a sitting position, he winced in pain and laid back down. “I’ll get the next bus. Good to see ya, BridgeCityBus!”
When I came back around over 3 hours later he was still there. I ran an ice water over to him and he said he has a bum shoulder so it’s hard to sit up, and he’s just laying there because he drank too much water.
Despite his assurances, I was worried. He’s a big guy and has trouble moving. Clearly laying on the concrete for 3 hours can’t help.
[Edit: I should note here that every time I’ve seen Jay, he’s been stone sober. I don’t know if that makes a difference for you personally as you read this, but I think it’s worth noting.]
And then it was 6 hours. I stopped again to ask if he needed anything. I called dispatch to let them know and see if they could do a proper check (I’m on a schedule and only have about a minute for a quick visit). He wasn’t on the bus and he didn’t ask for medical, so there is little I could really call about. I told him I would come back again in two more hours (after I was off the clock).
When I got back to the garage, I asked my Station Agent for advice. I don’t want to overstep, and I also sometimes have trouble with my own personal boundaries. I don’t want to open myself up to something that could put me at risk. She suggested I call the non-emergency line, which I had already spent 15 min on hold with during my last break.
So I called again as I set off in my Jeep to find Jay. The dispatcher there told me that police had already done a welfare check one and a half hours before. (This is how I imagine a welfare check from the police: “Hey man, you good?” “Yeah.” “Cool.”).
Whatever happened wasn’t enough.
I parked my car around the corner and walked over with my phone and a pack of smokes. I was thinking I’d just sit down and smoke a cigarette with him (yeah, still on the smoking train) and chat a bit.
When I crouched down and said hi, I realized that he was stained with hues of yellow and brown, and that there was a wet puddle in front of him. He was vomiting all the water that he was drinking, and soaked in his own waste.
I lit Jay’s cigarette for him and we chatted. He told me that me and another gal are the two bus drivers that he loves to run into. (I have since reached out to her to see if she has any info on him, and haven’t heard back yet.) I had to stand up and stretch every few minutes because my legs were achy from sitting all day. I can’t imagine how his body felt.
And then he told me that the people at the park (he was on a sidewalk in front of a city park) are getting tired of him. He had been there all week, including the “hot days” (we hit over 110, y’all!). Fuck.
I asked him why he’s sick and spitting up water. He says it has to do with water retention because of his heart failure. “But I fixed my feet!”
I asked him if I could call an ambulance. He said “yeah, but no”. He said that to a lot of suggestions that I made.
I have been trained in multiple jobs to respect the rights and decisions of others, no matter the outcome.
You don’t want to take your seizure meds, even though you will start having seizures in 3 hours? Okay. That’s your right to say no. You don’t even get privacy in the bathroom, you should have autonomy when you are able.
You don’t want us to call the police for you and help you get a restraining order against your abusive partner? Okay, but we will be here when you’re ready and we will help you follow a safety plan in the meantime.
You’re telling me that you’ve been lying on this pavement for a week, surrounded by empty water bottles and have shit and pissed yourself. You have no friends or family to help you, and you refuse to allow me to call medical? Okay, but I’ll run to Wendy’s and get you a burger and more ice water.
That’s what I did. I fetched him dinner and more water and went home. I told him that I’ll check on him tomorrow between my shifts. He said he won’t be there because he’ll be back at work. (He’s a very optimistic man. I wish I could be half as optimistic as him most days.)
So I called my boyfriend, told him I was safe and that I was coming home late. We discussed what happened and I tried so hard to talk myself into it being okay. If he’s not willing to accept the help, then there is nothing I can do.
But I started calling. I called Transitions Projects, they sent me to Project Respond Crisis Line, and they told me to call 911.
So I called, gave Jay’s description and location and told them that he needs medical help and that I was worried he wouldn’t make it through the night. I’m 100% certain that if Jay is still out there, he’s just now realizing that it’s the 4th, as the mortars are going off around him and the rest of the city is celebrating independence and ‘Merica. I sure hope he’s not. I hope he is surrounded by some good folks who can get him cleaned up and his health assessed.
Tomorrow I’ll run out to that park between shifts and hope to god I don’t see him.
There have been too many faces that have just disappeared from the streets this year, and not in a good way like they found a safe place to live. I’m still on the lookout for Mario and Gregory, two men who have the sweetest of personalities and, because of the lack of care for adults with disabilities, have been left out to forge the wicked streets of this city alone.
I am also very cognizant of the fact that Jay may be getting help today because he was nice to a bus driver. There are so, so many folks who I see on a daily basis in a similar position, and I don’t reach out to help.
There are too many people in crisis on our own city streets who have no family, friends, or kind acquaintances. I don’t have words for the way that makes me feel.
No comments:
Post a Comment