Homeless Man Killed While Riding Bike...

"... a homeless man ..."

It seems that for years, that phrase has crept its way into an increasing number of media stories. Sometimes it leads off, sometimes it is buried in the middle. Sometimes there is investigation, sometimes there is addiction, sometimes there is misfortune, sometimes there is even choice. After the carefree years of college, homelessness was my one fear. What if after all the time and effort, all the money spent, invested, something did not work out. What if...

"Homeless man killed while riding bike..."

When a man with a home is killed while riding a bike there might be a story in a newspaper, maybe a driver will be charged with a crime, maybe there will be a trial, maybe there will be time spent in prison, maybe there will only be a fine. The man with a home, killed while riding a bike, with an expanded network of family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, associates, clients, etc., will be mourned. If a man with a home is killed while riding a bike, the story of his death might stick around for a while, especially if he was a widely respected man. His death might spur someone to action, a fund might be established, there might be an attempt to change the way things are done.

When a homeless man dies while riding a bike watch how quickly the story disappears. It will be as if no one cares, after all he was just a homeless man on a bike. There will be no charges against a driver, no fine, no fund. A few days will pass, people will re-immerse themselves in projects at work, business meetings will draw their attention, family crises of the day will demand focus, and the homeless man on a bike will be forgotten. He will disappear.

As if he never existed.

RIP, David Lee MacMillian