#unicornchallenge – July 5, 2024
The young man walked along the street, head down, hands stuffed in his pockets. He didn’t know if he could continue to do his job as a public defender. New laws were passed every day that gave the government more power over every aspect of life.
He passed the old Greyhound Bus Station. A few buses still came and went from the old station, but taking a Greyhound bus was almost a thing of the past.
He slowed as he passed the station. What were all those people doing there? He didn’t think they appeared to be travelers. It dawned on him. They were homeless and were seeking shelter from the hot sun and the police. It was now against the law to be homeless. The punishment was fines and jail time.
He slowly walked into the bus station and chatted with each homeless person there. Their stories were heart-wrenching. He told each of them he would represent them if they were arrested and how to find him.
The young man left the bus station with a renewed sense of purpose. He had a reason to go to work each day. He would help the homeless. He would become an expert on their issues. As regulations increased, he would not let them come to any harm.
When he got home that night, he was smiling. There was at least something he could do to help in this new normal in which the people found themselves.
Thank you to C.E. Ayer and Jenne Gray for hosting the #unicornchallenge!
The Write Scribe 
Your uplifting tale highlights the scandal of homelessness which, along with child poverty, is one of the great disgraces of our me-first right-wing society
And the wealth gap continues to widen.
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Absolutely agree with you completely!
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Homelessness (or ‘unhoused’ which is now the PC wording) is beyond shameful. The biggest stumbling block in eradicating homelessness is the chasm that exists between the haves and the have nots.
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Absolutely right. Now, homelessness in America has been criminalized by our Supreme Court.
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You get right to the heart of the rot in our society, Rosemary, and end a bleak exposé of one of the biggest scandals of our self-obsessed society with a message of hope.
Thanks for that.
There will always be people who do what is right.
That’s easy to forget and maybe it’s the writer’s job to keep drawing attention to both the scandals of wealth and poverty, and to those who try to right the wrong.
(Oh dear, I’m afraid I can’t resist – ‘write the wrong’… Sigh!)
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Thanks, Jenne. There are so many important issues!
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It’s a growing problem world-wide. I’m stunned to learn that homelessness has been made a crime. Your young lawyer is a hero, and I hope there are many like him to advocate for the homeless. I agree with others her who have commented on the widening gap between rich and poor. That also is world-wide, I believe.
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Yes,it is worldwide. In the US, our Supreme Court just made homelessness a crime. It’s just unbelievable.
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Turning a problem into a positive. I love it!
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Thank you!
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You found a ray of bright sunshine in a otherwise very somber picture and situation! Nice visioning, Rosemary!
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Thank you!
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