Written by: Gilbert Barnes Carter III

The winter seasons are always brutal for members of our unhoused populations across America. December 7 is the date on a Facebook status update of a community leader who expressed some righteous indignation over a bench being callously removed from the MATA bus stop that is located directly in front Kirby Woods Baptist Church near Massey Road and Poplar Avenue. I recall how at least one unhoused Black woman rested at that particular bus stop periodically. I also recall instances of how other unhoused individuals have slept inside of partially enclosed MATA bus shelters across Memphis overnight out of desperation to shield themselves from unforgiving weather conditions for years.

Reverend Edith A. Love completed an internship with unhoused groups and individuals between 2015 and 2017. She also served as a program leader at a Room In The Inn site on behalf of the three Unitarian congregations that were in Memphis between 2015 and 2018. Edith shared how she eventually rejected the false and harmful narratives that are used to shape public perception and profiles of those who are considered to be "the least among us."

"It was a shelter run by well-meaning volunteers including me. I didn't get paid for any of this. I also was at Manna House quite a bit. Pete Gathke was my mentor in that. I learned a lot. I went into all of that with the typical attitude of a lot of people who have housing, thinking, 'Homeless people are dangerous. They are scary. They could be criminals. They could hurt me. They are on drugs. They are probably mentally ill.' Those are all of the negative stereotypes which we don't need to reprint. No one needs them. Everyone has them in their heads already. That's how stereotypes work. What I learned in my workings and in my efforts to be in proximity to people experiencing poverty and homelessness is they're just people. They are exactly like you and exactly like me, but they've had a very bad thing happen in their lives one way or the other."

"Every single woman on the streets has been sexually assaulted without exception." - Reverend Edith A. Love

"Women who are out on the streets are overwhelmingly fleeing some kind of abusive situation of one form or another. A lot of the people on the streets are veterans. There are people who have had a financial disaster such as their health care being denied and going into a snowball effect with medical debt. There are people who have had some kind of addiction or other traumatic and horrible occurrences in their lives. And, a significant portion of the people on the streets are LGBTQ2S+, specifically transgender and non-binary people. They're not accepted where they live. Their parents threw them out. They can't be who they are authentically in the environments that they were in before. A lot of folks have nowhere to go. The reason that you and I aren't homeless is because we had good luck or good connections. We have a safety net of some kind such as a relative who helped us out when we were in a tough situation. Or, we have access to money in some way. Because, those of us who don't have at least middle class level or higher wealth are a few paychecks away from being in the same situation."

Edith also provided a specific example of how "urban design" exacerbates the plight of our unhoused population.

"It's not a new story. This particular lady is someone that we have seen and care about, but this happens across the country. This happens across the world. Have you ever seen the little spikes that are placed all around the inside of subway stations to deter pigeons? People in this country do the same thing against other human beings. There are benches in downtown Memphis that have been removed temporarily and reset with a small section down the center of them. That's not for you to have an armrest. That's to prevent someone from laying down and actually sleeping on those benches. That is very much on purpose. Look at the design changes of anything in this city that someone who is unhoused could take respite or comfort in. I can guarantee that someone out there has thought, 'Well, we sure don't want anyone to sit there who isn't a 'nice', 'respectable', housed, and 'upright' citizen.'"

"We inject deterrents into the designs of things in this city. So, for the bench to be just taken away...that is a passive aggressive way of telling her she's not welcome there. She needs to go somewhere."

Zachary Waters launched his film production company, A Lee Dog Story, in July of 2018. He also founded Homes for Hearts in 2020. He has emerged as one of the most capable and loving local housing justice champions. I shared with him during our discussion on December 10, 2024 that a veteran MATA bus driver shared with me how he routinely advises certain passengers to exit MATA Route 50 (Poplar) buses prior to drivers crossing Kirby Parkway and entering inside of the Germantown corporate limits to avoid being subjected to degrading, immoral, and incessant criminalization.

"I think that, first off, it has been shown for years, time and time again, that it is illegal to be homeless in the city of Memphis. I know individuals that have been arrested for going inside of a dumpster behind Beale Street. I know a man that was in a wheelchair who was arrested for 'loitering' on Beale Street. I filmed these incidents. This is something that I personally became aware of 25 years ago when I first started filming stories of homelessness. I started hearing accounts from individual after individual that whether they were at a bus stop, going inside of a dumpster on Beale Street, or sitting on the side of Memphis Catholic High, it's simply illegal. They are deemed as 'inappropriate.' They are deemed as basically 'nuisances.' This idea that sitting ducks get plucked is very real in cities. It's not just a Memphis problem. It is a major city problem. But what's very interesting is that I've had the experience of living here and living in Denver. I was in Denver for a decade. There is a stark contrast in the difference of how city officials there treat homelessness. It is as legal as it can be to be homeless in the city of Denver. You can pitch a tent in front of someone's business. You can dive into a dumpster. You can sit on a park bench or a bus stop all day. You can go into a library and fall asleep. No one is going to take you to a precinct because you are a nuisance."

Reverend Jared Kress is the presiding pastor at Kirby Woods Baptist Church. He provided the following statements on April 16.

"This particular woman was unique in that she did not actively ask for anything from us, did not attempt to enter our building, did not attend a service, and never moved on from the bench. We see people come and go often, but this particular woman stayed out front for a long time. (The duration was for over a month.) All this occurred on public property, and not on our church parking lot. Our church members and deacons sought to engage and help her by offering Kroger (gift) cards, cash, McDonald's (gift) cards, MATA bus passes, and a free ride to any facility in the city (Hospitality Hub, Moriah House, etc.). Sadly, she rejected any of our efforts to help her get off the street and go to a safer, warmer place. Sometimes, she would receive gifts and money; sometimes, she asked to be left alone. Members from our church and staff would intermittently approach her, offer her help, and ask if she would receive our offer to get her permanent help. She always refused anything that involved leaving."

"As we continued to think about what to do, we thought that since she was at a bus stop, perhaps MATA could ask her to move. Could asking her to move be the only way to help her? Bear in mind that this had become somewhat of a spectacle. She had accumulated a massive pile of blankets, cardboard boxes, a cart full of items, bottles, debris, and a large blue tarp which she slept underneath. Many days, it was unclear whether she was underneath this pile that enveloped the entire bus bench. At the same time, it became apparent that she was also using the restroom there on the bench due to the smell of urine. It was truly sad and broke our hearts. We got no resolution from authorities, who said nothing could be done. They continuously assured us that we had done all we could."

"The bench was not our property and not ours to remove. We did call MATA and found that they had no record of a bench at this site. However, MATA said they recognized the bus stop but not the bench. (MATA benches tend to be covered.) Nobody from our church moved the bench, as we did not feel we had the authority to do so. By the end of this process, her accumulation of items was quite large and probably five feet high. We were getting phone calls all day about it, and the police were called about every other day. The temperature was dropping considerably outside. Nothing was happening because she refused any assistance. (Our church and community members were very generous and did try often.) All options were a dead end for helping her. One day, we went outside, and the bench was gone; she had relocated down the street to the next covered bus stop, not far away."

Who exactly removed the bench? I am certain that the intelligence that I will extract from additional findings will reveal the identity of those who are responsible.

MATA officials now have an opportunity to debunk a specific stigma. Bus shelter and stop locations can be gradually transformed from unsanitary and unsightly waypoints for unhoused families and individuals to more fresh and functional spaces.

Tamara Hendrix is a venerable local advocate and community organizer. She has completed excellent work with Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality (H.O.P.E.) and the Memphis Bus Riders Union. She has met and spoke with the woman and another unhoused Black woman along the same stretch of the Poplar Avenue corridor. She shared her sentiments.

"I am angered because Black people are the makeup of the city. This young lady sometimes uses her own money to get on those MATA buses. It's just not fair that she would have to be taken out of her element just because sometimes that is where she likes to stay. If you have never traveled with all of your belongings in a basket or traveled with all of your belongings on your back then you'll never know how tired you'll get."

Photo Credits:

• Header Photo by: Mr. Gilbert Barnes Carter III
• Body Photo by: Mr. Lemichael Wilson