I was surprised early last week when I parked at Country Mart and saw a sign on their glass doors: No Loitering. Huh. I have not noticed anyone in that area. It's on the second set of glass doors, which they have blocked off to make an employee break room. I used to go in that entrance all the time. It's by the deli and their used-to-be pharmacy. Farmer H says they closed the pharmacy, and have partnered with another one nearby.
Anyhoo... these glass doors no longer open, and there's a metal bench in front of them. I've seen employees taking a smoke break there. Saw a man walking back to his car sit down to take a phone call one time last year. But that's it.
When I got to the real entrance door, they had ANOTHER No Loitering sign. Something must be going on for them to start posting signs about loitering.
I found out this week when I saw two dudes sitting on a metal bench that's around the corner of the store. Down by where I like to park, where that gal on a bicycle blocked me in one time. One dude had a duffel bag, Army green, that looked stuffed full of something. Of course I did not park there! I don't need an audience while climbing in and out of T-Hoe. But I was highly suspicious that these were LOITERERS.
Inside at the left lottery machine, I sensed a tall thin dude walk behind me. I saw him as he went through the double doors. His longish hair was a bit unkempt, and he was wearing pajama pants. He had come out of the hall where the bathrooms are. The cashiers started talking amongst themselves.
"Well, what are you gonna do?"
"I know. Lots of times, they come in with really young kids."
"There's no reason anybody can't find a job these days. Everywhere is hiring."
"Yeah. It's just not right."
I assume these were some of the LOITERERS that the signs were meant for. Pajama Dude was standing right there in the vestibule while they were discussing him. He was looking at something on the wall. Maybe a bulletin board with possible odd job stuff, or perhaps tear-off strips for guitar lessons like George Costanza ripped off that broke his wallet...
Anyhoo... when I went back to T-Hoe and drove around the corner, I saw that now there was a girl with the dudes. Maybe 10-11 years old. Just pacing back and forth. Not sure what's going on here.
Possibly the newly unemployed and newly homeless are the loiterers, and don't know what to do or where to go. I hope they find homes, jobs and safety.
ReplyDeleteRiver,
ReplyDeleteThey must know SOMEWHERE to go, since they're not living on the Country Mart parking lot. It's one thing to go in and use the bathrooms, but another to hang around and worry the customers. There IS an open area of grass out front (across the drive from the broken electric pole) where they could sit if they just want to pass the time, rather than on the store benches. There are at least 7 stores where they could use the bathrooms, within a quarter mile of each other. They could vary their visits. The Gas Station Chicken Store has had a sign up for months that they're hiring. There's a little park across from the dead mouse smelling post office that has a fountain. And the church store that gives out food is just up the road. I'm sure they could get advice there on other agencies to help them.