observation uno

Yesterday I observed the homeless people on Franklin Street from the Starbuck’s window and the street itself. I went from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. I was interested to see that what I perceived to be the norm for their community was actually quite different. Normally they are all mostly found on the corner of South Columbia and Franklin but on this particular day I found them to be more alone and as partners spread out than as one big group in one location. One particular homeless man was playing the guitar by himself and walking up and down the Franklin Street sidewalks approaching the people walking by for money. The people seemed comfortable with him nearby until he quickly came up to them playing his guitar and singing a song. The passersby were startled and quickly walked away or moved to the side so as to avoid him. A ,male and female, homeless couple were together on the sidewalk by the bus stop on Columbia staring down students and workers getting on and off the bus. Many people either ignored or avoided them all together but they didn’t seem to mind and kept a smile on their face and even laughed at certain moments. I was surprised to the see during my observations that the homeless people really did not hoard people for money and with the exception of the guitar player they pretty much kept to themselves and did not seem to notice much outside of themselves. The homeless people community seemed to be strong within themselves and usually unaware of different people