My Neighbors
notes on the homeless
My neighborhood, nestled between three of the four grocery stores in Taos, is a hot spot for homeless people. They come out bright and early in the morning, joining kids walking to school and people on their way to work, headed for those grocery store parking lots with their hand-written signs.
A friend tells me that a homeless person in her employ shared that in their community, they have honed solicitation down to a science. They trade signs, negotiate corners, and generally make $15 - $30 an hour. According to him, yes, most of them are drug addicts.
The popular encampments are further out, but we do offer a couple of empty lots for the stray traveler or for introverts who don’t do well in groups. On one of my morning walks with Yoyo, I passed a fellow passed out in the sagebrushes and inadvertently woke h…
