Public Bathing
Earlier this morning, I went into the bathroom at work and walked in on a homeless man bathing himself in the sink.
He was not wearing a shirt, and his pants were unfastened and hanging very loosely on his hips. He was rubbing his face and substantial belly with wet paper towels. A rather tubby man, he looked as if he had no trouble finding the shelter kitchen, but for whatever reason he had decided to choose a government building open to the public for his sink bath.
I went to the urinal, and as I stood there, he continued his morning ablutions. Soon I heard the distinctive scraping sound of a razor on barely damp skin. I zipped up, and as I turned to wash my hands and leave, I glanced at him and saw that he was shaving without shaving cream.
I washed and dried my hands and as I passed him, I noted with growing distaste the dirty water and the grime around the sink basin and the little curly hairs on the edge of the sink. Returning to my desk, I sat there and began to think. Should I tell someone? There are plenty of police officers on every floor. I could go right into the hallway and find one. What should I do? Nothing?
Why would I even consider turning him in? A homeless man taking a bath in the sink of a bathroom in a government building…is that a crime?
Finally, my priggishness getting the better of my compassion, I went out and spoke to a policeman. He placed a call on his radio telling whoever monitors such things where he was going and what he was doing.
“These homeless people,” he said, a look of vague disgust on his face (probably mirroring the look on my face). “They do this all the time. All the time.” Then after a pause, the policeman said, “Well, I’ll roust him out.”
I walked with him to the bathroom, but did not go in. The policeman entered, a staticky voice on his radio announcing his presence just as he hit the door. From outside, I heard the policeman say, “Alright Sir, what’s going on in here?”
“Nothing,” I heard a man answer in a gruff voice.
“Why do you have your shirt off?”
“I was hot. I was just splashing some cool water on me.”
“Alright, you know that ain’t allowed. I got to escort you outta here. Put your shirt back on and get your things there.”
“I didn’t do nothing,” the other man said.
“Yeah, come on. Time for you to go.”
At this point, I hurriedly slipped back to my office. My question is, if I did the right thing, why do I feel guilty?
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Don’t know whether you did the right thing or not - either way, tough call.
My guess, the reason I’d feel guilty:
-We’re raised to believe innocent until proven guilty. Since you haven’t walked in his shoes, you don’t know whether to give him compassion or not.
-Most of us don’t like or enjoy “tattling” - another thing we’re raised not to do.
-I’d also be affected (based on your description) by a potential dislike / judging of the person. First, they’re homeless (practically an indictment to someone who hasn’t been there), second they’re overweight (which also doesn’t make sense to someone who hasn’t walked in those shoes). So then I’d feel guilty that my motives might have been less-than-pure.
So, there’s your free psycho-analysis for the day.
Now, sometimes I wish I didn’t feel so much empathy for people living that life…
Comment by Stephen Christopher — Thursday, 4 October 2007 @ 3:48 pm
Somewhat like you I have vacilated between political ideologies. On one hand screw him! He’s obviously a lazy fat bum who is fouling a public bathroom where I, a hard working industrious citizen, may wish to wash my hands. On the other hand, we are all pretty foul creatures in our own right. Maybe not in public as this poor soul but foul none the less. Our only common thread is our humanity, or is it?
Comment by Grant — Friday, 5 October 2007 @ 12:28 am
Tough call.
it’s surprising when someone isn’t following rules of public conduct, whatever those may be. and there’s always the slippery slope thing — if it’s OK for one guy to bathe, then is it OK for two guys? Five? Full nudity? Obstructing the path to the sinks entirely? or one guy to do it regularly, every day, when all you want to do is pee and leave?
but then again, he may well have had nowhere else to go. and it didn’t appear that he was harming anyone, right?
order versus necessity, assuming it was a necessity on his part. tough call. i might’ve done the same thing, the only (possible) difference being waiting to see if it were a pattern, if he was gonna be in there day after day or something. or, if he acted in a particularly threatening or unsettling manner.
Comment by Heather — Friday, 5 October 2007 @ 12:16 pm
People are being awful nice ’round here.
I have to admit that I am a bit shocked that “priggishness” was enough reason for you to turn this guy in. I mean, after all, this is a bathroom. Bathrooms are full of unpleasantness (shit, smells, noises) and most of it concerns peoples who are engaged in getting dirtier, NOT cleaner. This guy was improving the scene as far as I can tell. Much better him than some guy with a nasty BM in the next stall over. Anyway, that’s my pov, and I suspect that your conscience feels the same way.
Comment by Todd — Friday, 19 October 2007 @ 9:59 pm
My conscience doesn’t feel so bad anymore, though at the time I felt guilty. You are more enlightened than I am, Todd, and I fully concede the point. I didn’t have enough college education to liberalize my point of view.
Comment by greypilgrim — Saturday, 20 October 2007 @ 7:11 am