or maybe reagan was right....?

Those of you who are long-time readers of this little blog may remember an incident last summer involving a young gentleman who had taken up residence on our front porch.  Last we heard he had "gone to Allegan to live with family" (read:  jail).  He recently returned to our fair city and for the past 3 days has been spotted with another regular patron sitting.on.our.porch.  I decided we needed to nip this in the bud and notified our downstairs neighbor (who is ultimately responsible for this young gentleman even being in my life) that I would prefer them to not be out there unless he was there with them.  Like for a party.  Or whathaveyou.  I said I felt comfortable talking to them and asked if it was okay to do so.  My neighbor got back to me and agreed that perhaps that kind of behavior should not be encouraged. 

Not 10 mniutes later I am walking home for lunch and lo and behold those boys are on my mofo porch.  Words were exchanged.  I was given a bit of lip.  I went upstairs and called my neighbor and explained what had occured and he told me I should feel free to call the cops.  They then knocked on his window and he talked to them.  About what?  I know not.  Was I painted as a racist bitch?  I know not.  All I know is that after I calmed down (My voice was shaking, my eyes were shaking, my entire body was shaking.  I was OUTRAGED.  I'd like to thank my lovely parents for talking to me for an hour and a half so I could calm down!) and returned to work the gentlemen were gone. 

The neverending question since this issue arose last summer is "Am I being unreasonable?"  On the one hand, these guys are sitting on a porch talking.  A porch I rarely sit on myself these days.  The only interaction I have to have with them is saying hello when I walk by.  On the other hand, the only time I have ever had the cops knocking on my door (EVER!  I mean, EVER!  This includes when I lived in Chicago!  NYC!  Other nefarious locations about the greater Holland area!) was when they were looking for him as he had given our house number as his residence.  On the one hand, these guys have got nothing going on.  Nothing.  They spend an obscene amount of time in the library and are most likely homeless.  Seriously?  You're not going to let them sit on your porch?  Get a little compassion!  On the other hand, this is my home.  MY HOME.  I don't know who these guys are.  I know that they are trouble.  I know I don't like them.  I know that if I let them sit there during the day there is a very good chance they'll feel comfortable sleeping there at night.

And ultimately?  That's what makes me angry.  They have this "We're sitting here and we're entitled to sit here and there ain't shit you can do to move us because we're not doing shit" attitude that makes me so angry.  I want to tell them pull up their pants and get jobs.  Try working 40+ hours a week.  Try being somewhat responsible and find a place to live and if you can't afford a place to live than go to the mission and follow the rules and just make an attempt to turn your lives around.  No one owes you anything.  If you want help finding a job?  I will help you find a job.  If you want help filling out applications?  I will help you fill out applications.  If you want to get your GED or go back to school?  I will help you educate yourself.  But don't sit on my gd porch all effing day while I schlep myself back and forth to and from my job which pays me so I can afford to live in this house with this lovely porch.

omg.

I might be turning into a Republican.