Heart is where the home was
Living on the street is fraught with peril, and the young woman standing before the judge tonight continues to find her way.
Her problems now, however, stem from the fact that she was directed to shelters in either Brooklyn or the Bronx.
Manhattan's siren song captures the imagination of people from every socioeconomic stratum. And once you live here, it is impossible to consider moving, or even going, anywhere else.
For the most seasoned Manhattanites, a trip to the other boroughs can produce anxiety akin to traveling abroad.
It is no different for this young woman. She faced crushing debt. With a job, she was able to keep the wolf from the door. However, when the job vanished, so did her home.
And the available solutions did not ease her transition.
As her attorney explains, "My client can't go to Brooklyn or the Bronx. She gets confused there."
She may be new to the street, but this is not her first visit to night court. Five days earlier, she stood under the lights for the same crime: Trespassing. And trespassing at the same location: A rooftop in Gramercy Park.
As her attorney reads each positive bullet point in her case, the woman enthusiastically shakes her head.
"Your honor, there are no drugs." Shake, shake, shake.
"Your honor, there is no criminality." Shake, shake, shake.
"Just sleeping, your honor, no other nonsense." More fervently than ever: shake, shake, shake.
To the repeat offender, the judge decides to show that there are places far worse — and far more confusing — than where she was asked to go the last time she stood here.
Five days in jail.
Living on the street is fraught with peril, and the young woman standing before the judge tonight continues to find her way.
Her problems now, however, stem from the fact that she was directed to shelters in either Brooklyn or the Bronx.
Manhattan's siren song captures the imagination of people from every socioeconomic stratum. And once you live here, it is impossible to consider moving, or even going, anywhere else.
For the most seasoned Manhattanites, a trip to the other boroughs can produce anxiety akin to traveling abroad.
It is no different for this young woman. She faced crushing debt. With a job, she was able to keep the wolf from the door. However, when the job vanished, so did her home.
And the available solutions did not ease her transition.As her attorney explains, "My client can't go to Brooklyn or the Bronx. She gets confused there."
She may be new to the street, but this is not her first visit to night court. Five days earlier, she stood under the lights for the same crime: Trespassing. And trespassing at the same location: A rooftop in Gramercy Park.
As her attorney reads each positive bullet point in her case, the woman enthusiastically shakes her head.
"Your honor, there are no drugs." Shake, shake, shake.
"Your honor, there is no criminality." Shake, shake, shake.
"Just sleeping, your honor, no other nonsense." More fervently than ever: shake, shake, shake.
To the repeat offender, the judge decides to show that there are places far worse — and far more confusing — than where she was asked to go the last time she stood here.
Five days in jail.
April 12, 11:49 p.m.