Boston police and the homeless: an uneasy relationship
Francesca Marciano
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Matthew Scott Jr., a former handyman, lost everything Christmas Eve of 1979 to a forgotten lit cigar that destroyed everything he had built for himself.
The Red Cross told him he was on his own, so for 13 years Scott has been living on the streets of Boston, trying to survive off of the few dollars he earned from passers-by.
Now, Scott is living in a run-down apartment on a fixed income from the government, but he still begs for money on Boylston Street on his weekends.
Scott said he has been in and out of jail for many reasons, but the main one, according to him, is that cops want him off the streets. "A cop came up to me one night when I was sleeping on a bench and started beating me with his stick telling me to leave. I was bleeding and he didn't care--he just kept whacking."
Scott said he feels that cops have a hatred for the homeless and they know they can treat them badly, because no one knows or cares. "I got arrested once for having a mild heart attack and the cops just thought I was annoying everyone, but I was asking for help. They only found that out after I was in their car and they still put me in jail after."
Michael E. Chapman, a former cab driver, said he was homeless for six years. He said the cops treated him very badly while he was living on the streets. "If it weren't for the cops who kept arresting me every few months for things I didn't even do, I would have been back on my feet much quicker," he said.
Chapman said, "life as a homeless person sucks because people ignore you. But it's hell with cops. They just hate you and that's that. To them, we are their enemies and they'll do anything to keep you away from everyone."
Domenick Barker, a passer-by, said he knows many homeless people who are trying to scrounge up enough money to survive. "I'm cool with the homeless, they're people just like everyone else."
Although Barker said he has never seen the cops mistreating a homeless person, he has heard stories and he said he feels that, "it's not right. Let them live their lives in peace like the rest of us. Cops shouldn't hate, they should be protecting."
Barker said he has regulars he gives money to when he has enough to spare because he has gotten to know them. "I would even call them my friends now. They tell me they go to jail all the time for stuff they don't do and it's so wrong."