Posted 4:55 PM by Gene

I hate myself: Today at 15th and Sansom a middle-aged woman grabbed firm hold of my wrist and asked me to help her across the street. She said she'd sprained her ankle. As she forced me to follow her to the curb cut she mentioned a brain tumor. At that point I imagined the dread words about change, and I angrily broke away and she gave me a less than affectionate tap on my behind.

Maybe she just needed someone to help her cross the street. But that same intersection is a favorite for people who sit on milk cartons and sleep on grates (at least someone slept on a grate there until a manhole cover replaced it). It's a block beyond one of the city's favorite meeting places for vagrants. I don't like being cold and hard. But I don't like people begging me for money, or even behaving in a manner that threatens it. And having someone grab your wrist, even in a busy disorienting intersection, may not engender merciful feelings. What was I to do?