A homeless man who has been living in Gibraltar Recreation Ground for the past four weeks has been subjected to harassment from local teenagers. The man, who has not been identified by name, has reported that the teenagers have thrown snow at his tent, opened his tent and run away, stealing food that was left for him by benevolent members of the public, and even put a hole in his tent.
When asked if he ever received the food given to him, the man replied, “No. The kids are always around here, taking my stuff.”
The situation has left the man feeling “scared” and “vulnerable”, as he is unable to leave the park due to his current housing situation. He said, “the police took my details and the council will find me a home soon.”
The situation is particularly alarming given the recent cold weather, with the coldest night of the year being recorded earlier this month. On Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th March, snow fell across the UK and the man said that despite being fine due to the number of blankets and layers he had, he “woke up with the tent on up of [him].” The man is reportedly struggling to stay warm in his tent, and the harassment from the teenagers has only added to his difficulties.
The theft of the food that was left for him and the damage to his tent is especially troubling, as they have left the man without access to basic necessities and made his shelter less secure. Many members of the community have expressed their outrage over the situation, with some calling for greater support and resources to be made available to those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Local girl Caty Borman reported that “Each morning [she] sees kids going round his tent and throwing rocks at it. Each evening, I come back and I see his tent looking more battered than it did earlier today.”
Local boy Stanley Woods expressed that he finds it “extremely awful that things like this happen and the thought that teenagers can be so cruel is disheartening.”
Local resident Carly Jennison said she "went there late at night to deliver some food to him and he was telling me about the hole in the tent and he had to put a rug in the road to stop the rainwater from going into his tent where the kids had put a hole in it. He was very grateful but clearly suffering. When we went again the next day to leave food, we returned the next day to discover the food was still there. He had just disappeared."
Despite the uncertainty of his whereabouts, it is important to acknowledge that what these schoolchildren have done is not okay. No one should have to endure harassment or abuse simply because they are homeless, and it is important that steps are taken to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Ezekiel Bertrand, Glyn School
