By Eldad Cano
December 4, 2017
A cluster of people gathered across from Union Square Park. They are looking at Brandy, a 22 year old homeless woman, who, despite the harsh and bitter winds, made sure that all her kittens were kept warm. She kept a shopping cart beside her filled with her cat’s daily necessities as she kept the cats from wandering off. People of all ages stopped to witness the infamous critters the “Cat Lady” possessed, most petting and carrying them around while others commented that they “hate when homeless people risk animal’s lives just so people can pity them.” But Brandy didn’t care . The only thing Brandy wanted to make clear is that the cats aren’t for sale. “People get mad at me that I wouldn’t sell my animals.”
Coming from Staten Island, Brandy ran away home and hit the streets at age 15. Her drug addicted parents made it difficult for Brandy to live a normal childhood. She “didn’t want to be around anymore,” and says her “life was kinda getting destroyed.”
Ever since then, Brandy has battled through the streets of New York. “I could take of myself,” she thought, “I know how to survive.” She met and married the love of her life and they have a four year old daughter. Although losing partial parental rights for their daughter, Brandy remains hopeful that she and her husband will become stable enough that they’ll be reunited with her. Right now she lives with her sister in law. “Everything happens for a reason, whether it’s to teach us a lesson or make us stronger,” Brandy says. “It’ll all make sense soon enough.”
Brandy returns everyday to the same corner, standing next to the same sign, with the same goal in mind. Next to her, a sign reads “MY CAT HAD HER KITTENS! Trying To Make Enough For The Nessesities. Gift Cards Most Helpfull, But Anything Helps!!” She wants to understand why people judge her though knowing nothing about her life. “I’ve been rescuing animals my whole life. I used to have a partnership at an animal rescue. I’m just in a hard situation right now… ”
Brandy tears up when reminiscing about her first cat, who was stolen from her just three days prior. He was the father of the two kittens she has now, “That cat was my life… I’ve sat there and went hungry and cold to keep him fed for years. It’s really ripping my life apart.” The cats are therapeutic for her and motivates her to keep going.
PHIL
As Washington Square Park becomes windier and colder, the walk you used to take to class turns into a scurry. But if you decide to acknowledge the two bodies snuggled on top of the steaming “grill” next to the Silver Building entrance, you’ll notice a man and woman, bundled up in many layers. They sit silently on pieces of cardboard with no sign in sight. The woman doesn’t want to talk, but Phil grins and takes a puff of the tiny cigarette that struggled to stay lit in his trembling hand.
Phil, 54, was born and raised in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. He lived with his family in their home until his cousins sold the house and kicked him out this past summer. Not knowing what else to do, he went to a homeless shelter. But not for long. “They weren’t giving me a bed, they were making me sleep in a seat all night long.”After three days in the tortuous state of the shelter, Phil took to the streets again. “I had to get out of there I couldn’t stand it there. Everyone was in their own little world,” he says. Pointing to the woman beside him Phil states, “I came here to be warm because I know she’s here.”
Phil attended Catholic school and grew up very religious. But he says his views have changed. “I believe in God but I believe he’s torturing me for something. He wants me to do some purpose that I’m unable to do.” Phil believes homelessness has caused him to evolve for the better, seeing things he would have never noticed and interpreting humanity itself in an entirely new way. “Everyone’s afraid they might end up this way because everyone’s one step away from being homeless,” he says.
Despite the few who are rude at times to him and the other homeless, Phil believes, “you can always trust in the kindness of strangers.” It’s clear he is grateful for all that has happened in his life.
GUY
On the downtown side of Union Square is a giant digital clock whose 15 digits encode the passing moments. A man in a green trenchcoat stares at it from his perch on a rocky ledge His name is Guy, but he also goes by “Traveler”.
Now 35, Guy says it took him 2 and a half years to travel from an unknown location, and almost the entire United States to get him to where he is now, watching the clock above him. He says he likes “writing signs and seeing if people actually answer to them.”
Guy considers himself a minister whose duty is to help all those who need him. “I find other people in the same place that I am and help them with what I have leftover.” He talks about sharing all types of advice with the variety of people he meets. “My main motto is never give up, never back down, and whenever you fall down get back up and keep trying regardless of how hard something seems.” Guy plans on continuing east, perhaps even facing his fear of water and using the paddles someone gave him as a gift to perhaps travel far east into Asia considering “it’s directly across from New York.” For now, Guy will remain seated and impatiently wait for the right time when he will be needed again.