quietlife.net

move along

20 Jan 2007

Keeping Warm

Not long after I took this shot, a cop came by and stopped next to them and told them to move along. Er, well, by “told”, I mean that he sounded his siren. He didn’t actually “tell” them, per se. He used his siren. He sounded it. And then sounded it again. and again. See, he couldn’t actually be bothered to get out of his car – it’s awfully cold out, see. But they had to move along. So he sounded his siren, until they woke up, rubbed their eyes, and left. Where did they go? I don’t know – probably somewhere colder.

The cop never got out of his car.

Comments

Kevan — January 20, 2007 at 23:28 · reply

Ice-T is my hero.

brittney — January 21, 2007 at 00:45 · reply

:(

john h — January 21, 2007 at 14:56 · reply

This pic is sad, but nearly perfect (hell, it may be perfect). Your focus on the sleeping folks, with the fuzzy cars in the background..sublime. Your pic makes the point that you underline in your commentary.

well done, sir.

Nate — January 22, 2007 at 18:39 · reply

Is that dude wearing an Overton sweatshirt? Like John Overton?

jonwage — January 22, 2007 at 18:40 · reply

coward…

Allison — January 22, 2007 at 18:52 · reply

It doesn’t get much colder in Nashville than sleeping on metal in the streets at night in winter. Ouch, that’s sad.

cwage — January 22, 2007 at 18:56 · reply

They are sleeping on an exhaust vent for the HVAC system for the Bellsouth building – it’s actually pretty warm, that’s why they were there.

Kristin — January 22, 2007 at 19:28 · reply

I’ve seen people sleeping there before. Isn’t it right across from the Ryman? Nice picture of Nashville for out of town visitors.

CeeElCee — January 22, 2007 at 19:35 · reply

Chris, your stuff is just getting better and better. You were Project 365 long before everybody else jumped on the bandwagon.

Thanks for sharing!

CLC

cwage — January 22, 2007 at 19:48 · reply

Yes, that’s where it is..

Ginger — January 22, 2007 at 19:56 · reply

How very compelling. Thank you.

Ivy — January 23, 2007 at 06:08 · reply

Oh, Chris. :( I see things like this and it kicks my activist gene in hardcore. Thank you for that.

Kevin — January 23, 2007 at 14:20 · reply

Great photo - and true life story. I’ve seen this happen at other grates too. Just imagine how drunk you’d have to be, to require 3 or more blasts of a siren for to wake up. Drinking gives people a false sense of warmth, as the alcohol actually reduces one’s ability to maintain body heat. I’d ask that people not give to panhandlers just so to prevent the homeless like these from freezing to death this winter.

tasha — January 23, 2007 at 17:04 · reply

I laid down on one of these the other night just to see how it felt…

anyway.

nice pics!

hardknocklife — October 25, 2007 at 03:25 · reply

I don’t know what I am more bothered by. Someone’s sleep (hard to achieve in the middle of the street, I’m sure) being interrupted or the cop not getting out of his car.

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