God & Garbage Collide on Cadiz Street

God and garbage defined Cadiz Street today. 

Behind the imposing colorless brutalist blob of Dallas City Hall, under a grey drizzling sky, and nestled between blocks of barren parking lots, scores of the city's homeless gathered to be fed. 

Who does the feeding? Depends on which Saturday you are there. 

“It changes every Saturday. Sometimes it is the churches, sometimes it is individuals,” said Billy C., a homeless man who said he had been coming down here every weekend for two months. 

The most popular food distributor today was a duo who gave out boxes of Williams Fried Chicken, chips, and sodas. They did not appear to be affiliated with any religious organization.

A group of nearby Muslim medical students who acted out of “the Ramadan spirit” but not on behalf of any educational institution or religious organization, distributed homemade Turkey sandwiches.

The containers that held most of the food were soon quickly abandoned to the ground as the homeless ate and meandered about the area. 

Gutters, curbs, chain link fences, and nearly every sturdy object became receptacles where wind and rain would concentrate the refuse. 

Red solo cups, cans of various beverages, and takeout from unidentifiable restaurants purchased or carried to Cadiz Street at unknown times from unknown locations also adorned the road. 

Traffic was repeatedly stalled or stopped as motorists waited for the hungry to walk from one distributor to another. 

City services were sparse despite being located in the Government district. 

There were no trashcans nearby. 

At times there was a distant police presence. Several DPD squad cars stalled for a period just before noon, a few blocks away, at the intersection of Ervay and Canton. However, after a moment of idling, they were gone. 

Homeless recovery organizations have raised objections about the practice of “Street Feeding” beyond concerns about littering.

Organizations like The Bridge acknowledge that Street Feeders’ “hearts are in the right place.”

However, “While most think this is helping those living on the streets of Dallas, it is not. It worsens the problem because they know they will be able to get food from "street feeders" and not seek services from homeless response and services agencies like The Bridge. Have you heard the quote, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and will eat for a lifetime? It is the same principle,” a spokesman said.

“When they are forced to come in for a meal, our highly trained staff try to engage them, where they are, and build trust with them and encourage them to seek services. Homeless Recovery is possible, and it is happening at The Bridge, however, the process can be long and filled with complexities and setbacks,” the spokesman said before adding that she invites anyone who wants to help to volunteer or donate to their organization or other institutions who perform similar work like The Stewpot, Austin Street and domestic violence shelters.

Not everyone present on Cadiz Street was there to feed the body, some were there to feed the soul. 

The Church Bus, a mobile chapel operated by Parkside Baptist Church, was present.  

From a simple wooden podium, several members of the Baptist church preached the gospel. The sermon focused on forgiveness and the fundamentals of the path to salvation. 

This humble house of God was well attended with nearly every seat occupied for most of the religious ceremony.  

Services, which begin every Saturday at 11:30 were brought to a close just after noon with a singing of Jesus Loves Me, This I Know. 

The clergymen did not feed any of the parishioners or passersby, although they told DX they do sometimes take the homeless to their church on Gross Road in Mesquite to be fed. 

“We come to give encouragement from the Bible,” said Anthony Jones (pictured above). 

By 12:15 rain was beginning to pummel the stacks of trash that covered the ground and the area mostly disbursed. 

Some homeless remained, covering themselves with raincoats and tarps, while others went in every direction appearing to seek shelter elsewhere. 

The food distributors departed quickly while the Church Bus remained for some time to continue interacting with those whom they had come to save. 

*This a syndicated posting of Cowtown Caller and The Dallas Express written for both platforms by Kellen McGovern Jones*

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