Interview with homeless man with frostbitten fingers and toes

Latest

Thomas, homeless in Denver’s cold, speaks about losing some of his fingertips and toes due
to frostbite.
PHOTO/PJ DAMICO

 
Editor’s note: The People’s Tribune thanks PJ Damico for sharing this interview.  It is unfathomable that people are forced to sleep in the street, risking death, when eight billionaires own more wealth that half of humanity. Something has to give.
DENVER, CO — PJ Damico: We’re here with Thomas, outside the St Francis Center. The center has about 800 homeless men who come through every day. It opens at 6 a.m., so people have to fend for themselves at night. Thomas has to have his fingers and toes taken off because of frostbite. So tell me, what happened to you?
Thomas: I was camping outside cause some of us just can’t handle the crowds and a lot of the rules . . . We was cleaning our campsite so we would not get arrested, and I got inside my tent and fell asleep. When I woke up, that’s the way I was. It’s a pity. So they’re gonna have to cut off my fingers. One of the reasons I finally did come inside was because of the frostbite. It hurt me so bad. I’m sitting there at the table and I can’t even make me a cup of soup . . . and people are just walking by and taking stuff, you never see none of your stuff again. Then it takes you three or four months just to get your ID and birth certificate. I lost my cell phone and everything.
PJ: How long have you been out here?
Thomas: I’ve been homeless for a little over three years now. Yeah, it’s a daily struggle. Not everyone is a drug addict or an alcoholic. We need a hand up, not a hand-out.  This can happen to anybody.
PJ: Would you like to get into some form of housing?
Thomas: Oh yes yes, cause the winter out here is pretty harsh. Talk about pain and agony, the cold in the morning just coming off the river, oh it’s devastating. I had a couple of good changes of clothes, but everybody’s taken everything I had.
PJ: What would you tell the mayor?
Thomas: I would ask him, y’know, to recognize that we’re not bums, we’re not hideous people. I know there’s properties all over Colorado that could help people, the homeless especially with the camping, so we can try to support ourselves. I would ask him to please consider if there could be a big enough lot where everybody could live—with house rules and if everyone cleaned up after themselves. We deserve a chance.
A lot of us are clean, we just like to stay away from big crowds, cause there’s a lot of craziness, madness. I’m not  hatin’ other people, I’m not even hating the people that stole my stuff, maybe they needed it worse than I did. We all start our lives in different variations every day. We all struggle, but the way we’re supposed to do it is to help each other.

PT Logo collage
+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

ICE Terror Campaign Threatens Us All

Several recent Facebook reels show how ICE is ramping up its campaign of terror against immigrants, citizens and protestors alike as the effort to create a police state continues and resistance grows. One creator speaks to the significance of Haitians now being targeted.

Medicaid Defenders in Wheelchairs Arrested Ahead of Senate Budget Vote

Over 60 people, including grandmas in wheelchairs, were arrested in the U.S. Senate Rotunda in a nonviolent protest against cuts like Medicaid and the SNAP food program in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Budget Bill.”

Zohran Mamdani Delivers Stunning Blow to ‘Billionaire-Backed Status Quo’ in NYC

New York City proved that a movement powered by hope, courage, and working class people can beat the money of billionaires.

The American People Want Peace, Not War!

The US's immoral and illegal attack on Iran threatens the whole world with war. The American people have a special responsibility to come out into the streets and rein in the US government, which has become a rogue state.

Juneteenth 2025: ‘We Have to Win this Fight,’ Hannah-Jones Tells Black Graduates

Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones addressed Black graduates at Harvard University, telling them that "we are about to see unleashed upon us an America that we have not had to live in. And we have to win this battle."

More from the People's Tribune