{"id":9893,"date":"2008-09-08T18:48:00","date_gmt":"2008-09-08T23:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/?p=9893"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:53:20","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:53:20","slug":"attacks-on-homeless-hit-home-in-pontiac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2008\/09\/08\/attacks-on-homeless-hit-home-in-pontiac\/","title":{"rendered":"attacks on homeless hit home in Pontiac"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

– self-portrait by Wilford “Frenchie” Hamilton (May 2008); via Oakland Press<\/a><\/em>; full-color version below\u00a0 –<\/p>\n

school’s out
\nthe homeless man
\nhides in a doorway<\/em><\/p>\n

… by dagosan<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> I<\/strong><\/em>t’s too bad Wilford Hamilton couldn’t make it to yesterday’s Villagers Outdoor Art Show<\/a> here in the Stockade neighborhood of Schenectady, where a hundred regional artists exhibited their best work.\u00a0 With his love of art, humor and people, the affable man from Pontiac, Michigan, known as “Frenchie” would surely have basked in our sunny, late-summer weather and made the day even brighter for the friendly crowd.\u00a0 His travel budget would never have allowed the trip, but something more profound kept the homeless Frenchie from joining us: he died two weeks ago, after a few kids on a lark (or as a gang initiation) severely beat him. (see a news video<\/a> from tv20Detroit<\/em><\/a>, Aug. 26, 2008)\u00a0 As The <\/em>Oakland Press<\/em><\/a>, which had employed him in its packaging department, reported:<\/p>\n

“The 61-year-old was hospitalized and underwent brain surgery after a POH Regional Medical Center security guard found him on the ground, bleeding from the head Aug. 21 in an alley near the hospital’s day care facility.<\/p>\n

“Three teenage boys — two 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old — are accused of attacking Hamilton and three others on separate days in the downtown area.”<\/p>\n

update<\/strong><\/em> (Oct. 29, 2009): See “Mich. teen guilty in beating death of homeless man” (Associated Press, Oct. 29, 2009). Dontez Tillman and Thomas McCloud, both 15 years old, have been found guilty in Frenchie’s death and (unless pardoned by the Governor) will spend the rest of their lives in prison.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Frenchie didn’t merely miss our Stockade Art Show.\u00a0 Researching this piece, I discovered a sad coincidence:\u00a0 Wilford Hamilton died a week before the gallery MOCA DC<\/a> opened its Homeless Art Project<\/a> in cooperation with the National Coalition for the Homeless<\/a>. The exhibit, which runs from September 5 to September 27, 2008, features “an extensive body of art depicting actual homeless Americans in their surroundings on the street. Other art, from homeless artists who reside on the streets or in homeless shelters within the city, will also be on display,” along with a variety of sketches of the homeless, essays and other items relevant to the issues of homelessness.\u00a0 The Gallery and the Coalition say:<\/p>\n

“The project has several objectives, chief of which is to highlight the plight of America\u2019s growing homeless population.”<\/p>\n

In addition to the show, artists affiliated with the gallery have committed to a post-exhibit project to provide art instruction to the homeless on an ongoing basis. If you’d like to see the Homeless Art exhibit, MOCA DC is located at 1054 31st St NW, Canal Square, in the heart of Georgetown, and is open Wed – Sat, 1 – 6 pm.<\/p>\n

storm warning
\nthe watercolorist works
\nin shades of grey<\/p>\n

… by Tom Painting – The Heron’s Nest<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Meanwhile, in Pontiac, there’s been an outpouring of affection and grief over the death of this gentle man “known for his friendliness and signature beret<\/a>,” and a Michigan friend wrote last week to tell me about the story. For more press coverage see “Pontiac teens facing charges in killing<\/a>: 4 people attacked, 1 man dead after spree, police say” (Free Press<\/em>, Aug. 26, 2008); and “3 middle schoolers accused of killing, beating<\/a>” (Associated Press\/mlive.com, 8\/26\/2008). [update<\/em><\/strong> (October 22, 2008): see “teens face life in fatal beating<\/a>,” Detroit News<\/em>, Oct. 16, 2008]<\/p>\n

Shaun Byron of The Oakland Press<\/em> has done several articles about Frenchie. In addition to two linked above, last Friday she wrote the touching “Friends of ‘Frenchie’ raise funds for funeral<\/a>” (September 5, 2008). The one that should make us all come to attention, however, is the piece “Attacks on homeless rise<\/a>: 2 Pontiac men among recent victims” (September 3, 2008).\u00a0 You see, Frenchie was very much an individual, but his beating and death are far from unique.<\/p>\n

against the tombstone
\nwith the faded name
\nhomeless man rests<\/p>\n

\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.. by George Swede – Almost Unseen<\/em> (2000)<\/p>\n

Over the past couple of years, Frenchie’s friends in Pontiac — like myself — probably heard about the rash of attacks on the homeless that has spread across our nation since the start of the Millennium.\u00a0 We mostly clucked our tongues and went on with our lives, when we saw news reports such as these:<\/p>\n