In Memory Of Jimmy Wilcox – A Homeless Man
At Left: One Of Four Homeless Encampments In
Lakewood, NJ – January 2009 – 30 Residents
On Sunday, February 1st, 2009 at 6:30pm, when the majority of us were loading our snack plates, getting a fresh beverage from the refrigerator, and preparing a comfortable seat in front of the television with family and friends to watch the annual SuperBowl football game, Jimmy Wilcox, a local Lakewood New Jersey homeless man passed away in his tent in the woods just outside the area of the Lakewood Blue Claws baseball stadium.
Jimmy’s death was not the result of freezing to death in the single digit temperatures of our area or even natural causes. No…Jimmy burned to death in a fire, torched by the propane heater that was keeping him warm. Immediate reports from firefighters, police, and EMT officials said it looked as though Jimmy was asleep in his tent and must have accidentally thrown his blanet off himself, a piece of it landing on the propane infared heating element. The blanket apparently caught fire, engulfed the entire heating system along with the propane tank, and burned off the fuel supply hose, basically making the rubber hose a high pressure torch. The hose, it is speculated, acted like a flame thrower, setting fire to everything inside the tent including Jimmy. His body was carried away a short time later while other homeless friends in his encampment looked on in shock. There are no memorial services, no viewings, no formal burials for Jimmy. His homeless colleagues will undoubtedly have a church service for him at the camp this Sunday, February 8th, 2009, led by Minister Steve Brigham, the caretaker of the homeless communities of Lakewood, NJ…and a homeless person himself.
An official town meeting is being scheduled for this upcoming Thursday, February 5th to discuss how to end the homeless problem in Lakewood. I hope to be invited to attend that meeting as an advocate for the hungry and homeless in our area. But past history and attitudes show that town and county officials are not concerned about how to end homelessness in the area by actually helping the homeless and their plight. No…officials want to shut the camps down by prohibiting propane heating and open fires completely and forcefully removing the encampment residents, kicking them out of the area; basically pushing them out and moving them on to someplace else.
My question to the Lakewood and Ocean County officials (and to any other government official anywhere in the U.S. where there is a homeless problem) is…where would you like these poor unfortunates to go? They are not going to simply disappear. The only homeless shelters near Ocean County New Jersey are either in Atlantic City or Trenton, both 90 minutes away from Lakewood. Many of the homeless in these wooded “tent cities” have local jobs, even if their employment is only for minimum wage. Should a local homeless person agree to move to one of the two shelters, Ocean County will give them a bus ticket to the location and put them up in housing for one week. The homeless person then loses their employment, and after the one week, the state kicks them back out on the streets again! This is NOT a solution! Where is the help and assistance by our government officials? Where is the plan for affordable single room occupancy (SRO’s) and housing in the State of New Jersey – one of the most expensive states in the Union? Where is the government which is supposed to ensure safety to its citizens no matter what the socioeconomic status of the person?
My organization, PassionWorks, Inc. has been serving Minister Steve Brigham and these local homeless communities for over five years now, Jimmy Wilcox being one of the recipients of our services (ie: food, clothes, blankets, jackets, fuel, firewood, tarps, etc). Not much is known about Jimmy except a few simple things. He was a father and a divorced husband. He worked and lived with is family locally in Brick, NJ until he started having mental disability problems, mainly depression issues. When his issues started taking a toll on his family, he left them all his possessions and assets and became a homeless man. Jimmy was by no means perfect and had many issues…don’t we all suffer from something? We need to remember though, no matter what his situation past or present…Jimmy Wilcox died Sunday evening trying to keep warm in an unsafe manner. But it was his only option! What would any of you have done differently?
I am angry about all of this, but I am forcing myself to go to Thursday’s meeting level headed and calm. Fighting and yelling will not make any kind of difference to anyone on either side of this issue. I hope to address the mayor of Lakewood, and when I do, I’m simply going to ask if he were walking in Jimmy’s shoes, what would he have done differently? I simply just want to know how we all can make this work and live together in some kind of harmony. When I personally look into someone’s eyes I see a child of God, someone lovingly made by the Creator of this world. No matter what our faith (or non-faith), if we can start to see the world through God’s eyes and love the things that God loves, we can start to treat each other differently, like equals, like fellow human beings sharing this time and space. Even if you don’t believe in God, Jimmy was lovingly made by two people at some point in time. He was loved by a mother and father and at one point at one time was at least loved by someone. When you break everything down to simple terms…this is the picture of each and every one of us.
My thoughts, hopes and prayers go out to Jimmy — and then for all of us. Please, let’s start treating each other better so the lives of people like Jimmy won’t just end up wasted and thrown away. Please!
Pastor Charles ‘Chuck’ Gianakos
Executive Director, PassionWorks, Inc.
Founder, Project Reflection Ministries & Church
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