The crazy factor

I really think non-profits that help people are great. really. I even work at one. But, somedays the crazy factor can get a bit much.

We have a "new screamer" in Old Town. These are unfortunate folks who have fallen through the safety net...truly mentally ill people that are very determined to stay away from the case workers and medication that could help them or sadly, too confused to get the help they need, or the help just isn't there. Its off at Halliburton or the Pentagon or some other more worthy cause in the eyes of the government.

Anyway, there are folks in need of serious help. More help than our organization is designed to provide. I admit the "screamers" are the most difficult to deal with....They come and go. Here are the more memorable:

1- Screaming lady who was coherent, but just incredibly loud. She felt the need to scream everything, even if her requests made sense. She was very unnerving to the male construction workers because she would sit on the corner all afternoon and scream at the men and tell them how to do their jobs or how sexy they were.

2. Obscenity screaming lady- she on the other hand was not coherent, and a little scary. Generally she would march around silently with a sullen scowl. But, when she was set off she would scream the most vile obscenities at passersby for no apparent reason. Many mornings I would walk by and nod compassionately at the her favorite target, a cook who was doing prep work behind a window- where she would look in screaming the most wretched stuff at this poor guy.

3. Crazy bike dude. I dubbed this guy crazy bike dude, because he looked a little like a fraternity brother who just lived outside- he was pretty young, but very high on the weird scale. His screaming thing was to scream the word "vagina!" at the top of his lungs every time he passed a woman on the street- which was rather unnerving when he would bike up behind you and scream vagina at you.

4. Going to hell guy. This guy liked to tell people they were going to hell. I had been condemned to hell several times by this guy personally. I had to talk with him because he was interferring with a news interview at our building. After telling me to go to hell and that I was a racist, he said he would leave us alone if I accepted a picture of Pope Benedict from him, which I did, and true to his word he left.

Which brings us to our latest screaming person. She showed up last week- looking for her Social Security check which we did not have. She was back again today. Myself and three co-workers explained we didn't have her check, we tried to point her to places she could go to inquire about the check. Then the screaming began- we are now to be reported to the FBI and the CIA for "interfering with the mail" - she pointed at me and let me know the CIA would be after me.

Yea, maybe, but it won't be about this lady's check...maybe about my smart-ass comments about Bush, but not for this sadly misguided and upset lady's check. I do feel sorry for her because I believe she really believes that we are somehow withholding a check from her, something she probably really needs.

Anyway, I'd rather deal with check lady than obscenity lady or crazy bike dude any day.