02/21/2026
I wrote a whole story about this but deleted it for a multitude of reasons…. I’ve been speaking on the topic of personal freedom for years. Most people have no idea how close they are to wandering the streets looking for something to eat. It happened to me and it’s happened to a lot of people I know. Maybe we were early.
Today after I got off work, I went out to hand out food like I normally do. While I was there talking with a few of our friends, a vehicle pulled up behind me — code enforcement.
I was told I was trespassing on private property and that this was my warning. Next time, it would be a ticket.
I’ll be honest — I probably shouldn’t have pulled onto that field. That part is on me. I never want to operate outside the law. I’ll adjust and make sure I’m being wise about where I park.
But what broke my heart wasn’t just the warning.
It was what he said next.
“If you keep helping them, they’re never going to leave.”
That’s what people say about stray cats.
But these are not animals.
These are human beings.
They have names.
They have families.
They have trauma.
They have stories.
And right now — many of them have nowhere to go.
There are not enough shelter beds in our city. There isn’t even a shelter in southwest OKC. So when camps are disassembled and people are told they need to “leave,” I genuinely wonder… leave to where?
Another sidewalk?
Another field?
Another place where they’ll be told to move again?
Feeding someone does not create homelessness.
Handing someone wipes does not create homelessness.
Giving someone dog food does not create homelessness.
Lack of affordable housing creates homelessness.
Lack of mental health resources creates homelessness.
Lack of accessible shelter beds creates homelessness.
If anything, I wish we had safe, city-run campgrounds. A place where people could legally set up a tent. Where there’s water. Trash services. Bathrooms. Case workers. A place that offers stability instead of constant displacement. A place that connects people to resources instead of pushing them further into survival mode.
People need something transitional anyway something to prepare them for being inside with a little structure.
Maybe that sounds like dreaming.
But I don’t think dreaming about dignity is wrong.
Until there are enough beds…
Until there are enough resources…
Until there is a real solution…
I will continue to treat people like people.
Because they are.
And I refuse to let my heart grow cold.