Second email to the founder of The Big Issue

This morning Declan had another run with a Polish homeless guy – he was drunk, which made it even more dangerous – in the Whitechapel Mission at 6.10am. He was adamant that Declan salute him with his good morning and when Declan didn’t pay him any more attention, he began shouting at him in Polish. Then this Ali’s girlfriend (Ali being the guy that punched Declan in the face twice last Saturday) comes out from nowhere and hugs him (she told some homeless guy the Sunday before last that her brother was going to slit his throat from ear to ear).

This Pole almost assaulted (would have assaulted if floor staff hadn’t intervened) another homeless because he had sat at his table, which he wanted to be exclusively for Poles. Most Polish homeless go around in groups, in contrast with other homeless, and perhaps it is creating a bit of conflict. It is a lack of individualism, I think, encouraged by Catholic Church traditions. Social control is, I should imagine, the ultimate goal, the Catholic Church being so big on authority and rules. No doubt that is why they are equally big on the nuclear family.

And in countries like Spain, where I am from, the extended family – first cousins for example – are almost as important as brothers and sisters. When the Catholic Church wants to bury some scandal, the first thing they do is go at the family of the person they want to shut up – through the parish priest, if there are no clergy known to, or part of, the family. Sometimes it doesn’t work, most of the time it does … when it doesn’t work it is the State, through the police, that takes over. I know that because Declan and I have gone through the steps.

This morning also Declan emailed for the second time the founder of The Big Issue, Dr John Bird. We were given two green jackets on 8 February so we could sell the magazine in the City of Westminster after 6.00pm. A few days ago, we were given a pitch in Westminster for the both of us after 6.00pm, but it turned out that it wasn’t an official pitch. Anyway, this is the email:

Subject: Westminster pitch

Dear Dr Bird

I refer to my call in to your head office yesterday and this morning and, given the difficulties my wife (badge no. 1170) and I have experienced with pitches in Covent Garden, would be grateful if we could be issued a pitch protected by both pitch slip and pitch listings to sell The Big Issue in the City of Westminster after 6.00pm.

Yours sincerely
Declan Heavey
Badge no. 1163