A dark disturbance in the Force; that may be as close as I can come to putting my feelings upon seeing the addition of the locked gate to the doorway alcove at the Abbotsford District Teachers Association building.

The way the building was built had resulted in a sheltered alcove protecting the door that leads into the teamster’s area of the building. Over the years it has served as home to several of the homeless I know, being handed on from occupant to occupant because it was a prime location if you are homeless.

With the Paliotti’s just across the road the evenings often brought the generous gift of a good meal from patrons of the restaurant, sometimes even cigarettes or cash.

The alcove provided superior shelter from wind and the elements. Still the best point of this location was that, because the police had not received a complaint from the owners, homeless tenants could sleep through the night without being disturbed – removing themselves when the building opened.

Knowing the history and the people who had used this alcove over the course of several years, the appearance of a locked gate whose only purpose was to deny access to any homeless seeking shelter from the elements was very disturbing; a dark disturbance in the Force.

Yes the owners have the legal right to put up the gate, as the East German government claimed a legal right to build the Berlin Wall. Yet in that action, and in the context of the history of the alcove and homelessness, there lies a deep symbolism whose message is of a bleak exclusion and uncaring.

Provincial politicians speak of their plans and of “knowing” what is happening, while on the streets more people find themselves seeking food and shelter. Our local politicians form committees and say all the right things – but have not provided a single shelter space for any homeless person, nor a single meal for the hungry. The community pats itself on the back for being so generous and boasts of the number of places of worship, while hunger and need grow.

The letter pages of the local are full of letters from local Christians complaining about magazines at checkout stands, about Darwin, about the lack of moral behaviour, about…, about…, about… … but about the need to follow the example of Christ and love thy neighbour, minister to and help the homeless or the hungry?

I look at that gate and wonder if, as happens at other places of loss and accident, I should leave flowers to mark this diminishing.

The dark forbidding clang of that gate as it closes resounds through our community, province and across Canada.

Is it the sound of the alarm calling us to arms and action against poverty; or is it a Bell tolling out a lament for our souls?

Stop, look at the gate, light a candle and meditate on what kind of world you want to create.