Plight of the Homeless

I met Patty Wilber and Peter Wapoose on one of the nastier central city streets cracked with potholes and bordered with curb litter. They had just gotten out of their car. I noticed the car had no back window and no trunk lid. The passenger windshield was a cobwebbed curtain. I asked how that happened.

“Car accident six months ago,” Patty explained. “We can’t afford to get it fixed.” She told me they were Indians, Peter a Menomonee, Patty a Potawatomi.

I asked where they lived.

“We live in our car,” she said. “A nice man named Jimmy lets us park the car on the street here overnight.”

“You’re an Indian,” I said.  “Can’t you get your share of income from the casino?”

She said, “I called the tribal headquarters, and they told me I did not qualify.”

I couldn't help but wonder where Patty and Peter would end up next week, next month, or in the howling winds of winter.

Central City Stories is a collection of visual narratives from Milwaukee's central city by writer and fine arts photographer Tom Jenz. You can see more of his work at TomJenzAmerica.com.