The Bohemian life, la vie Boheme, of ""Rent's"" star-studded cast illuminated the stage for four days at Madison's Overture Center two weeks ago, and I was among the lucky ones to be touched by not only the amazing musical talents of the performers, but by the enduring message. ""Rent"" was created to mirror humanity in its purest form, depicting extreme poverty, disease and heartache. It was a successful Broadway tour because it touches people emotionally, connecting people in ""an isolating age."" Walking back down State Street after the show in the frigid winter air, cold despite my warm clothes, my attention was drawn to the homeless not on stage, but on the street. They did not belt out the chords of ""Life Support,"" but their plight struck me in a way it had not before. I did not see these people as annoying panhandlers or creepy old men. Like the song ""La Vie Boheme,"" I saw these people as ""an us, instead of a them.""
This perspective needs to be adopted by college students and politicians alike. Instead of being a marginalized part of society, the homeless State Street family deserves attention. In Dane County alone, the recession caused over 800 foreclosures, and the number has not stopped growing. More and more people, a significant number being children, now share the plight of the people who have called State Street home for years. But statistics do not humanize this problem. It is seeing, I mean really seeing, the man whose glasses fog up at night and whose limbs are stiff because it is so cold. It is realizing that homelessness could face many of us as college loans pile up alongside credit-card debt and too-high housing costs. It is understanding that these people have talents, have families, have loved and lost and probably cheer for the Badgers, too.
Besides changing the mindset of us Badgers and our politicians, we need to change our priorities. Assembly Bill 72 was introduced in February 2009 and would grant funding to shelters and facilities to help homeless individuals near the Capitol. It is now February 2010 and, despite politicians being empathetic and positive about the bill, nothing has happened. Another year has gone by, affecting more people. Seasons have changed, and it is winter again, with no more shelter or protection for those who face the cold for longer than just walking to class. The bill that would aid the growing homeless population is just sitting there.
What is not just sitting at the desks of our politicians is the new plan for renovating Peace Park, one of the few places on State Street where the homeless are allowed to panhandle. It seems our government has decided that building a visitors center with an ATM (making it illegal to panhandle in the vicinity), a room for police officers and a water fountain at Peace Park is the best way to spruce up downtown. Advocates of the bill claim the visitors center would help with tourism on State Street and they are not trying to disadvantage the homeless. But instead of offering aid and embracing the homeless, like the inactive AB72, this renovation evacuates the park of the homeless, giving them nowhere else to go. Like most passersby walking down State Street, the government is rejecting the homeless.
After witnessing the electrifying performances in ""Rent,"" in which love awakens the characters from their nightmares, I am ashamed of the way in which we treat the homeless in our society. Yes, our society. The vets, the mentally ill, the addicts, the poor and unlucky are just as much a part of Madison as the students receiving an education here. Yet they have been discarded, and when homelessness is increasing, the amount of door-slamming seems to increase as well. ""Rent"" tells us to measure life in love. Madison, where's the love?
Melissa Grau is a freshman intending to major in secondary education and communication arts. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
