[Wuhan Pneumonia] Mai refugees prepare to sleep in the four treasures "Street Street": Will the security think I am a sculpture?

Community topics

Written by: Zeng Xuewen

2020-03-27 02:54

On the 25th of this month, McDonald's began to suspend meals for two weeks after 6pm. Maymay, a McKinney refugee who has lived in McDonald's, Sham Shui Po for a long time, has been busy moving and visiting all day. At about 6 pm, while interviewing, she obeyed the "night gate" regulations and moved her family away from McDonald's, and then sought shelter in other places. When everyone fights the epidemic at home, there are still a group of people living in the street corners and nowhere to be home.

At zero in the morning, when the Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Center turned off the lights, 61-year-old Mai refugee Maymay was holding the house and sitting alone in the corner of the Cultural Center to rest. Throughout the night, only occasional car sounds and exhaust noises accompanied it. "Only you adapt to the environment, and the environment has no obligation to take care of you," she said.

Photography: Li Zetong

For the past three years, Maymay has made McDonald's the "home". (Profile picture / Photo by Li Zetong)

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Leave McDonald's and find another place to stay

At 6 pm on Wednesday, Maymay pulled a trolley full of belongings and left McDonald's branch in Sham Shui Po. In the past three years, Maymay has used McDonald's as her "home". From Kwai Hing, Sham Shui Po, to Causeway Bay stores, she has all slept. By the time McDonald's had suspended the night market catering service for two weeks in response to the epidemic, she had lost her trust and "counted it? There was absolutely nothing wrong with it." She had to go out on the street to find another place to stay.

"Only you adapt to the environment, and the environment has no obligation to take care of you."

More than 400 McDonald's refugees "fall off the gate" with McDonald's evening market, and once again leave the streets. (Profile picture / Photo by Li Zetong)

Maymay has lived in many places for most of her life, and is particularly familiar with Yau Tsim Mong because she grew up here. "Everything is fine, and Typhoon Wendai's array is all about her head." After growing up, she also worked as a saleswoman in department stores around Tsim Sha Tsui for five years. "Later, the children were born nearby," she said. Beyond familiarity, safety is another consideration. Maymay explained that Tsim Sha Tsui was quiet and quiet, with lights and tiles covering her head. If the big toilet can accommodate her trolley. The first night she left McDonald's, she decided to come to the cultural center and find a place to rest for a while.

Maymay grew up in Yau Tsim Mong as a child. On her first night leaving McDonald's, she returned to Yau Tsim Mong. (Photo by Li Zetong)

"Yesu" was busy on the first day of interviews: no one came out

According to the statistics of the Hong Kong Community Organizations Association in 2019, at least 448 homeless people in Hong Kong are home to 24-hour fast food restaurants. As one of the 448 people, Maymay is one of the few refugees who are willing to be interviewed. When the news of McDonald's "closed shop" came out, Maymay's mobile phone kept ringing. Starting at around 1pm yesterday, she has been interviewed by various media organizations all day. From the evening she evacuated McDonald's in Sham Shui Po. After nightfall, she prepared sleepers on the streets of West Kowloon, and then rested in the cultural center. She was surrounded by different reporters along the way. Regarding accidentally becoming a celebrity in the sleeping world, she looks very open, "because no one is out."

For accidentally becoming a celebrity in the sleeping world, Maymay looks very open, "because no one is out." (Photo by Li Zetong)

"Everything that is fair in the world has been equally fair since ancient times." Maymay believes that there should be a balance in society. Vulnerable groups pay the most labor and time, but they receive the least gains, and they are often exploited by the society. "But the government or politicians often criticize the people who fight back. Buried hands, do you want to force the tiger to jump off the wall? "She pointed out that many disadvantaged groups only want to have a meal of tea at night and day, questioning why there are still a large number of street sleepers in rich society. She thinks the number of street sleepers is an indicator of public opinion. "You can't conclude that the government is willing to do even the problem of hundreds to thousands of people."

Currently, Maymay is concerned that once the epidemic breaks out in the community, homeless people will not escape the clutches of the epidemic. (Photo by Li Zetong)

Over the years, Maymay has actively participated in different agencies or federations, speaking on behalf of disadvantaged groups. As the epidemic spread, Maymay even suggested during her visit that the government should open idle community halls for the Mace refugees to stay temporarily for two weeks, and then have members of the Legislative Council and social welfare agencies negotiate. After all, Yuan Shui couldn't get close to the fire. She had to deal with the "forced relocation" from McDonald's to life on the street.

Over the years, Maymay has actively participated in different agencies or federations, speaking on behalf of disadvantaged groups. (Photo by Li Zetong)

No charging place outdoors can only reduce the use of phones

To cope with sleeping life, she prepared the "four sleeping treasures"-paper, rubber pads, raincoats and drinks. Paper pads let her sleep on the floor. Paper pads protect them from rain and raincoats protect the body from the wind and rain. After all, the streets are not covered with tiles like fast food restaurants, there are no self-service water machines, and there is no self-service charging space. She can only reduce the use of telephones and avoid power consumption.

"Everyone wants to lay flat, but the environment doesn't allow it," she occasionally felt sore shoulders and necks, and she turned to count. (Photo by Li Zetong)

Tonight, many homeless people gathered in Tsim Sha Tsui, and some district councillors distributed epidemic prevention supplies to the homeless people. On her first night leaving McDonald's, Maymay stayed alert outdoors and learned to adapt to her new environment. Although she brought her own paper skin, she slept without a floor, but bowed down and rested at home as usual. "Everyone wants to lay flat, but the environment doesn't allow it," she occasionally felt sore shoulders and necks, and she turned to count.

"I did n’t know that the security guards would think that I was a sculpture, but I did n’t think I was there?"

"I didn't know that the security guards would think that I was a sculpture. Do you think I existed?" She said. Under the epidemic, everyone was fighting at home, and Maymay, who had lost McDonald's shelter, ushered in the first long night on the street.

"I didn't know that the security guards would think that I was a sculpture. Do you think that I exist?" (Photo by Li Zetong)

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