[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

McDonald's announced that it will suspend the evening meal service for 2 weeks from 25th of this month. From 6pm to 4am the next day, it will only provide take-out services. There will be no meals. Feet. Maymay, who has lived in McDonald's in Sham Shui Po for many years, was interviewed and rushed to comply with the regulations while moving her family away from McDonald's on the evening of the first day of the "falling night gate". She was busy looking for another place to stay. When everyone was hiding in the house for the purpose of fighting the epidemic, there was still a group of people living in the street corners and nowhere to be home.

Maymay had suggested that the government open the idle community halls for the Mace refugees to stay temporarily for two weeks, but no response has been received. At zero in the morning, when the Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Center turned off the lights, Maymay sat with her family in a corner to rest, and she prepared "Sleeping Four Treasures", paper covers, rubber pads, raincoats, and drinks to deal with the long night. There were few people on the street, and only the occasional passing sounds of cars and the noise of the exhaust vents 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 used McDonald's as its "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, 61, pulled a trolley full of belongings and left the McDonald's branch in Sham Shui Po. In the past 3 years, Maymay has used McDonald's as her "home". She has slept from Kwai Hing, Sham Shui Po, and Causeway Bay branches. In response to the epidemic, McDonald's halted the night market food service for two weeks. She was totally destitute and "counted it? There was absolutely nothing wrong with it." The outbreak was not as expected, and 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."

With the McDonald's evening market "closed", it is estimated that more than 400 McDonald's refugees in Hong Kong have once again left 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. "Thin water making, Typhoon Wen Daizhen are all tied." After growing up, she also worked as a sales clerk in a department store in Tsim Sha Tsui for 5 years. "Later, the children were born near the department," she said. In addition to familiarity, safety is another consideration. Maymay explained that Tsim Sha Tsui is quiet, with lights and tiles covering her head. If the large 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 statistics from the Hong Kong Community Organizations Association in 2019, there are at least 448 homeless people in Hong Kong who are home to 24-hour fast food restaurants. Maymay is one of them. It is also one of the few refugees who are willing to be interviewed.

Since the news of McDonald's "closed shop" in the evening, Maymay's mobile phone has been ringing, starting at 1 noon on Tuesday, and busy receiving interviews from different media organizations all day. She evacuated McDonald's in Sham Shui Po in the evening, prepared night-sleeping supplies on the streets of West Kowloon after the night, and then rested in the cultural center, 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 of business."

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 the society. The disadvantaged groups pay the most labor and time, but in the least gain, they are often the most exploited by 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 believes that 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."

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

For many years, Maymay has actively participated in different institutions or associations, speaking on behalf of vulnerable groups, and as the epidemic spread, she suggested that the government should open idle community halls for temporary refugees of Mai refugees for two weeks. Blessings and peace talks. After all, Yuan Shui could not seek near fire, but the recommendations were not implemented. She was most eager to face the "forced relocation" to live 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 the phone and avoid running out of power.

"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)

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. That night, many homeless people gathered in Tsim Sha Tsui, and a district councilor arrived to distribute epidemic prevention supplies to the homeless people.

"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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