In a very bizarre event, highlighting society's animosity towards the less fortunate, someone called the police on a homeless man they thought was sleeping on a park bench, only for police to then discover that it was in fact, a statue of Jesus.
The statue had only been installed for 20 minutes before the call was made in Bay Village, Ohio. The incident came to light after Alex Martin, the pastor at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Bay Village, put the story on twitter.
The pastor revealed he learned the story after interacting with the police officer who arrived at the scene. He said:
"I was having a conversation with a very kind police officer because someone called to report a homeless man sleeping on a park bench. Within twenty minutes…"
We're glad to temporarily host this statue of Homeless Jesus to raise awareness of homelessness in Cleveland and remind us that all people are created in the image of God. pic.twitter.com/EKClQm7PFG
— St. Barnabas, Bay Village (@StBarnabasBV) October 12, 2020
In an email to the Cleveland Scene, a media outlet, he added:
"[The sculpture] reminds us that, even though homelessness is a not a significant problem in our immediate neighbourhood, we don't have to drive far to find those in tremendous need. Perhaps the statue will inspire those who see it to take action and help. Seeing Jesus depicted this way reminds us that Jesus identified with the outcast and marginalised in his own day."
The local police confirmed the incident did occur. They said in a statement:
"If the person was [real], the officer would have been able to radio for an ambulance to respond and start rendering first aid. Additionally, if this were a homeless person, the officer would have checked to make sure the person was okay and to see if they needed anything."
The sculpture was designed and created by artist Timothy Schmalz who also assists local homelessness campaign groups. Since 2018 the statue has been moved around Ohio to bring attention to the problem of homelessness in the United States.
It is thought that as many as half-a-million people in the United States are officially homeless.
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