One Awesome Inch said:
I don't think most people are that accepting of the "weirdo who lives in his van". It only takes one person to make your life miserable. Personally, I much prefer my privacy but it is nice to be neighbourly from time to time.
The whole key to not being that "weirdo" is by not trying to hide.
I hear a lot of other people's experiences on the road, and the general thing I always hear is that the more you try to hide, the more trouble you'll have. My experience has been the same.
I don't think anybody is fooling anybody but themselves, and most people are much more apprehensive of the unknown than they are of the obvious.
Somebody who parks and is never seen might be considered a potential threat. An obvious camper minding his/her own business isn't as likely to bring on the same emotions and fears.
I spend a lot of time in cities, I attend a lot of rallies, and visit friends across the country. I am rarely in a particular area for longer than a month or so. When I return to an area, I usually return to the same neighborhoods where I have stayed previously.
Last night the local LEO rolled by and I waved at him like I normally do. He pulled over and paid me a visit, anxious to hear of my travels over the last year since he had last seen me. Life is good and all is well.
Living in a vehicle we're all at a disadvantage to start with. Some people will think less of us for our choice to live this way. The more "NORMAL" that we can appear to others, the easier they will make our lives for us.
In most people's interpretations, "NORMAL" people don't live in cargo vans or try to hide. Most "NORMAL" people don't live in camper vans either, but it is less of a stretch for them to understand. This is where a little personal interaction with your neighbors can go a long way.
I met a guy earlier today, homeless, and living in a cargo van. He eats at soup kitchens and panhandles for gas money. He looked at me and my rig and said "Boy! If I had a van like that I could be somebody again!" All he had was a dirty old mattress and a bedspread. His story choked me up. He had a hard and fast fall several years back when he lost his job as an IT tech, and couldn't find another. He has lost all hope and expressed that he wished he could just die. He told me of being a reject, how nobody would look him in the eye, and didn't want him in their neighborhoods and blamed him for any nearby crimes even though he had nothing to do with them. He also told me of being treated with hostility by the cops, and drilled about crimes in the area, and constantly being told to move. He said everybody was afraid of him. He does look scraggly, and doesn't act very approachable. I believe he is ashamed of his life and what it has become.
I took him out to dinner tonight, and starting tomorrow, I'm going to try and start giving him a hand up, which everyone deserves. I think I can teach him what he needs to get his life back on track.
The only reason I brought this guy's story up, is because I hear it all the time from people trying to live in cargo vans in the city whether they're homeless or jobless or not. If we want to be accepted, even marginally, we have to abide by the rules and expectations that the society surrounding us is willing to accept. Living in the wilderness is a lot easier.
