After running into roadblocks the previous day, Teddy and I headed back to St. Peter’s first thing the following morning. We arrived right at 9:00 am. Several other people were already waiting in line, some to pick up their mail, others to see if they could receive a voucher in order to get a state ID. As long as someone has an active ID on record, this office can write a voucher, which a person can then take to the Thompson Center and get their physical state ID.
Once 9:30 rolled around, people waiting in line started to complain about how the services at this office have deteriorated. According to several of the people that were standing in line, who have come to this office on a regular basis, this office is now often unexpectedly closed, and the staff is almost always late.
“Since Abbie Daigle left this mother fucker, ain’t nothin’ run right,” one older gentleman yelled out in a tone of frustration. “You got that right,” said another man. “I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if it weren’t for Abbie,” said a third man who was also waiting in the hall.
This goes to show that even within a broken system, there are good people who do make a difference. Apparently, Abbie Daigle ran this office up until about two years ago, when she reportedly moved on to another position elsewhere. Teddy and I had to wait in the hall until 10:17 am before anyone showed up, one hour and seventeen minutes late.
After all of that, there wasn’t anything this office could do, as Teddy must start from the beginning of the process, because he hasn’t had an ID in such a long time. We’ll need to acquire his birth certificate, and his Social Security card in order to acquire his ID.
Teddy was extremely frustrated, and was obsessively picking the skin off of his hand the entire time we were in the office. Teddy is truly institutionalized, and shows signs of high anxiety whenever in an office. I noticed the same reaction when we were at the hospital last year. Who knows what trauma this man has suffered over the years while being housed in our various state institutions.
When we got back outside, Teddy expressed his frustrations:
“Hell yeah I’m a Republican. The Democrats run all this public aid shit. Democrats have so much red tape wrapped around every goddamn thing, you can’t get nothin’ done. These pencil pushing mother fuckers sit up in theses offices all goddamn day, collecting nice fat paychecks. They don’t give a goddamn about any homeless peoples. For them, the more homeless peoples, the better. -Teddy Smith
We headed over to Grant Park where Teddy ate his lunch. On this particular day, Teddy had found some meat, rice, and potatoes in a dumpster.
We talked for a while longer before I had to head back home to the warmth and comfort of my apartment. We made plans to move forward once his school records came to my PO box. We’ll need these to get Teddy’s birth certificate.
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