Last November I participated in a mile-long march and candlelight vigil for those homeless who died in San Diego during the previous year. It was the San Diego Rescue Mission that sponsored the event. Each participant carried a pair of shoes that represented one homeless person who had died. There was a toe tag with the name of the deceased, their age, and how they died. Marlon Williams was my guy. 45 years old. Almost ten years younger than me. He was one of 115 homeless people who had died that year.

Outside the religious community, who would have remembered these lost people, or would have remanded their souls to God? Religion is not the enemy; fundamentalism is the enemy. Sorry you had a bad experience.

Come this November, I will join the march and vigil once again. I was homeless myself, due to SZA, for about 7 months, and I appreciate the hardships of having nothing and no one. These people suffer, and they grow sick, and they die. It is only decent to remember them, even if only on the events of their deaths.