A wish come true

Homeless man's son responds to his urgent cry

Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer

Two days after The Gleaner published the story of Arnold Russell, a homeless Jamaican who sought refuge at the Poor Relief shelter on Hanover Street in Kingston, relatives living abroad have stepped in to offer assistance.

The story, carried on Tuesday, highlighted the plight of the 64-year-old whose path to the Poor Relief shelter began after journeying to the United States in the 1970s. In 1992, he was deported to Jamaica, years after setting up a family in the US and unsuccessful attempts to acquire citizenship there.

Now, the man who told The Gleaner his one hope for the new year is to see a change in his current circumstances seems to be well on his way to having his wish come true. Yesterday, Gerald Angelou Russell, one of Arnold's three children living in the US, told The Gleaner he was already making plans to turn things around for his father.

Gerald, now 34, said he last saw his father when he was only 12 years old.

Plans to 'catch up'

He said his father's plight came to his attention after someone read the article online and directed his attention to it.

"One of my cousins saw the article and sent the link to me. It just hurts me to know he is in that situation," Gerald said.

He added that he would now be focusing his attention on "catching up" with his father, as well as getting him out of the shelter and into a place of his own.

Gerald, who recounted sharing a close bond with his father while growing up, said his own life spiralled downward after his father's deportation.

"As a father, he really took good care of me, and we went almost everywhere together," he said.

"After he left, I ended up living on the street," he noted, adding that the relationship between himself and his mother became strained.

Gerald, who now makes a living in film production, said he has been using his experience growing up on the street to help turn things around for children in the US who might find themselves in a similar situation.

"I am now using that experience to reach out to homeless kids. Someone lent a hand to me, so I want to do the same," he said.

Yesterday, Arnold Russell, who was elated to hear from his son, noted that he, too, would be focusing his attention on "catching up" on things with his children.

He lamented the hardship that his son went through during their period of separation.

"It's hard to explain how I feel now. There is a deep inferior feeling I have as a father, knowing that he had to go through something like this," he said.

"Now that I have made contact with them (his children) , I just want to sit down and talk with them and trace what went wrong."