Our customers: Tom Rindflesch

A head-shot of Tom Rindflesch

Street Sense: Well, good afternoon, sir, and your name is?
Rindflesch: My name is Tom Rindflesch.
And Mr. Rindflesch, where do you work, sir?
Rindflesch: I work at the National Library of Medicine, on the NIH campus in Bethesda.
Okay, so you’re a medical professional of sorts.
Rindflesch: No, no, I’m a researcher in medical information technology—you can access information, medical information, on the web.
Okay, great! And where do you live, sir?
Rindflesch: I live here in D.C., around 16th and U.
Oh okay, Mr. Rindflesch. And sir, are you familiar with Street Sense at all?
Rindflesch: Yes, yes I am. I’ve been getting it for many years.
Alright, that’s great! If you don’t mind me asking, Mr. Rindflesch, what do you find most interesting about Street Sense?
Rindflesch: I’d probably find most interesting the contributions by the vendors. I find a lot of them to be very creative—some of them really…some of the poetry, some of the stories, personal experiences, that’s my favorite part of the paper.
Oh, that’s great! So you got a broad interest in Street Sense. We appreciate you, Mr. Rindflesch. And if you don’t mind me asking, sir, what do you find most interesting about your vendor?
Rindflesch: *laughs* Well, this particular vendor, he’s definitely overflowing with personality, there’s no question about that, and he doesn’t take the back street to anybody.
I appreciate that.
Rindflesch: And, well, I guess I would like his, well, we call it back in the Midwest, gumption. He’s always out there, always fighting, well, he has a, he’s got a lot of class.
I appreciate it, sir. So that means your vendor must have some stuff to him. We appreciate you, we appreciate you! And over time, Mr. Rindflesch, I know you just started out as a customer, but how has your relationship with your vendor evolved?
Rindflesch: Well, I guess because I’m open to, y’know, taking a little bit of time to talk to people, especially the Street Sense vendors, over time I have interacted with several of them, and I find them to be interesting and engaging characters, so it’s mainly just through a matter of a—almost a couple, three times a week—interaction, you get to know a person.
Great, great! And see, that’s what the Street Sense vendors and the readers need to know, because a lot of people have preconceived notions about vendors and vending and homelessness, so we’re just
trying to get a reader’s perspective about it. But Mr. Rindflesch, do you have any specific thoughts about homelessness?
Rindflesch: Well, yeah, I do *chuckles*. I could go on…
Speak free, no, speak free!
Rindflesch: I could go on and on, yeah. I mean, I consider homelessness—especially in a city like Washington—to be a national scandal, and there should be a lot more done about it. And granted, there could be a lot more money from the federal government; the district government needs to put more resources into addressing homelessness. And they need to have a more creative program, really, in addressing homelessness. I mean, not all homeless individuals are the same. Some require one type of assistance, some require another. I think there could be more creativity in finding homes for the homeless, and the more creativity in sort of helping those who are sort of on the verge of moving from homelessness into a more standard lifestyle. And I also do not at all agree with destroying homeless camps, I mean, in my opinion, at least the government should accommodate them rather than kick them out.
That’s great, Mr. Rindflesch! Coming from a person who’s a professional, a government worker, and a local resident, we greatly appreciate your view, sir. Coming from you, that means a lot. That’s a voice of the community. And we have another reader here, coming along, who’s going to do an interview also. And Mr. Rindflesch, is there anything you’d like to add? Anything on your mind?
Rindflesch: I would just voice my appreciation for the Street Sense organization. I mean, I’ve seen over the years quite a number of, quite a number of vendors, and I think Street Sense is a pretty good organization.
We greatly appreciate you, Mr. Rindflesch. We’d like to have your portrait, if you don’t mind, because you represent the city of D.C. and me and myself, sir, I represent the voice of the unheard, the homeless. We appreciate you, sir, thank you so much, so much!
Rindflesch: I’m happy to give it, and I’m very happy to voice my opinion and I hope it will contribute both to the continued success of Street Sense and to the development of my particular vendor right here.
Thank you, sir, and I appreciate you, Mr. Rindflesch, and you will definitely be featured in our upcoming issue. Thank you, sir!

 

Transcribed by Bethany Tuel


Region |Washington DC

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