Last month I heard the famed singing man of Mount Pleasant (though I was in Van Ness at the time, I also heard him a couple weeks ago in Mount Pleasant, where I took the photo above.) After hearing him in Van Ness it brought me great joy so I tweeted:
Lisa was kind enough to reply with more info she had previously shared on the Adams Morgan listserv:
“Hola a todos,
My name is Lisa, and this is my first post since joining the online community. There was some recent discussion about a loudly singing man who has provoked an understandable reaction of intimidation, distress, and concern among some of his neighbors.
I just encountered this man for the first time since I moved to Adams Morgan a few months ago. He was indeed singing extremely loudly. I recalled our collective exchange and some specific questions about his mental health and safety. I approached him in that spirit, as well as to be neighborly.
When I did, he immediately stopped singing and we talked for about 15 minutes. Two relevant facts are 1) our conversation was entirely in Spanish, which I speak at a B-minus level, and 2) I’m a clinical psychologist who has some expertise in quickly assessing danger to self and others.
The gist of that exchange that I’d like to humbly share: (more…)
