i know we all know this but we do truly need better emergency mental health services. as i arrived on the subway station this morn a man asked me to call police because he was suicidal. waiting the 25 mins for police/ems to come was some of the most terrifying of my life.

never have i been more grateful for how bloody long the wait is between c trains on the weekend. the train was 10 mins away when i arrived. i promised him $10 for breakfast if he’d just wait for ems to arrive. we spoke the whole time — his girl had died and he was drinking.

he kept saying “it wasn’t right what they did to me. it wasn’t right” and was extremely upset. i was terrified when the first train came but he looked me in the eyes the whole time it passed and i told him things would get better (would they?) and phew the next train was 15 away.

he cried the whole time the 1st train was passing and at the platform and as soon as it left he calmed down and asked for his $10 cause he knew THAT was the real challenge i was offering him money for.

anyway i was watching the 15 mins tick down for the next train and he was getting sadder and sadder and drinking more and more of whatever liquor he had and telling me he was going to jump when the train came so i called 911 AGAIN to be like guys the train is coming in 7 HELP

and most of this whole time i’m just crouching next to him (he was sitting on a bench at the very start of the platform aka close to the train entrance) and he’s watching for the train to come and i’m just talking to him about breakfast and asking him just to look at me and chat

finally 2 mins before the next train arrives police and ems arrive. they greeted him by name. said they knew him, that he was a regular. he was refusing to get medical help or go with them altho he’d been asking me repeatedly when would ems arrive cause he needed the hospital.

i gave him his $20. id upped the offer in the final few mins. he gave me a big smile. police told me he does this all the time — threatens to jump but doesn’t. they take him to hospital, he’s released 3 hours later. the cycle continues. there’s gotta be a better way.