Niejawna przemoc: odrzucenie ludzi „z marginesu”

The article addresses the issue of negative reactions to people who need help and to those who provide help. The author illustrates this problem with an example of a social action in Łódź, which she has been personally involved in, that aims at helping homeless people. The action is called the “Domni-Bezdomni” box (“home-ful for home-less”). The Box is a physical object that is a kind of street “furniture” located in a public place, which is meant to remind about homelessness and encourage help, and it constitutes a comfortable for both parties single point of contact for people affected by homelessness and those who can help. Simultaneously, the “Box action” reveals the stories of homeless people who ask for help and it is designed to address actual problems. The middle men in this process are volunteers, “Box keepers”, who stay in contact with both parties. By this example, the author reminds us what social exclusion is and presents the cultural mechanisms of social exclusion and stigmatization that come to light as a result of the “Box action”. The text also presents the methodology of such activities by showing the back-office of actions that are carried out in public space. It also shows the Action Research method being used in practice.