Mistaking A Statue For A Person, Caller Reports 'Homeless Jesus' To Police

The Bay Village Police Department received a call this week reporting a homeless person sleeping on a bench.

But it wasn’t a homeless person.

It's a statue of Jesus.

And it was only installed "a few minutes" before someone called authorities.

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church is the temporary host of a “Homeless Jesus” statue, which is positioned adjacent to the Bradley Road Park walking path through December 1. The temporary installment is part of a collaboration with he Community West Foundation, which is “a local philanthropic organization dedicated to supporting organizations that provide the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and medical care” to those in need.

The Community West Foundation owns the statue, which travels to various churches in the area since October 2018, according to a Community West Foundation news release issued Monday (October 12), announcing its newest temporary home at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.

But “within just a few minutes,” Bay Village police received a call about a man sleeping on the park bench. Father Alex Martin of St. Barnabas said the person “surely” called the police department “out of genuine concern and the responding officer was excellent.”

"If this was a person laying on a bench, the officer would have made sure the person was not in any sort of medical distress," Bay Village Police Chief Kathy Leisure said in an email to the Cleveland Scene. "If the person was, the officer would have been able to radio for an ambulance to respond and start rendering first aid. Additionally, if this were a homeless person, the officer would have checked to make sure the person was okay and to see if they needed anything. There are hotels in nearby cities that will give homeless individuals a free night stay. The officer could have helped to facilitate this. If the person did not want or need anything, the person would have been permitted to stay where they were."

Though the response to the “Homeless Jesus” statue might vary, church officials credited “its power as public art,” and hopes it will continue sparking conversation about helping people in need.

Timothy Schmalz sculpted the “Homeless Jesus” statue to represent the verse inscribed at the base of the statue, Matthew 25:40.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,” the verse reads.

“It reminds us that, even though homelessness is a not a significant problem in our immediate neighborhood, we don’t have to drive far to find those in tremendous need. Perhaps the statue will inspire those who see it to take action and help,” Martin explains of its goals for installing the statue. “The statue represents our belief that all people are created in the image of God and that all life holds sacred worth – even those lives often discarded by society… Seeing Jesus depicted this way reminds us that Jesus identified with the outcast and marginalized in his own day. He spent much of his time with tax collectors and prostitutes, largely to the chagrin of polite society.”

“Finally, maybe the sculpture will make us a bit kinder and gentler with one another, less eager to pass judgement on others.”

St. Barnabas also shared a link, where donors can select “Homeless Jesus” and “every penny raised will be used to feed, clothe, and house those in need,” Martin said. “Hopefully some good will come from all this.”

Photo: Father Alex Martin, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church