Two Days in The Jungle: Part I

Homelessness for Stupid People

The foibles of the most pampered homeless population in the Bay Area...

On the ACE Train back to Livermore, I'm contemplating the difference between what I expected and what I experienced in The Jungle. I have been contemplating it since this very morning, Monday, August 26th, after an enlightening conversation with one of the most interesting men I have ever met and one of... no, not one of, the single most interesting place that I have ever seen.

The ACE Train takes about seventy five minutes to go from Diridon Station to the Livermore Transit Centre. I sat there, with Jungle Dust coating my jeans and likely not pleasing to anyone's nose. But it was a nice ride for me. A short ride. Much different from the one that took me there.

I first heard of The Jungle in an article by Bruce Newman of the San Jose Mercury News. It was published June 1st, and in it, Newman described it as 75 squalid acres upon which a homeless encampment has sprung.

Now, I have seen homeless encampments here in Livermore. Without exception they become disasters very quickly. The most notorious was near Las Colinas Road at Interstate 580 where the residents were cooking methamphetamine and, consequently, started a fire... it was broken up. The most visible, some of you will remember, was just north of In n Out Burger on the banks of the creek right next to the east bound I580 on ramp... that one looked pretty bad to everyone.

So, I'm reading this article, and all I can think of is: how bad can bad get?

I had to go there! I had to... I needed to see with my own eyes the disaster this was!

So I contacted Bruce Newman, the author of the article and asked him in an email who among the residents there he thought I should look to to get an “in...”

Newman told me that LiPo Ching, the story's photographer, was the guy I should be talking to... and the next thing I know, LiPo and I are exchanging emails back and forth on my planned excursion... he even tried to pitch the idea to his editors to as an excuse to continue the story, which he still very much wants to do.

But I told LiPo my intentions regarding my angle. He made it clear, in his way, that I should proceed with an open mind. He'd introduce me to Troy, and Mama Red, and Patti and Giggles, all of whom were featured in the story. But mostly, he wanted to introduce me to Troy. He didn't tell me why.

Unfortunately for LiPo, his editors didn't buy his pitch... but he was still gracious enough to meet me at Diridon Station in San Jose to drive me to The Jungle.

I left the morning of Saturday, August 24th after work. I was on the Number 10 bus at about a quarter to eleven. To BART in the East Dublin Station... on to Powell Street in San Francisco... a twenty minute walk down 4th to King Street and the Cal Train Station. From there, onto Cal Train, and an hour and a half ride to Diridon in San Jose that arrived just before 3PM... four hours...

LiPo, true to his word, was waiting there for me. I'll be forever grateful for that alone.

I knew from Google Maps that The Jungle lies just south of Interstate 280 and across Story Road from Happy Hollow. Coyote Creek runs up the east side of Happy Hollow, crosses Story Road, then turns west along that same road, then back north toward I280. The creek area, which is somewhat heavily wooded, is where the Jungle lies, and is basically an L shape with most of the rest of the area clear.

Looking on Google Maps lately in Satellite Mode, I could even make out some encampments.

LiPo drove me there, and I'm hyped up and animated... people who know me know that when I'm hyped up and animated you really don't want to talk... just let me be the motor mouth that I am and try and tune me out... I was also as nervous as I could be.

I was travelling light. My satchel held only essentials. Two blankets (for mats) my tarp (reflective on one side) and my SOL emergency bivvy, which is a 6 ounce sleeping bag made for survivial. I like having one ever since I discovered them. I also carried my toiletry kit, some pens, and two note pads...

We arrived on the south west corner of The Jungle onto a large clearing off story road. Could be a large parking lot. One encampment was clearly visible next to the abandoned train trestle which crosses Coyote Creek running north.

We got out of LiPo's car and he looked around, down into the sunken area where so many live at the bottom of the barrel...

Two Hispanic men passed on bicycles sporting big biceps and the number 14 clearly visible on their shoulders... Norteños... and suddenly I knew who's territory I was in. They gave us the once over twice as they road by.

“Ready?” LiPo asked me... not so sure! I thought... but I followed him down into the Jungle anyway...

And all I could think of was, you wanted this, you idiot. You wanted to see How Bad Bad Could Get... this is all on you...! And thus began two days of high adventure...


To Be Continued...