Homeless Man beaten by Juvenile Scumbags

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

“One of the worst beatings I've ever seen,” said one of Livermore's finest. He was talking about our friend Eric, who back on June 13 was beaten in the Mocho Creek area near AM/PM on Stanley and Murrieta.

The story is that four to six teenagers, all underage, wanted Eric to get tobacco for them from the AM/PM. If he agreed to do it or not is unclear. Apparently there was some disagreement between them and Eric was beaten with in an inch of his life with one or more baseball bats.

Officers who investigated it were universally horrified at Eric's condition. He's since undergone several surgeries to repair his jaw, which was shattered, with more to come. He also sustained several other injuries, enough that those at the scene were dubious about Eric's survival. Eric was taken to Eden Hospital where he's still being treated.

I apologize for not having all the details, wish I did. If I manage to speak with Eric directly I may have more later...

Right now I'm just curious. I know I've been out of the loop for some time, but this story hasn't been reported anywhere! Not the Patch, not B.A.N.G., and certainly not the boob tube... Homeless Man Severely beaten by Juvenile Scumbags... shouldn't that be a headline SOMEWHERE?

Nor has there been much more than rumour about amongst the homeless. It simply hasn't been much on anyone's radar. I found out about it a week and a half after it happened, and usually this sort of thing is on everyone's mind.

Eric isn't a saint. But he is well liked by most, including me. He has an issue with his legs that I can't remember whether he was born with or if that came about at a young age, so he walks with an interesting gait. Other than that he could be an Abercrombie model, yes, he's that good looking a kid. And he just tends to be a very, very likeable guy, unlike yours truly, who tends to be more abrasive.

Having seen “Midnight Express” I'm fond of saying most American Teens need to spend time in a Turkish Prison, and this story reinforces my attitude. Teenagers in this town seem, more and more, to be either the few who are decent human beings, and the majority, who are those worth avoiding at all costs. That's not news to anyone paying attention, even if it should be.

What is far more disturbing is that this incident is not on anyone's mind. How horrific does it have to get out there before Livermorons buy into the notion that this town has some very real social problems that are making this town not a good place to be?

I'm tempted to go on an extended rant, but I think I'll resist it. I know, for instance, that there are those who truly do give a rats-rear-end about these things, though they seem too few. These people are so rare, it seems, that when I encounter one that does it's both uplifting and refreshing to the point that I become very, very attracted to that person's energy... It's infectious and inspirational to me. Yes, Henry, I'm talking about you.

That leaves us with the idea that the vast majority just don't care...

For those of you who don't, I have a message for you: nobody lives in a vacuum.

Eric, and whoever knows Eric, please fill us all in on his current condition. He should be in everyone's thoughts and prayers.

Just to follow up on my last posting... I did say I would report what happened at the Homeless Summit last April and I would have had there been anything of value to report. Other than the fact that a bunch of people with Government Funded Lives spoke with top-down “solutions” that amounted to...well, not much at all, I couldn't bring myself to talk about a whole lot of nothing...

I did suggest to one of the leaders of an important volunteer group that they should have their own summit independent of the Government Funded types... this particular volunteer was originally invited to speak then dis-invited... which I found very interesting...

What would be worth seeing are some of the private outfits getting together and having a public conference on goals to work toward... it would be nice...

So... did you hear about that Fire last month?

Astonishing to me is how many people out there ignore the wisdom of the ages and seek to solve certain social issues by throwing massive, and I do mean MASSIVE, amounts of money (usually in the form of tax dollars) at problems. Now that we nearly 100 years of this kind of ridiculousness we should be able to look back and figure out that it never works...

Homelessness as an economic issue was created by the states and the federal government in the first place. No local community is going to end it. There are simply too many economic factors pushing the cost of living up and private sector wages down. More and more one has to have a government or tax-payer funded job in order to make ends meat which, consequently, drives the cost of living higher and private sector wages lower... It's a vicious cycle that won't be solved any time soon. 'Nuff said on that.

Homelessness as a social problem, however, is another matter entirely.

The largest single issue we have seen here in Livermore is the squalor one finds at most homeless encampments. Legislation has been issued by the city criminalizing homelessness as a result, but it still goes on. As I write this a pretty nasty one exists under the First Street Railway Overpass between Inman and Scott Street (the one near U-Haul). The objective of the legislation was to rid Livermore of such encampments especially along the Arroyos... but if you have a blanket, with intent to use it outside, you are a criminal under that law no matter where you are...

Two factions exist in Livermore: Those that want the homeless gone versus the homeless advocacy. Those that want the homeless gone seem to want the lot of us round up and shipped out of the town or even the county. Those amongst the advocacy want more services and a whole lot more money spent by government on the homeless especially for free housing. Neither will happen, and neither would have anywhere near the kind of results people hope for.

Over the course of the existence of this blog, I've documented a lot of cases where homeless people who, employed or not, avoid being a problem. These folks are darn near invisible to the rest of you. I know them because I have existed in that world. I understand how it is they survive and manage to keep under the radar. Explaining the why of it would take volumes, but I did a blog on conduct to address the how.

I also know that when they are discovered to be homeless, they are lumped in with those abusing alcohol or methamphetamine and generally making a nuisance and a mess of themselves. It's not just the general population that does this, but those in homeless advocacy that do so. Everyone is the same, there is no distinction, you're homeless you get what you get along with the abusive thieving Meth-Addicted homeless guy who will beat you down with a shovel just for looking at him wrong...

Yes, Shower Nazi Doug, I did hear what happened... I hope you're okay...

It is incumbent upon those involved to recognize what it is they can and cannot change. The first steps were taken when the Livermore Homeless Refuge, Open Heart Kitchen and showers three days a week were implemented.

I have never been opposed to any of these operations. They are necessary in that they do, quite literally, save lives.

However, one must also recognize that these very same operations which are so necessary for the survival of many also allow those who are causing issues within our midsts to continue to do so.... Adam... Ray... Lenny... Mr. French... yes, I'm talking about you...

What I have been trying, and failing miserably, to communicate is this: there are certain standards of behaviour that cannot be tolerated by anyone, especially the advocacy, and one should not receive help without putting some form of effort in to repay the kindness.

The point is that none of these operations exist in a vacuum. For better of for worse what you do affects the community at large. Why is it that the homeless cannot perform some level of community service in order to receive help? Why is there such opposition to that idea?

Many of the homeless you will meet out and about, most of whom you would not recognize as homeless, are more than receptive to this idea. It could be as simple a thing as picking up cigarette butts in and around Livermore Parks... (or the Civic Centre Library, or the Civic Centre in general!)

Homelessness is a symptom of enormous socio-economic issues as well as personal issues. The larger issues are unsolvable on the local level. San Francisco is now housing some five thousand (formerly) homeless people in various places and, in each one of those places they bring their squalor and other problems right along with them. Places that house the (formerly) homeless are not the types of places one would want to go visit, assuming you could get though the door with so much accumulated garbage inside... yes it's that bad.

Locally it's' even worse.

Six homeless men were selected to be housed, reportedly by ABODE and the City''s Department of Human Services, though that is unconfirmed. One of them was put up at 975 Murrieta Blvd. (across from the Nob Hill Shopping Centre). I've known this one for years to have terrible problems with drugs and alcohol. He's usually not prone to violence but he has the occasional issue with it. He's been known to defecate outside the Livermore Public Library... that should be clue enough for many of you...

Well, in the wee hours of March 27, 2014 he started a fire. It gutted his taxpayer funded apartment as well as several others and left ten more people homeless (not counting this young man, he makes eleven). The report says that he attempted to extinguish it, however there seems to be more to that story. Apparently he fled the scene and returned later saying he had no idea what had happened even though he had third degree burns on one hand and his hair was burned off. Putting this man up unsupervised has proven to be a very temporary and very expensive solution... not to mention it resulted in ten more homeless people... the Red Cross put at least some of them up.

So, house six people, subtract one, and end up with ten homeless... net gain: negative five... The Housing First initiative has repeatedly failed to accomplish anything but spend massive amounts of public money.

Nobody locally or regionally is going to solve homelessness. It's here, it's going to stay with us unless there is a socio-economic sea-change. It would probably take a civil war for that to happen. Fortunately nobody alive is likely to see one of those around here.

Recognize, however, that while we cannot solve homelessness locally, we can go a very long way toward reducing the negative effects of homelessness on the community at large. In the process we can help those who are homeless cope with their circumstance and improve themselves. Standards of Behaviour and requiring some level of community service for help given will go a long way toward these ends.

I'll be at the meeting on April 30 at the Robert Livermore Community Centre.

The meeting is taking place at a very interesting point. The Livermore Homeless Refuge season ends on April 30 and it will be closed till November 1. That means that most if not all of those who use the refuge will be sleeping out of doors for the next six months. So all those issues that are going to be dealt with at the mayor's Homeless Summit will be experienced more so following that meeting than in the six months prior.

I was ambivalent about going till recently when someone posted a response to one of my old blogs asking me to attend. I'll report on what is said. I'll note anything interesting... I doubt any of the ideas above will even be mentioned... but I will be there...

In the meantime, I am in possession of a concealed blanket and am not afraid to use it.

A Federal Case

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

What a night Monday was...

The Carnegie People showed up in force and managed to make the Livermore City Council meeting a tedious affair as we we sat in this crowded room and listened to grown men whine about problems at Carnegie Park... why were they there? No idea. Livermore City Government hasn't got a damned thing to do with Carnegie! Thank you guys for a glorious waste of time... I felt truly sorry for those City Workers who staggered out (two hours later than usual) of the City Council Chambers and came into work this morning bleary eyed from exhaustion...

There were important issues to discuss, as there always are... I've found the council meetings to be rife with drama since I started going late last year... who knew?

Anyway, the Urban Camping Ordinance Passed...

I heard some people saying it was pushed through with lightning speed... No... it wasn't. I told you people about it last October! I spoke to many of you about it face to face!

But... there will be a Homeless Summit... maybe this year... we don't have a date, because now we're going to get one or two difficult to coordinate federal agencies involved...

My question is: why?

Why are we bothering the Feds..? unless there's a lot of money on the table, and there probably is...

I maintain this is a local issue. I hear people talking about all these homeless people arriving in Livermore to take advantage of services, etc... one or two, sure... but the implication is that there are hundreds, the number of homeless has gone from ten to fifty thousand in four years and other towns are dumping their homeless on us...

Huey!

I have a little news for everyone: the problems you're seeing in Livermore caused by the homeless are being caused by the same number in the same proportion as it was four years ago. The number of Homeless is also pretty static. I say 300, my guess, and it has been about that for as long as I've been homeless.

There was a study done two and a half years ago which included a portion on the Homeless... but the way it was run it was as if they didn't want anyone to participate... the estimate of homeless at the time was about fifty... yeah, 50... 25 people showed up at the last meeting on short notice because somebody (me) bothered to tell them. Yes, it's online here, and it's not worth reading if you want anything approaching reality, but knock yourself out if you're interested...

To the city council I say this: forget the feds. Councilman Woerner wants data, great, the Feds aren't going to give you any and you're already working on getting that yourselves. If you want the Feds involved, plan a meeting sometime in 2015 after you've engaged the locals... getting the Feds involved is going to make things more complex and take your attention away from those who you need to be talking to...

Everything we need to take deal with the Homeless issue is right here.

People asked for creative solutions?

I spoke with Terry McCune last night. McCune spoke on the garbage the homeless leave on the Arroyo Mocho and how his neighbours clean it up. I told him about the idea I had been trying to get through to Trinity Church for months... They take meals out to the Homeless and I had suggested that they pick a park and do clean-up with the Homeless before serving food... Terry seemed to like that idea...

But nobody else does. Or if they do, they have a funny way of showing it...

Maybe it'll get play if some U.S. Government Official suggests it... then those Glorified Welfare Recipients might be good for something...

Solution: SNUGGIES!

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

Oh... we all brainstormed this morning and someone came up with an impressive suggestion: SNUGGIES! Snuggies are not mentioned in the new ordinance and, so far as I know, are not considered camping paraphenalia... right? Everybody ditch your blankets, sleeping bags and tarps and we all get Snuggies!

I wonder if they come in camouflage?

Mickey made a great speech at Vineyard just before breakfast telling everyone two things: one, the Creeks are off limits! And two, don't make a mess! And she expects the homeless to do a little better job self-policing. I'd so like to see that become a reality... my only problem with this is that more than a few of these folks simply are not adults, they're children in adult bodies and discipline isn't familiar to them...

Yes, the ordinance is still very much at the forefront of conversation, and, I'm proud to tell you, the person most to blame for the existence of this ordinance, according to the scuttle butt, is none other than yours truly!

Maybe...

I dunno, I'm getting this second and third hand from a lot of people who relay what others are supposedly saying... “That MF started that MF-ing blog and now we have this MF-ing law...”

Okay, it's all my fault... I'm the one who got high of the notion of having a popular blog, I'll admit. It's been one whole heck of a lot of fun, especially the death threats, both overt and subtle. I can't tell you what a rush it is to get one... I highly recommend it! It helped me understand Adrenaline junkies...

Someone posted a note asking why I thought there were more homeless than there were in response to my last posting...

My answer was, I don't think there are more, at least not locally. I believe there are about 300 in town and that it has remained pretty static for several years. What I am seeing is a trickling in of young people, early 20s, who are homeless. Now, I don't tend to connect with the younger crowd very much. They and I don't have much to say to each other beyond “Hi” and “Bye...”

But today was a bit different. Two young women, I'll call them A and S, were telling me their personal stories this morning, or part of it, and they were both very candid about some very personal, private stuff that I should never repeat, and hopefully will slip my mind in short order. One is someone who's been around a little while and the other is more “new” to all this. What impressed me about both of them, and I hope I can relay this properly, is that both of them seem to recognize their own faults and are attempting to work around or with them... both could use some positive influence (they're sooo young!) and both of them are, it seems to me, overcoming the character flaws of their own parents.

A third young woman I know, I'll call her C, who is also very young, has given me a bit of a surprise. C isn't homeless, but had one of the most unstable times growing up I could imagine... yet she turned into this positive, industrious, well loved young woman who has a real future ahead of her complete with marriage, home and family... All that looks very much like a done deal, thought it will take a lot of work on C's part... but C has the character to meet that challenge having overcome so much more than what she's facing. A and S both seem to have similar characters and, in my opinion, could get to where C is.

To say that I worry about A and S would be an overstatement. I don't. I believe they'll do just fine in the end... but either could slide either way, as if they're sitting on a fulcrum which will determine the rest of their lives at this very moment. It could teeter for years for either or both of them without resolution... it would be pleasing to me to see someone take an interest in them, someone not from Social Services or some other tax funded group, give them a chance and be involved in their lives... and for them to accept such involvement...

I'll be seeing more cases like A and S, I'm sure... they're very different young women, save that they both are energetic and friendly... S more friendly because A is more experienced... S will probably get less so over time.

A also knows something about me... “If you write about me, I'll hurt you!” she told me this morning...

Don't be surprised if I'm typing with only my pinkies next week...

Surreal Reality

Vice Mayor Bob Woerner wants facts and figures on Livermore's Homeless. He expressed this in Monday's City Council Meeting in which item 4.04, the ordinance that would make being homeless in Livermore a crime, was introduced. I don't say that lightly, but the fact stand. The council supports this ordinance 4-1, will vote on it on February 10^th and it will take effect on March 12... on that Wednesday in March, I, and all the rest of Livermore's Homeless, become criminals.

I cannot hold the City Council to blame entirely for this. The state of Homelessness in Livermore is a mixed bag of big problems mixed in with people just trying to get by. The big problems make a mess. The people trying to get by suffer... I tried, people, I truly did try to get the word out on how to manage: A Guide to Proper Conduct and Being Conspicuous were both meant to help people NOT be a problem. Very few paid any attention... oh well...

Sometime in February, Mayor Marchand has said, there will be a summit on Homelessness in Livermore he says he is personally going to moderate. At the end of the City Council meeting on Monday, I managed to catch Vice Mayor Woerner and told him Mickey Kundert would be the best place to start for the information he wants. Mickey is, of all the volunteers, likely the one who understands the issues better than most and certainly knows more of their names and faces than any other. I hope one or the other picks up the phone and makes a call before that summit...

Monday's City Council meeting itself was not as packed as I expected it to be. I fully expected it to be standing room only. It certainly attracted a lot of media attention. I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but nothing I've heard from the media or any of the comments aired seem to address the very real issues facing the Livermore City Government.

Largely, and Mayor Marchand made this clear, the issue is the squalor in the Arroyos, especially the Mocho. He characterized the ordinance as a public health issue.

The three people who spoke in favour of this ordinance all described negative experiences in the Mocho with homeless people. I found them credible, valid, and perfectly consistent with my own experiences. Terry McCune (I apologize if I didn't spell your name correctly) spoke of how he and his neighbours who live along the Mocho are constantly policing garbage, and they're getting discouraged. That pleased Mayor Marchand, by the way, who is constantly speaking of how Livermorons should be responsible with trash... oh... he never said “Livermorons” that I'm aware of, by the way... my word, not his.

I have to kick myself because it should have occurred to me long ago that the Creeks should be off limits, and I should have written about that at least once. But here it is now:

The Creeks are Off Limits! Too little, too late from me... sorry...

Of the eleven speakers eight were opposed to the ordinance... I cringed as I heard people talk about the need for “more social services” which tend to be counterproductive and aren't coming anyway. Several Volunteers spoke, including the afore mentioned Mickey Kundert. I think Mickey said it very well when she asserted that Public Officials “Do Not Understand the Homeless.” Hopefully Vice Mayor Woerner will give her a call...

Speakers also asserted that 40% of the homeless are mentally ill... that's a bridge I just don't buy! I do see some mental illness out there, but not even close to the numbers “Homeless Advocates” like to say. What I see a whole lot more of is Methamphetamine Abuse, and to a lesser extent, Alcohol Abuse. Both eclipse the Mentally Ill in numbers each by themselves in my experience.

One homeless man spoke, my good friend Nick. Nick is an Air Force Veteran and one of the most single minded men I know. When he starts a task he'll be on it till it's perfect... and he's deathly afraid of this ordinance.

A few of years ago there was this guy, Mark Watters, who was, to put it lightly, a problem. He was enough of a problem that he scared a lot of us. Nick and I witnessed Mark terrorizing young mothers with children at the Library entrance. He vandalized at least one car in the Library parking lot. Nick, our late friend Richard Fincus, and I took it upon ourselves to watch him very, very carefully hopefully catch him in some act that would get him put away. Watters has since left town and hasn't been seen in Livermore for some time. But Nick was probably the most diligent of the three of us. We didn't accomplish anything beyond making Watters nervous, but at least we got the word out that this guy was dangerous and bore watching. Nick and I have been friends ever since. I also told another story about Nick in an earlier posting...

Nick was raised in Livermore. He's been here all his life, graduated from Livermore High... and is homeless... and will become, like myself, a criminal on March 12. It's pretty much a done deal. By the look of things, the council will vote it in 4-1...

Staring that reality in the face is frightening... it's a little surreal...

Carpet Bombing

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

There was a little fear on faces this morning as the announcement came regarding the Urban Camping Ordinance to be submitted to the city council this evening. Urban Camping, according to the ordinance, involves anything down to laying down a “bed roll” on public or private property, with a $100 fine on the first offence, and a $300 fine and/or up to 30 days in jail for the second.

The City Council will receive the Ordinance at tonight's meeting at 3575 Pacific Avenue, the Mobile just beyond “The Barn.”

This affects every single homeless person I know. If passed, we all become criminals...

The issue I am specifically taking against the ordinance is this; that it makes the “use camp paraphernalia” unlawful.

In the ordinance itself, Camp Paraphernalia is defined in this manner:

“Camp paraphernalia” includes, but is not limited to: bedrolls; blankets; tarpaulins; cots; beds; sleeping bags; tents; hammocks; items used for cooking food; or any other equipment used to “camp.” Camp paraphernalia also includes other personal effects when used or stored with camp paraphernalia as described herein.

I first heard this was coming down the pike a couple of months ago, that Police Chief Harris was working on it and would present it as soon as it was ready.

Well, here it is... and Chief, sorry, I had hoped this would be a little more targeted against those who are a problem, instead of what amounts to legal carpet bombing... Use of a blanket is a criminal offence? Really?

This said, the city needs an ordinance to keep some of these problem camp sites from getting established. It has to happen. Speaking with Mayor Marchand a while back he noted that there were certain places that there would be zero tolerance for Urban Camping, such as the Arroyo Mocho. Many of you may remember the disaster that was the camp site just north of In and Out Burger on the Creek at North Livermore and I580. There was another, less conspicuous, but equally disastrous one a little east where a fire broke out and, rumour has it, where meth was being cooked... (Considering who was camping at that site, it would be consistent with their history...)

One of the local land owners described that site to me as a “Squalid Garbage Dump.” Another person I know said “There was no place to stand (without standing in garbage)”.

At the same time, nobody has ever counted the number of homeless who are also employed here in Livermore. And, though there may be such a survey, I've never heard of anyone counting employed homeless on any level, National, State or Local. Those of us who are working get lumped right in with those who... well... cause problems... with this ordinance.

I shouldn't be surprised, actually. Most volunteers who help the homeless lump us all together anyway... we're all the same so far as they're concerned. If you've followed this blog at all, and yeah, I know I've not written a word in a long, long time, you'll know I hold a very different view.

Just so you know, you cannot “Look Homeless” and get a job. You certainly can't “smell homeless.” I always get a kick out of people who tell me “You don't look homeless!” How many homeless people, who are not flying signs or wearing scraggly beards and filthy jeans would you recognize?

I was looking at the sad, haggard face of a friend of mine this morning. He's wondering what he's going to do if this passes... He'll lose his job. He'll have to leave town, most likely, and where will he go? He's been here his whole life.

I had nothing for him...

The Ordinance can be read as part of the current City Council Agenda on Page 40 of that document.

Taxi John?

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

A friend of mine, I'll call her Miss C, came up to me this morning and told me of something she saw last night which had her flaming angry. She told me the story and I stood there wide eyed not knowing what to say...

“You want me to write about this?” I asked.

“Of course!” Miss C told me. “Why not?”

I had to admit, I was completely enthralled with her little tale, and I would have written of it. But there really is nothing like a first hand account. And so, I had her write about it and this is what she sent me:

I was finally warm, my tummy was full and my eyelids were getting very, very droopy. It was time to go retrieve my "woobie". For those who know me, my "woobie" has become quite the talking point! And, yes, I do get a lot of kidding about it - it's a huge, furry 15LB leopard blanket - just one of those comfort things that reminds me of home.

So, out I went to get the darn thing and in pulled a van.

Hmmm who is this? Well, what do you know, a Persian or Arab gentleman was driving and tried to explain to me that he was a taxi driver and dropping of a woman. It just didn't seem right. No markings on the otherwise normal looking van, no phone numbers, and the kicker was she wasn't being asked to pay a fare. Too boot, she got out barefoot! In this weather - please! You've got to be kidding me!! What a trick - no really!

The joke was on me - this was no normal taxi ride - it was a "John" letting out his "Trick" What the hell?? No way! No smelly ho's, no johns - just no! As many have read previously, there have been a few "issues" at the warming center and we are all on our very, very best behavior. In fact, a couple ladies have taken it upon themselves to provide "security" at center -one of them being me.

One lady takes the early evening hours and I take over at night due to my chronic insomnia! So far it's working well. We've busted a few for smoking out front and another for going in and out in the back to smoke during the quiet hours between 10PM and 6AM! Slamming doors and the arctic breeze that follows is unacceptable.

The best part of this is that the volunteers back us up - no questions asked.

So, when Tricky entered the building I was right behind her and notified staff what was going on. Tricky was promptly told she wasn't staying, but would be shod (she was barefoot) and fed and would need to make other arrangements for somewhere to sleep. Good enough!

I never thought I would need to say this but JUST A SHOUT OUT TO THE JOHNS IN THE TRI-VALLEY - DO NOT DROP YOUR STINKIN' HOS AND TRICKS OFF AT THE LIVERMORE HOMELESS REFUGE! LEAVE THEM WHERE YOU FOUND THEM!! AND IF YOU CAN AFFORD TO DO THEM, THEN PAY THEM A LIL BIT MORE TO GET A ROOM AND A SHOWER!

Between the Cold and an Ugly Place...

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

“It's this close to closing!” Said Mickey this morning. She was standing up in front at Vineyard Christian Fellowship holding her hand up with thumb and forefinger less than a half inch apart.

She was talking about the Warming Centre. It would seem there's been even more drama than I expected with fights, people drinking in and throwing beer cans around and neighbours getting very, very upset. By all accounts, the inmates are running the asylum and the volunteers have little control, and they've just about had enough...

I do hold the volunteers themselves responsible. A homeless community (I use that term loosely, it's really not anything resembling a community) with so many drug and alcohol addicted folk aren't going to respect any boundries unless they're firmly enforced. It's simply not going to happen. Those at the Warming Centre refuse to do that, so they're losing control, and this year, apparently, it's worse than ever.

And who will lose? Those who respected the rules. But that's nothing new... the problem isn't that people don't know what's going on. The problem is the lack of authority keeping these things from happening in the first place.

Those of us who follow the rules have no authority, no power, and not any recourse to solve the situation other than to leave, and a few of us have done just that. Permanently.

But suppose your there. It's forecast to be 28 or so degrees tonight, and it's been bloody cold all day long. You're going to have to endure it, or freeze?

No, you don't have to freeze. Not if you're prepared.

Keeping a kit that will help you survive the bitter cold isn't all that difficult. You do, of course, need a decent sleeping bag. You probably have one, but if you don't, ask for it if you can't buy one.

Mylar space blankets. You wrap yourself in those inside your sleeping bag and will keep your body heat in rather than escaping.

Layering clothing. Yeah, you'll sleep in your clothing, so might as well make good use of it. Layers will be a huge help.

Chemical Hand Warmers! If you can get your hands on them, that is. They're not expensive, and they generate heat. They're also easy to carry and to deal with. Simply unwrap them, shake them vigorously, and put them in your socks (or, better, between the two socks you have on each foot).

Another hint is this: HYDRATION!

If you allow yourself to become dehydrated, that means blood is thicker and can't move through your body fast enough to warm up your extremities. That means cold hands and feet. Drink water! Lay off the coffee. Yeah, I admit, I only remembered this last Thursday when my feet were like thick blocks of ice at the end of my legs in the morning... lesson learned!

My own sleeping kit is this: a tarp (reflective on one side), two blankets and a sleeping bag. I do have a couple of Mylar blankets stashed but have yet to need them. The tarp and the blankets are there to keep the ground from stealing all my body heat. The blankets are protected by the tarp, and I'm protected by the blankets. Know this, the cold ground will leach your body heat faster than anything and do it right through your clothing. It's imperative that if you're outside, you either get off the ground, or find a way to protect yourself from it.

I anticipate that my friend from my last blog won't be the last one this season to turn his back on the Warming Centre. If things are as out of control there as everyone is saying, it's got far worse since. Just so you know, if the Warming Centre goes away, and people seem to think it might, it's not the end of the world!

Be safe out there!

A Safe Place..?

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

As I mentioned in my last posting, Adam Parris is in jail. When I wrote it, I said I didn't care why... but I can't resist... it just so happens he went into Mr. Pickles on 4th and South Livermore, grabbed their tip jar, and ran off with it, and was soon caught. Oh... he also got a contempt of court charge on him... and, I believe, it was a probation violation... wasn't that for battery? I last saw him at the Warming Centre a week ago Monday on the third night it was open... a few of us had a good chuckle over his... less than smart behaviour...

Well... I gave it two weeks, but it seems I was optimistic, I guess... The Drama at the Warming Centre has started already. What's interesting is that there isn't more authority there, it seems, there's less...

A few days ago, a friend of mine was threatened with violence and bodily harm in front of several witnesses by this new cat in town named Eric. My friend left, and swears he will not be going back as he informed the volunteers and nothing was done...

So much for a safe environment...

Adam Parris was also there last week. Known thief that he is, picked up one woman's phone and began playing with it as if it were his own... she gave him a verbal smackdown, and it wasn't lost, but Adam Parris wasn't asked to leave...

I've spoken before about tolerance and how it puts the innocent in a bad position or even in danger... nobody seems to have listened to me, and so, the Warming Centre has become more about putting up the bad people and letting the good people sleep in the cold. For those of us who can take that, it's okay. But then there are those who are simply ill prepared to face weather that is, while still in the upper 30s at night, not exactly warm weather.

How is it I keep hearing about these incidents? People tell me about them for this reason: they know I'll take them seriously enough to put it out there. When I put it out there, at least people begin to speak of them openly. Never mind that I'm not exactly popular amongst the homeless because of my willingness to do this. I simply don't care.

But it's not like I haven't put this out there before. Funny how it's the same players, over and over... Adam Parris was a subject of that blog as well...

I don't understand what it is that people don't get about rewarding bad behaviour and punishing good behaviour. That's exactly what's been happening, and I've seen it over, and over, and over again.

The Warming Centre was opened up for the first time this season less than two weeks ago, and the volunteers have already, through toleration of obscenely bad behaviour, alienated two people who have historically been very supportive of it.

Could it be that what we're seeing here is how homeless shelters in larger cities become such dangerous places?

All one has to do is google “homeless+shelter+dangerous” and you'll get a host of links to various articles on the kinds of things that happen in large city shelters.

But the warming centre is tiny! I'd estimate that the average numbers last season, I could be wrong, were less than 30 a night at the Warming Centre. It did, of course, fluctuate quite a bit. But that really isn't that many people to manage, especially when there are those present who are willing to stand up for what is right in the face of those who are abusive.

You'd think it would be a simple thing to identify those who are, in fact, causing the problems in the first place through theft or threats, or whatever, and deal with them directly... but it has not, historically, happened save for in the extreme, or unless someone gets loud enough to call attention to a real problem...

But this leaves us with a very big question... if the Warming Centre is not a safe place... what value does it have?

Okay: HUDDLE!

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

You know it's cold when you see the homeless lining up early, as in before 7AM, at Vineyard Christian Fellowship on Monday Mornings. They tend to mosey in when its warm. The shower list doesn't begin to get long till about 8:30 over the summer. But when it's cold, the hope of getting somewhere warm is at the top of their priority list. Once Mickey and Rick show up, they rush in. And that shower list: you better be there early if you want to get out before ten!

Even Pat's wife Judy commented as she arrived: “Wow, there's so many people here!” Sixty when all was said and done. They ran out of Biscuits and Gravy pretty durn quick. Of course, the biscuits and gravy they serve there, when they do, is better than anything you'll eat at I-Hop.

Two mothers, one with two young daughters and another with four young children were also there this morning. I haven't really spoken with either of them, so I don't know their stories. All I do know is that I've never seen women with young children here on a Monday Morning. By young, I mean younger than seven.

Princess Paul, of course, got in the shower first, didn't help out setting up at all, and was demanding when it came to how his Biscuits and Gravy were served to him... someone should cut him a generous pay-check just for gracing all of us with his presence...

And I received good news in that Adam Parris is back in Santa Rita. Who cares why? He's out of circulation so all y'all's daughters are safe, for the moment. Last week he was seen over at the transit centre surrounded by teenagers dealing controlled substances, which he does quite a bit. I could check to see if that's how he got nailed, but I really don't care. He's getting three square meals a day and has a nice warm bed... I just hope he finds true love there as well...

Another indication it's winter is how social everyone becomes. Everyone seems to talk to everyone else and share stories about this and that... or the odd conspiracy theory... repeatedly...

I watched my friends Janet and Elvis push Mark Waller's wheelchair into Vineyard this morning. Now, Mark is a bad-ass. People who know him can attest to that. He was hit crossing First Street in front of the Livermore Casino in a double hit and run last week. One car hit him, and when he tried to get up, another one hit him, putting him in the hospital for a few days.

Forget Mark's history for a moment (and he does have a history... it's just not relevant here). But know that living homeless with those kinds of injuries is about as punishing as anything I can imagine.

For those of you that don't know, the Livermore Casino is just beyond the Railroad Overpass on First Street on your way out to Springtown. The crosswalk there is one of the most dangerous places to be a pedestrian (or on a Bicycle). Mark was hit crossing the street in the marked crosswalk. The way he tells it, he went over the first car, then when he went to get up, a second car hit him. Both fled the scene. Mr. Mayor, if you happen to read this, I asked you a question about Speed Traps a while back... can we PULEEZE have them back? East Avenue and First Street are getting out of control... Besides... the city needs money, doesn't it?

Even so, Mark's in pretty good spirits. In his condition, he's unlikely to get into any mischief which will make a few I know smile... you can't help but like the guy when he's being personable. How he's managing I have not the first clue. I suppose, like everything else, you just accept it and do it...

With the Warming Centre open, a lot of those who aren't working are gravitating to it. Last night it was, as all weekends, at First Presbyterian. Tonight it will be at Holy Cross Church on Mocho Street and will be for the next three weeks (Monday through Friday Nights).

As with the last time I had a job, staying at the Warming Centre becomes something of an impossibility for various reasons. My friend Ricky is the same. Pat likewise. Mike and Tina as well... For those who work it becomes a sleep deprivation chamber.

What's interesting is I asked my friend Dan if he'd been staying there, and he told me he and his wife were more comfortable in their car.

Fewer are going there. Saturday night only seven stayed, though it was more last night, twelve, I'm told. It would have been thirteen except for one idiot left in a huff because someone cleared his plate when the tables were cleaned. Minor dramas by those who consider themselves entitled are common as one might expect.

To those who have disappeared, we're worried about you. Max was one, though I did hear he spent time at the warming centre a few nights ago. Others have moved on. But when someone we know around here disappears the lot of us have one of two reactions: “good riddance” or “intense worry.” It's often “good riddance” but there are those folks who we can at least hope are doing well...

Mickey is trying to get a contact list together with phone numbers and/or email addresses just so folks can keep in touch a bit better... those of you who are out of touch, you do cross our minds...

The homeless of Livermore have officially started their winter huddle. I give it two weeks before the real drama starts...

It's Getting Colder

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

I considered calling the cold the harbinger of a big, homeless group hug... but that would imply too much cohesion. The homeless are not cohesive by any stretch of the imagination. But it does tend to force the homeless together.

This morning (Monday, November 18th) a whole lot of faces most of us hadn't seen in months, and in one case, years, arrived for showers and breakfast. Some of them came from the Warming Centre, where they stayed the night at First Presbyterian Church in 4th and L Streets.

Mickey and Rick Kundert were the lone volunteers there when I arrived shortly before eight, and the place was already full and the shower list long. It wasn't long before some of the other volunteers joined them, but the couple were as busy ever getting things ready for the rest of us as Shower Nazi Doug did his part...

I got to say “hello” to Joey DeLaRosa, who looked very well and healthy after a bout in the hospital and some other troubles. As ABG guided me through rebuilding my bicycle wheel... that's a story in and of itself... Joey and I managed to make each other laugh... perhaps because Angelmarie couldn't stop punching me...

Joey had stayed at the Warming Centre last night, and I had visited it yesterday evening. Bob and Donna McKenzie fed everyone there with gourmet vittles delivered by First Pres' Crock Pot Brigade. Those are church members who make extraordinary home cooked meals for the homeless when it's open on the weekend, and on the weekend, it's always at First Pres. There's never been a bad meal served there.

Bob and Donna have assumed the responsibilities once held by Sandra Chesterman. Sandra, understandably, has moved on. Forget the tragedies that fell down upon her and her family for a moment and understand that she was one of the most giving and tolerant people I have ever met. Few were as taken advantage of and punished for her generosity the way she was. She was stalked, harassed and had insane demands made upon her by the very people she was trying to help. It's astonishing she was able to continue doing what she did through all of that as well as the horrible beating of her son Daniel back in February. The tragic loss of her daughter Kristina this past September, however, has completely refocussed Sandra's reason to be on family and honouring Kristina's memory. She is missed terribly by many of us.

With Rain coming this week, it's expected to be open. The hardest days for many are those days when the forecast has the temperature just over 40 degrees, which means the Warming Centre won't be open at all. But rain usually means it will be, assuming there are enough volunteers.

And there lies a particular problem, according to Bob McKenzie. He told me last night they're short eleven volunteers this season, and are having a whole lot of difficulty connecting with anyone willing to sit in, especially on the difficult Mid-Watch, which runs Midnight to 3:30am.

Last year it wasn't a huge deal simply because Sandra would fill in whenever there was a vacancy... well... yeah... Not happening this year and Bob's hoping there will be others who step up to the plate.

What's funny is this: there are more than a few homeless people who would be willing to do that watch if there was some other place, and some other time they could sleep! That's one of the problems with being homeless, finding a place to sleep at all. During the day, that's simply a non-starter.

But, if you're interested in helping out, please do by going to the Livermore Homeless Refuge Website.

As this evening there will be no Warming Centre, the homeless once again gather in the Livermore Public Library to stay out of the cold... one, of course, was notoriously intoxicated Bob Newton, who managed to make enough of a nuisance of himself to get the police called on him... being drunk and disorderly in the Library, not a good idea, Gang! And, yes, Bob is still camped out in the Butterfly Garden... He seemed to think his freedom of speech was being violated shouting “You Can't Have an Opinion Around Here!”

In any event, I have to go to work tomorrow,... and other than Bob, all seems quiet... I don't expect that to last long, but for now... it is...

Yes, my friend, Tweakers are Thieves... Is What It Is...

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

Is it just me, or are half the homeless out here on Meth?

My bike got knocked over last night violently enough to have a spoke broken. I repaired that this morning. Thankfully, I've learned to keep spares in the seat tube.

But yes, I had it out with a tweaker who I'd got along with since I'd known him. And yes, I knew he was prone to spurts of destructive “acting out.” It's interesting to me that the average tweaker seems to revert to the mentality of a toddler much of the time.

But I was also ticked off at my friend who the tweaker had victimized. He'd loaned him his EBT card and his bicycle, expecting them to be back in his hands in short order. To be fair, my friend has a bad set of legs. I know something about that with a knee that does go out now and then. So I guess it's understandable that he'd send his EBT card off with the tweaker in order to get some food... not smart, but understandable.

Well... I'm certainly not the only one who noticed things “loaned” to this particular tweaker had a habit of going missing. There was, as I recall, a laptop computer and a metal detector. These were “loaned” by someone who isn't all that reliable (not my friend) and has trouble keeping track of his own stuff anyway... it makes him an easy target.

But not long ago my friend's campsite was trashed, and it seems the tweaker himself swore it was the police. Was he, in fact, rifling through my friends things looking for something to sell?

My friend called me...

Oh... you'll notice I'm not using names. Normally, I would, but there are potentially real crimes going on here...

Anyway, my friend called me and told me what had happened. Asked me to keep an eye out for the tweaker...

And speaking of Tweakers... Adam Parris is around again... saw him yesterday morning as the Library opened.

...anyway, the tweaker (not Adam Parris) was at the Library in the evening as I arrived there from work, and I confronted him about this whole issue between him and my friend.

I could not believe what he told me, though I should have known he had that kind of guile, to tell me he was a meth dealer and not only that, he was my friend's meth dealer...

Now, you may think: How do you know your friend is NOT using meth?

Well... I don't. I do not know. What I do know is this: Meth users tend to have a distinct set of behaviours which include high energy and rapid fire speech. My friend has neither, nor have I ever known him to have either except when he's single-mindedly performing a task he's good at... but Meth users are almost never single-minded. So, if my friend is, himself, a tweaker, he sure isn't like any tweaker I've ever had the misfortune to meet.

So, I called my friend back, and told him the tweaker was here, I asked him if he was going to call the police... well, my friend doesn't trust the police the way I do, and I was not a little upset with him over that, but that is what it is... I brought the phone to the tweaker and went to hand it to him so my friend and he could have words... The tweaker was sitting with two other dubious looking characters outside in the library courtyard... not sure what was going on there, but I had never seen the other two before.

The tweaker turned at me in a flash and batted the phone out of my hand. We had an argument, which included the tidbit about his dealing meth, I went back inside the library, and later came out to find my bike had been vandalized...

Oh well...

But what's interesting to me is that the tweaker actually told me to my face he dealt meth. Now, does he really? I don't know. If he does, why is he stealing bicycles and laptops and metal detectors...

Even so... it bears watching... and I'm sure there are at least a couple of Livermore's finest who will be interested...

Losing Tommie's

For me, personally, the world just got a little colder. But loss is not something new to me, and I'm sure not new to many of you.

Tommie's Café closed for the last time today (Sunday, October 27th) at 1pm. I arrived shortly after four to find Tommie and Kelly Van Fossen sitting inside with their youngest daughter Juliana chatting about this and that. Juliana, who is a precocious 13, was asking a lot of questions typical of hyper intelligent girls her age, demanding clarification on just about everything and which her parents patiently answered.

Tommie invited me in, and I sat with the three of them. Looking around, I couldn't help but notice the bare bones of what had been, simply put, the friendliest business I've ever run across.

“Whoever moves in here,” I told them. “They have mighty big shoes to fill.”

Kelly thanked me for that, but I said it with sincerity of someone who benefited from her kindness and generosity. I wasn't the only one.

Remembering that Tommie's Café was attached to the Livermore Library, there's a certain type of clientèle one must expect. Intensely intellectual people, people who work out of the library, and the bottom of the barrel. I fit into the latter category, of course. But Kelly welcomed all with open arms and a huge smile on her face. One of the things she demonstrated the most was empathy and one of the things she demonstrated the least was patience. She has the patience of Job. She'd never let on that she's being patient with you unless you knew her well enough to read her... and that takes time.

Tommie's Café had its cast of characters. I suppose I was one of them. The village idiot, as it were. But if we had to compare it to the popular sitcom Cheers, the cast of characters included the very popular Norm, the ever so eloquent Frasier when he was married to Diane, and the Bar-Know-It-All, Cliff Claven.

The three wonderful women behind the counter were Super Woman, Take No BS Ever and, of course, Mrs. Soft Hearted herself... that would be Kelly... oh, and lest I forget, the soon to be Lady Professor had recently returned...

When Steve Sweeney was still Chief of Police, he'd often show up early in the morning right as Tommie's opened and grab a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee. Since his retirement, he'd still pop in from time to time just to catch up with her and others there.

Tommie's was as social an atmosphere as anyone could imagine. Local Historian Anne Homan would frequent and sit with just about anyone who was interested in chatting. There were no shortage of those.

Kelly very often showed how much she cared for the people who were “Less Fortunate”. She'd always allow people to come in out of the cold, give hot water, sometimes a free cup of coffee or even a sandwich to someone who was hungry. There are those who took advantage of that generosity, of course.

Kelly very rarely found it necessary to turn anyone away. But like a lot of kind hearted people, she was sometimes punished for her tolerance and generosity. I won't sully this piece with details, but, suffice it to say, there are those with such a sense of entitlement that they actually became abusive when they didn't get a freebie from Tommie's.

For my part, Tommie's gave me an anchor. Kelly graciously allowed me to help her out most mornings. I wouldn't do very much. I'd pull down the chairs, do the ice if necessary. Take out the trash in the afternoons sometimes. I'd carry stuff in from her car and maybe fold rags if they needed folding. If I spent more than 15 minutes doing any of this any one day, it was a rare thing. It gave me a reason to get up in the morning and have a place to go and be motivated to face the rest of the day. And no, Kelly did not need my help, but I think she recognized I had a need, and she very graciously allowed that need to be filled. She'd reward me with a cup of Dutch Chocolate Coffee each morning and since I started my new job, it has been a fabulous start to my day.

Of Tommie's patrons, Pat, and Joe, and Tish, and Yvonne and all the rest of you... I'll miss all of you. All of you know what it is we just lost...

In that little corner hole in the wall, just to the right of the Livermore Public Library main entrance, someone will bring a new business at some future date... I've no idea when...

And yes, they do have some mighty big shoes to fill...

Hacking Away...

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

I've been called an “untutored, undisciplined hack.” “You're the best writer on the Patch...” I've also been told. I take both with a grain of salt. I particularly love the first one, especially considering the source.

One responder to one of my blogs said the following, and I took it as a very sincere, if backhanded, compliment: “Christian, maybe you should consider working for Animal Control or maybe be a reporter and get paid for articles or even write a book. Seems like you have a lot of energy that can be harnessed to pull yourself out of homelessness. Unless of course, you want to be homeless - still figuring that one out.”

Want to be homeless... Haysus... does nobody pay attention?

Okay, I do have a casual friend who is a reporter. Not a Television Reporter, mind you, but a print reporter. He has a university education and is struggling financially. Print Media are not in the best of shape, and I highly doubt one of them is going to hire a non-college educated writer who's self taught and homeless. And becoming a Best Selling Author... wow... Jeopardy Answer: Pipe Dream... the question: What do you call the magic pill an idiot thinks he's going to swallow to make life better? Scroll down to the bit about The Messiah in This Piece.

I write because I truly enjoy writing. That's all there is to it. I find it a great way to communicate ideas to people. I don't get a dime for doing any of this. Sometimes I get paid with a death threat... which have become so numerous they're now passé... unfortunately. The adrenaline rush I experienced the first few times was exhilarating! I kinda miss that...

But, damnit! I can't believe there are still people who read this damn blog who think anyone wants to be homeless! On what planet would a sane person believe this? I truly don't want to do a repeat of the blog I posted about the Simple Joys of Being Homeless.

Being homeless is TOUGH! It's not an easy life!

I cannot ever sleep in, I can't work at night, because if I do, there's no place for me to sleep... and that's terribly difficult for me, because I the wee-hours was always something I truly enjoyed in the past. Having a job while being homeless makes it challenging to get a shower. I manage, but others have a very difficult time.

Off the top of my head I can name six friends who are employed and homeless in Livermore: Gary, Frank, Ricky, Rosemary, Pat and Jaime. Some of the unemployed homeless are also very energetically doing volunteer work.

What amazes me are unemployed people who shun the types of jobs held by those I just mentioned.

For instance: I've seen people who are facing homelessness who see that freight train coming down the tracks and can't seem to get out of its way. I spoke to a woman today about that. She's out of work, but shuns jobs paying near minimum wage because she couldn't support the house she has with it... Well, sweetie, when that unemployement runs out... being jobless isn't going to support that home either...

I know a nurse who was making six figures who is now homeless. A NURSE for crying out loud! Bet she loves being homeless... if anyone has the prospect of getting out of being homeless it should be her, right? You would think those great job benefits Nurses have are going to take care of her... right? Not in her case... When you're overextended, you're vulnerable.

Why don't you rent a room? I have been asked repeatedly. The answer is: because I'd be spending more than 80% of my income on renting the least expensive room for rent. That, and I'd be living with someone I do not know, and have no idea what kind of situation I'm walking into. And the backup plan is to go back to being homeless? I'll stay here, thank you very much, if that's the fallback... why bother?

Parleying a hobby into a career is something I did do in the past. I'll not get into it, but I was, at one point in my life, well paid for the freelance work I did in a field I entered as a hobbyist. That fell apart when the industry I worked in accelerated too fast for me to keep up and I had to change careers.

Now, I work as a maintenance man and a clerk for a local business. The hours are good, the pay is good for what it is, and I'm managing. It's a job I coveted for a very long time ever since my last job went away. I am more than grateful to my boss for it.

I am one of the working homeless. I chose not to feel sorry for myself. I chose to be happy with who I am and I choose to live in the real world.

The notion that somehow I could write a best selling book, or turn this supposed writing skill into some kind of magic solution to my own homelessness is... well, it's fantasy. For those of you who tell me I have this amazing talent as a writer, thank you, that's very kind.

But I still enjoy, very much, the notion that I'm an untutored, undisciplined hack...

Sometimes "NO" is the Best Mercy

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

Sometimes the word “No” is the most merciful thing one can say.

This last week the Livermore Independent published a very interesting article this last week by Ron McNicoll titled Libraries Are Recourse for Homeless (Thursday, October 3, 2013)

From that article:

(Livermore Human Services Director) Prashure said that she also talks to (Livermore) Library workers about such things as how to deal with someone who is unruly , or has “not taken a bath in a significant amount of time,” which might draw complaints from other library users.

I'm not going to name any names today, but if you frequent the Livermore Public Library, you know exactly who Ms. Prashure is speaking of.

On this very morning, this man did, in fact, take a shower. He was given fresh clothing and politely asked to change his cloths... very politely... for about the 100th time this year. I can't count how many attempts there were last year. But, when he came out of the shower, he still wore the same things he wore going in... it was not pretty, though it was... fragrant!

While we're at it, why don't we politely ask alcoholics to stop drinking and meth addicts to stop doing meth...

I told one of the volunteers about it, and her response: Pray about it...

Okay: Lord God, you are the great teacher and the great provider of wisdom... please help these volunteers get a clue... in Jesus' Name, Amen!

I started this blog largely out of frustration for exactly this sort of thing. Everyone who's followed it knows it's about bad behaviour... is stinking to high heaven bad behaviour? If you're invading a small room with lots of people in it: YOU BET IT IS!

But this particular man has problems. He's very quiet, peaceful, and keeps to himself. He rarely speaks. When he does he usually utters one or two words at most. What caused him to become this way, I can only guess. Nobody seems to know for sure. Last season at the Warming Centre, Bob and Donna McKenzie called an ambulance for him, and he refused to get on it even thought he'd suffered some sort of seizure. The Ambulance Crew could not act. Nobody had any power to do anything.

Christians act out of compassion for the individual. It's their mission. What is usually left out of the equation is compassion for those around that individual. Everyone else can go to hell and suffer because we must all have compassion for that individual... and this is where the vast majority of Christians and I part company.

Compassion is counterproductive when you allow anyone to inflict harm upon themselves or others. Was it Christ's message to let this go on? Really? Someone show me where in Christ's message rest of us have to tolerate it at any level.

At what point will this man be told to change into clean clothing that doesn't reek to high heaven or leave?

The problem has made the front page of one of Livermore's most respected news outlets. I've seen post after post to this blog from people looking for a reason to complain about the homeless and bring the hammer down on the lot of us.

Well: here's an excuse!

Forgiveness and compassion are just dandy... but Christ said: Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. (Book of John 8:11) How long before it's appropriate to tell someone “No More!”?

To all you people out there who have kept us alive and clean and clothed, thank you! Do not mistake me, you truly are doing the Lord's work.

Mayor Marchand on the Homeless

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

Mayor John Marchand is nothing if not a disarming, engaging and astute conversationalist. I have seen him several times at Tommie's Café and, more recently, at his State of the City Town Hall in which his engaging speaking skills were on full display. When a private meeting with him was offered, of course I took it, and scheduled one for the afternoon of Friday, September 27th.

Maybe I'm not being clear enough in conveying how disarming the Mayor is... first, he showed me a painting by Tilly Calhoun, who was a cousin of mine, hanging on the office wall. He showed me an ancient Fire-Engine Red Coke machine he had in the conference room we used... who told the guy I like old stuff? He also made it very clear throughout our conversation that he was quite familiar with most, if not all of what I'd written over the course of the last few months... I wasn't going to get away with a whole lot in this conversation...

The Mayor took issue with a couple of things I'd done. One was beating up on LPD... we had an amicable disagreement over that. LPD Guys (and Gals), I'll remind you, you have always had my respect, and you always will. Mayor Marchand reminded me that LPD has been doing yeoman's work fighting crime lately... which is certainly true, all you have to do is go through he Police and Fire section of the Livermore Patch to see this. (Just an Aside: here's a brilliant piece on being a witness by Mayra Flores)

The other issue was that I have written that the city does nothing for the homeless...

He gave me a sheet describing things being done with federal money aimed at the homeless. Two things I noticed in it. The first was Abode's Hope Van, which shows up once a week at Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

The other item on the list involves a $900,000 Federal Grant (which certain people think they're gonna get a piece of) to prevent families from becoming homeless. Keeping families from becoming homeless is certainly a noble endeavour, but I have not nearly enough knowledge on the subject to even begin an intelligent conversation on it... read: no knowledge.

Abode is what it is, a government funded non-profit that provides medical services. Wonderful. We also have AXIS over in the Multi Service Centre on Pacific which is probably funded in some similar manner.

I stand corrected.

What seemed to concern the Mayor greatly is funding the Status Quo. He made it clear he doesn't want to do that. Finding real solutions would be high on his priority list if he could identify them...

Sorry, Mr. Mayor, if I knew, I'd share it with you, but I can make some suggestions that, hopefully, won't cost the city a dime more than it's spending now.

The first is this: Keep discouraging permanent camp sites. Mayor Marchand spoke of how anyone camping along a water way, such as Mocho Park, is simply unacceptable. It creates a health hazard. Yeah, being homeless is hard, but it's possible to be mobile even if you don't have a car... how often do I have to repeat this? Every encampment we spoke of had always become a disaster in short order.

Two: Please make it clear to Livermore Residents that giving money to people flying signs finances substance addiction! It's also the biggest single attraction for out-of-town homeless. If people want to give, there are plenty of more productive ways to donate money. If people have the gumption, they could volunteer at the Livermore Homeless Refuge, which needs volunteers far more than it needs money.

Three: Encourage those groups helping the homeless to set strict behavioural standards. When standards are laid down, people do tend to rise to the occasion. Sure, they'll grouse about it, they'll complain and they'll whine... Mr. Mayor, it would so tickle me to hear you say: “Just feed 'em some cheese and tell 'em this is the way it is!”

And last, but probably most important: Encourage those helping the homeless to engage the homeless themselves in community service. I can't stress this enough. When people get used to performing a task, they tend to become productive.An object in motion... yeah, you being a Scientist, Mr. Mayor, you don't need me to remind you of this axiom. I see a lot of cigarette butts and other trash in Carnegie Park... and who was talking about Livermore Residents picking up trash a couple of days ago...? Hmmm?

The Mayor told me something that impressed me. He worked in a Library while attending University and had to deal with some of the vagrants in it, which I'm sure was very pleasant... not... so he does have experience at this level. He's seen the ugliness and bad behaviour first hand, which is a good thing. Couple this with the Mayor's new policy of community engagement, and I think his office has set course in a very positive direction.

What Mayor Marchand alluded to throughout the conversation was that problems with the homeless always involve Behaviour... Uhm... where have I heard that before?

No matter...

We did not have time to speak of the real economic barriers that keep the working homeless homeless. That's something that... well, I certainly can't imagine what would solve that outside of massive amounts of government money... and that's proven disastrous...

BUT... Mayor Marchand has been thinking...

...and what he's been thinking about is having another Town Hall on Homelessness sometime in the future. It has no set date, and may not happen for a few months, but he seemed very enthusiastic about it, and is likely terrorizing his own staff with the idea as I write this in his brilliantly engaging way...

Once again, Mr. Mayor, thank you again for seeing me. It was very much a pleasure

The Policeman is your FRIEND!

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

Some nights classic things happen. Wednesday evening I attended the Mayor's State of the City Town Hall which was surprisingly enjoyable, I must say. But Michael Harris, our new Police Chief, was there and I'd wanted to introduce myself to him since I'd heard he'd taken over the job and I had a question or two to ask him, but that's neither here nor there.

My friend Robert and I were hanging out outside the Library after the event and I noticed Chief Harris was speaking with a woman inside still, they were the last two in the room and I thought it would be a great opportunity to have a word. Fabulous, right? Right!

Anyway, so my friend Robert was looking at me sideways as if I was plotting something horrible... c'mon, Robert, Really?

No matter... eventually, with the library about to close, one of the staff came in and probably informed the chief and the woman of this, so, they came outside. I took that opportunity to introduce myself and he excused himself to continue his conversation with the woman.

Robert and I went off a few yards away to let the two of them complete their business...

Now, Chief Harris is built... he's tall, and looks to be a pretty powerful guy. I'm 5'10”, not tall, but he towers over me. His uniform enhances this effect. Plus he was wearing what appeared to me to be a field uniform complete with his piece on his belt, nevermind the four stars on his collar, he looked like a well groomed Patrol Officer who could easily handle whatever.

So, Robert and I are waiting patiently, and up strides Nick. Nick is former Air Force, and also tall, but lanky. He's wearing his seabag on his back, probably about fifty or so pounds of stuff he carries, and there we are... Nick is the only Nick I've ever mentioned in this blog. He's a close, personal friend and one of those people who truly gets it... but for a moment, just a moment, things got... well, funny.

Now, imagine, you see a couple of your friends in the distance. Between you and them is a Police Officer talking to a well dressed woman, with Robert and I looking our dischevelled selves sitting on the bench a few yards behind.

I wished I'd had a camera. Nick's face went visibly pale and seemed to elongate at once. He stopped dead in his tracks and appeared as if he was about to turn around and hurry away.

It was all Robert and I could do to keep from busting up laughing.

Poor Nick obviously thought we were in some kind of trouble... of course, his experience is this, any time the police are around any of the homeless, that's what it usually means.

In any event. Chief Harris said goodnight to the woman and approached. I re-introduced myself and introduced Robert and Nick, then posed my questions to the Chief.

Just so you know, Chief Harris was very gracious to us and very personable and my impression of him on a personal level is favourable. I hope I have opportunity to speak to him at length at some point.

I think I took about ten minutes of the Chief's time, we said goodnight and he left for home or whatever business he had, and Robert and I proceeded to tease Nick about his reaction to the circumstance.

Nick... you and I already agreed, the Policeman is your FRIEND! Don't forget!

A Prayer for Kristina

At 11PM, Monday September 24th, Sandra Chesterman posted this on her Facebook page:

Feeling an unbelievable, unimaginable loss right now. At 11:04 pm last night my beautiful baby girl Kristina was struck by a 19 year old drunk driver while she road her bike in the bike lane home from study hall at CSUChico. She was less than one block from home. The driver just left her in the road to die and went on to crash into 2 more cars (no others injured) then stumbled into his apartment and passed out drunk. Kristina Chesterman suffered major head trauma and is not expected to survive. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Why do bad things happen to good people? Even the best people?

How much can one family endure?

Last night, Kristina Chesterman was struck by a drunk driver after, I am told, an evening class in Chico. She has been hurt so badly that her chances of survival are not... they're just not good.

Kristina's mother, Sandra, and her father Dave, are likely in Chico at this moment holding vigil and hoping for a miracle.

If you've been paying attention, you'll know that Kristina's brother suffered a brutal attack in Chico earlier this year while he was visiting Kristina.

Sandra and her family are... well, they're the best people. I count Sandra amongst my friends and I'm very proud to call her that. I've met Kristina only a few times, but I remember her as a vivacious, beautiful young woman with a caring soul who supports her mother well in Sandra's efforts to serve the poor and the homeless.

Your prayers are requested for the miracle that is so desperately needed. I don't know the details, but Kristina's injuries are said to be terribly severe and very life threatening.

Thank you all...

KRCR News Story

Patch Story by Mayra Flores

What? No GIFT CARD?

Homelessness for Stupid People

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

I'm on Twitter. Yech, yes, I know, I'm going to Hell! Please don't beat me up! But I'm subscribed to a lot of Activists for the Homeless who tweet amazing things about how these huge programs are going to solve homelessness... I'd love to wake these people up from their fantasies...

There's a frequent blog responder named Special Ed who these activists should probably talk to. He wrote the following:

“I've written in the past that I am one of those who is perfectly willing to give whatever I have to help people who are trying to help themselves. It's the abusers that annoy me. I know that I should not be judgemental but I'm not perfect and quite honestly I'm more than a little fed up.”

Wrong, Special Ed, it's okay to be judgemental. In my less than humble opinion there's not enough of it going around... I've seen plenty of what it is you're talking about. If these attitudes that create the kind of behaviour you're talking about are not corrected, nothing will ever get solved.

I mentioned, in passing, in a previous blog how Keith And Nancy, a married couple that used to sit on The Rock in front of the I580 Safeway told volunteers that the volunteers needed to pay their rent because the volunteers simply hadn't done enough to help Keith and Nancy. Keith and Nancy are just that deserving. That happened some time ago, and as many little incidents that have happened since, I've let a lot of those fade away from memory. This blog would have twice as many blog postings if I chronicled all of them.

More recently, Mariah had a birthday. Mariah isn't homeless. She's doesn't even live in Livermore. She lives in an apartment near BART in Dublin. But she shows up at Vineyard most Monday Mornings and most Thursday Afternoons.

It's easy to feel sorry for Mariah. She had some sort of accident which left her with some brain damage. She's obviously lonely, and her motives for coming to where the homeless are probably have a lot to do with some need to be around people... but I don't read minds, that's conjecture.

Mariah gets a whole lot of sympathy from the volunteers, or has in the past...

Anyway, it was her birthday this last week...

My good friend, I'll call this person The Former Masochist (TFM), was thoughtful enough to buy Mariah a cake for her birthday... I saw the cake. It wasn't an inexpensive cake, and it was more than enough to share with a lot of people. TFM was already unhappy with Mariah, since Mariah had given TFM a list of items TFM needed to bring Mariah for Mariah's birthday... I can't remember them... I just remember it being something of a frivolous list of expensive stuff.

Later that day, TFM gets a text from Mariah telling TFM that TFM had “ruined” Mariah's birthday with that cake! RUINED! It was all TFM's fault that the rest of Mariah's day went to hell, and TFM didn't even include a gift card... THE NERVE!

Over the years I've seen this kind of thing in a lot of pre-teen and young teenagers (and some older teenagers) who treat their parents this way. It's the parents job to give the kid anything they want all the time no matter what or there's hell to pay... NOT! I hope any parent reading this gets what I'm trying to say here... overindulgence is just... wrong.

One of the things that I do take are shirts. I've had most of my shirts for well over a year and I take good care of them. Mickey Kundert and Bob and Donna McKenzie both run clothing lockers on two different days. It's something they do very well. One of the things Donna will do is this: every time she finds a shirt that's “my style” (button down plaid) she'll save it for me... I haven't taken one in some time. I just haven't needed them any. I love those that I have and hope to keep the for some time to come.

But there are certain people who are so used to getting free stuff, free services, free everything, they seem to have come to expect it, as if it's a right they have. All you have to do is show up, no effort is required! Just enjoy!

Mariah is one of abusers that fits Special Ed's description. TFM told Mariah “I'm done with you!” this week to Mariah's face. I was there! That's why it's “Former” and not “Current” Masochist! I was so proud of my friend!

So, Special Ed, TFM, in the end, had to be judgemental in order to end the cycle of abuse by Mariah. Mariah's not the only one who's abused TFM, but a lot of that is coming to an end as well. TFM's experiences, I'm betting money, probably mirror yours.

I wish I could put Special Ed, TFM and some other volunteers in front of a bunch of bound and gagged activists and force them to listen instead of pontificate and seek to spend everyone else's money... that would be so much fun to see...