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.