Craig dishes on a number of topics: the “night crawlers” who stole another of his bicycles; police harassment; the shameful homeless situation in America, and drug and alcohol abuse…

Expressing himself openly regarding his predicament, Mark does not hold back his contempt for the powers-that-be, whom he believes have very little regard for his humanity, or respect for his property. We’ll leave it at that for now, and also thank Mark for sharing his musical talents…

It’s a Hard Knock Life

I used to bump into Lydia and her partners on Broadway Street during the years 2007-2009. Big Gulp cups of liquor took the edge off life on Skid Row, and they’d move up to Broadway Street when they preferred to pass the day somewhere less violent.

image

Consoling one another while talking about a fire that had destroyed most of their possessions.

image

Evelyn demonstrates a stabbing they witnessed on Skid Row earlier that day.

image
image

Lydia and another friend.

Craig recalls the December 29th crackdown which left him and the other members of their encampment cuffed and jailed, in what appeared to be an arbitrary enforcement of laws pertaining to trespassing on public property. Today, Craig is back where he started, square one, after last week’s Caltrans clean-up took away virtually everything he owned.

Craig White recounts his most recent misfortune; having his possessions taken away by Caltrans workers charged with maintaining the on- and off-ramps of California’s freeways. His story is unfortunately all-too-typical of the dysfunction that only wreaks more havoc in the lives of many homeless people.

Community meeting “Homeless Not Hopeless,” organized by Laura Rathbone of EqualityMovement143. Northridge, CA, July 28, 2017. Attended by representatives of non-profits, political officials, local business interests and private citizens including the homeless.

Skid Row in the 1990s

image

So the city couldn’t see this coming?

image

So the city couldn’t see this coming?

image

So the city couldn’t see this coming?

image

So the city couldn’t see this coming?

image

So the city couldn’t see this coming?

When Woodland Hills residents announced a protest march against the influx of homeless, and especially what they describe as aggressive panhandlers/drug addicts in their community, a counter-protest was organized in response. One thing I took from this event today was the over-emphasis on drug addiction, through the many signs saying “panhandling supports addiction.” It is an oversimplification, and ignores the reality that you could also print signs that say, “gainful employment supports addiction,” because there are many more drug-addicted people who have jobs and are not homeless. Do we accuse those employers of “supporting addiction,” and insist they fire people until they kick the habit? It is just a disingenuous and convenient issue for NIMBYs to hang their fear and disgust on….

Lynda Zazanis has paint on her clothes, a folk artist who works her nail polish brush into Jackson Pollack-like frenzies on all manner of glass and ceramic wear. Soon after having her first showing in late May at a municipal art walk in Van Nuys, she was living on a freeway offramp. A woman yelled out her car window as she waited for the light to change, “I know you, I saw you at the art walk!” It’s something pretty cool for an artist to be recognized in public. But, there’s much more to Lynda’s story….

MUSIC VIDEO: (beautiful) faces of homelessness