Whether by coincidence or design, the Modesto Police Department (MPD) waited until after the February 2 election to roust illegal “campers,” otherwise known as people without homes, from Beard Brook Park last Thursday. The sweep, the second within a few months, forced people to take down tents, gather what belongings they could carry, and leave the park, at least temporarily. Even during the sweep, city workers were making mock bets […]
Search Results for: homeless
Homeless Facing Winter Crisis
Most of us have welcomed our rainy December and recent temperatures below freezing. The rain means a chance to begin replenishing lakes and reservoirs and the cold weather means snow in the mountains, a harbinger of much-needed spring runoff. But for the homeless, the wet and cold are nothing less than life-threatening. Last week’s heavy downpour caused the creek to rise in Beard Brook Park, soaking many homeless people’s belongings […]
Faces of the Homeless: Matt
Several weeks ago, when Matt Payne showed up at Beard Brook Park with a black eye and a face full of cuts and bruises, word got around that he’d been beaten by the police. Even though few knew why, everyone knew he’d been in jail and only recently gotten out. Matt had been known to use methamphetamine, and most people probably assumed he’d been busted for something associated with drugs. […]
Homelessness—the Numbers Game
Take a country—any country—and destroy its manufacturing base by sending jobs overseas. Make sure no alternative job base develops. In the same country, see that wages, including the minimum wage, remain static for almost forty years; further reduce jobs through automation, computerized information systems, outsourcing, and downsizing. Simultaneous to job and wage reduction, in that same nation raise housing costs. Raise the costs of education exponentially. Make sure energy costs, […]
Rousting the Homeless
Joe Scalfani’s motorized wheel chair went off the cliff right before the big sweep. What happened was Fidel was trying to help Joe after thieves had taken Joe’s shoes and backpack while he was sleeping under the eaves of the park restroom. When Joe woke up, his stuff was gone and his chair was low on power. Fidel, who had a small tent, told Joe he could stay near the […]
Scottie and Mary: Homeless in the Storm
Back in September when we interviewed him, Scottie Shovelski at least had a roof over his head. Things changed for the worse two weeks ago. Severely disabled, Scottie has said he blames himself for his, “failure to make progress.” For the last couple of years, he’s spent his nights at a local shelter. During the day, he’s had to fend for himself on the streets. Recently, he lost control of […]
Homeless: Who is Mary Baca?
After over a month on the streets, Mary Baca still has her nice watch and amethyst ring. That’s probably because she was lucky enough to wander into a park where Phil Ham and his long-time homeless friends often spend their days. At sixty-two years old, Ham likes to joke that Mary, fifty-four, is too old for him. “I don’t go out with women over thirty,” he says. Nonetheless, when Mary […]
Meeting About the Homeless
No one really expected the two recent town meetings about homelessness in Stanislaus County would produce immediate solutions. Newspaper accounts have stressed the anger and frustration of local residents as they see their streets and parks overrun with people with nowhere else to go. Many are ready to write off the homeless as low-life addicts, thieves, and vandals. But the real story may be among those who’ve managed to listen […]
Faces of the Homeless: Carl, Part IV
With its high poverty and unemployment rates, the San Joaquin Valley has a larger homeless population than the nation as a whole. Even so, most homeless people aren’t outside longer than a few months. The exceptions can include those who routinely use shelters, work at least part time, and have small incomes. The canners are atypical. In her study of homeless recyclers in San Francisco, Teresa Gowan found them independent, […]
Faces of the Homeless: Carl, Part III
When Carl Wolden hit the streets of Modesto late in 2004, he was embittered and angry. He had never gotten over the injustice of paying child support to a woman who used much of the money for hard drugs. After making $31 an hour in his job at a major auto parts firm in San Francisco and making decent money in the Alameda shipyards, he found it increasingly difficult to […]