If Willie McGinest had not made local news, would not know he is a Long Beach resident, Poly High graduate, USC star linebacker and played with the New England Patriots during three Super Bowl games. According to Karen Robes Meeks, Press-Telegram Staff Writer, McGinest's company, Wilmac Enterprises is negotiating to redevelop a piece of Long Beach land.
Article says: "...the lot was a former recycling center that drew homeless people and drug dealers."
I am one of those homeless people that utilized that particular recycling center. I no longer recall how many of my homeless peers I saw when I was turning in my aluminum cans. Clear recollection of a guy, Frank, that reminds me of a little elf.
Taken offline were my posts about canning. Is canning better than panhandling? Most homeless seemed to think it was better to earn money recycling than to beg for spare change from strangers. Honorable?
As for drawing drug dealers, doubtful. The surrounding neighborhood most likely was home for some of the dealers. Computer time up!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cold Case Squad
Edna Buchanan is a Pulitzer-Prize winner ~ police reporting, Miami Herald. That may be why her murder mystery fiction is so readable. There is nothing funny about murder and crime, yet some scenes in Buchanan's Cold Case Squad made me smile. Funny bone especially tickled in scene involving characters named Nelson and a cop, Santiago.
A character in Cold Case Squad has a volunteer job at a homeless shelter: "...folding donated clothes, unpacking and sorting food donations...". "The homeless shelter is down near St. Luke's church, not the best neighborhood."
Another character visits Miami looking for her father who she has not heard from in years. "She hit every homeless shelter, every bar, every jail and flophouse."
Those quotes up memories from my homeless in Long Beach days. St. Luke's played a major role in my story ~ stuff taken offline now ~ do not consider L.B.'s St. Luke's to be in a bad neighborhood however. Thought of Eddie when reading about the lost father, presumed homeless.
This is the kind of day, where if I had Internet at home, could easily fill this blog with posts, just with thoughts from reading Cold Case Squad.
A character in Cold Case Squad has a volunteer job at a homeless shelter: "...folding donated clothes, unpacking and sorting food donations...". "The homeless shelter is down near St. Luke's church, not the best neighborhood."
Another character visits Miami looking for her father who she has not heard from in years. "She hit every homeless shelter, every bar, every jail and flophouse."
Those quotes up memories from my homeless in Long Beach days. St. Luke's played a major role in my story ~ stuff taken offline now ~ do not consider L.B.'s St. Luke's to be in a bad neighborhood however. Thought of Eddie when reading about the lost father, presumed homeless.
This is the kind of day, where if I had Internet at home, could easily fill this blog with posts, just with thoughts from reading Cold Case Squad.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Thank You!
Thank you to person who purchased product from My Zazzle. This mug morphs to all black when hot liquid is added. It has picture of flower my mother took in her garden. Do not know where my very few customers come from, always appreciate the small commission. I designed this mug for myself; perhaps I will buy me one.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Ice Maiden
Mentions of too many civilians shot by Miami cops included "a homeless Vietnam vet" in Mystery novel, The Ice Maiden by Edna Buchanan. I vaguely recall some of the other mentions as being real life events.
"He'd asked for a dime and she invited him home for dinner." I imagine the man the elderly woman invited to dinner was homeless. A dime? Inflation. A dime could pay for a payphone circa 1970 and perhaps still could buy two Hershey candy bars. The man who she invited became her boarder, hence my assumption he was a homeless panhandler (versus a homed beggar).
Brief mention of "...an inner city church where clothes were collected for the poor and the homeless fed." Miami much different than Long Beach, I imagine. The churches I volunteered to prepare/serve meals and also stood on line to receive them were not exactly "inner city" but at least one of them did indeed collect and distribute clothes in addition to serving meals.
After a woman's home was broken into she thinks it might have been "...just some crackhead, or drunk, or homeless person looking for a place to crash." A crackhead may have had burglary in mind. Doubt a homeless person would try to break into an occupied home to find a sleep spot. Yet the woman did not want to feel she was a target for more sinister reason.
Homeless people I have known, do indeed pick or break locks of vacant homes. And seemed almost 97% of my peers smoked crack and/or drank alcohol.
"He'd asked for a dime and she invited him home for dinner." I imagine the man the elderly woman invited to dinner was homeless. A dime? Inflation. A dime could pay for a payphone circa 1970 and perhaps still could buy two Hershey candy bars. The man who she invited became her boarder, hence my assumption he was a homeless panhandler (versus a homed beggar).
Brief mention of "...an inner city church where clothes were collected for the poor and the homeless fed." Miami much different than Long Beach, I imagine. The churches I volunteered to prepare/serve meals and also stood on line to receive them were not exactly "inner city" but at least one of them did indeed collect and distribute clothes in addition to serving meals.
After a woman's home was broken into she thinks it might have been "...just some crackhead, or drunk, or homeless person looking for a place to crash." A crackhead may have had burglary in mind. Doubt a homeless person would try to break into an occupied home to find a sleep spot. Yet the woman did not want to feel she was a target for more sinister reason.
Homeless people I have known, do indeed pick or break locks of vacant homes. And seemed almost 97% of my peers smoked crack and/or drank alcohol.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Spirit
It is a better thing by fart that the lad should break his neck, than you should break his spirit. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson ~
Came upon the quote in a novel recently. Reminded me of my first days treading the homeless services road. This is not jail, was my thought about shelters, yet it gave me a good taste of what our prison system does to people ~ breaking spirits. Needed, perhaps, to gain control of an unruly population?
Monday, November 09, 2009
Unknown Means
Checked out Unknown Means by Elizabeth Becka because it was dedicated "For my sisters, Mary and Susan, my friends, my support."
A book quote: "She nearly hit a very wet man with an overfull grocery cart." Homeless man? Most likely; pouring rain, thunderstorm, after 3AM, driver runs red light when she almost hit the man. He makes a fist, yelling at her "...don't I have enough problems." That could be a scene straight from real life street life.
The next quote simply reminded me of recent days:
"I have neighbors prone to insomnia. They deal with their wakefulness by watching TV."
"They never choose tender romances or sound tracks with gentle music, no, they are addicted to action adventure themes replete with car chases, explosions, and a great deal of shooting. Surround sound."
I do not know that my neighbors have insomnia, but their TV, music, banging, talking at all hours past 10PM sure causes me insomnia nights. Becka's description could be exactly what I said about one neighbor's taste in movies. Real life explosions, that may/may not be gunshots and those pop-pop-pop noises that may/may not be fireworks, makes being awake, agiated, jumpy due to his TV war movies even worse.
A book quote: "She nearly hit a very wet man with an overfull grocery cart." Homeless man? Most likely; pouring rain, thunderstorm, after 3AM, driver runs red light when she almost hit the man. He makes a fist, yelling at her "...don't I have enough problems." That could be a scene straight from real life street life.
The next quote simply reminded me of recent days:
"I have neighbors prone to insomnia. They deal with their wakefulness by watching TV."
"They never choose tender romances or sound tracks with gentle music, no, they are addicted to action adventure themes replete with car chases, explosions, and a great deal of shooting. Surround sound."
I do not know that my neighbors have insomnia, but their TV, music, banging, talking at all hours past 10PM sure causes me insomnia nights. Becka's description could be exactly what I said about one neighbor's taste in movies. Real life explosions, that may/may not be gunshots and those pop-pop-pop noises that may/may not be fireworks, makes being awake, agiated, jumpy due to his TV war movies even worse.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Cure for Modern Life
The Cure for Modern Life by Lisa Tucker involves a homeless boy and his three year old sister. Oh, Mom is homeless too, addicted to drugs which is what caused the family to the streets. Although the boy and his sister are a major part of the story does not dwell on their homelessness. Because the plot involves homelessness, did not copy any quotes for this blog.
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