4 Homeless Men Murdered

4 Transients were killed in two weeks in Los Angeles county according to L.A. Times "The Homicide Report".

I guess it is important to list Terry Williamson, 29 as a black man who was stabbed by two Latino men. (Monday May 5, 1:30AM, 2001 Cedar Ave.)

Juan Ortiz, 31, is listed as a Latino man and was shot near the intersection of PCH and Anaheim Street. (Thursday May 1 2:20PM)

Harold Loftis, 69 year old white man who died from "blunt-force head trauma" in Northridge. According to the police he was pacing at a bus stop when a Latino man approached punching him in the face. (April 14 10PM)

In Florence, 23 year old black man, Troy Green, Jr. was shot and killed. "Green was homeless and had recently moved from Clearwater, Fla. He was a paranoid schizophrenic whose symptoms had surfaced only a few years before," (Saturday April 26 9:50PM)

Living on the streets the homeless community becomes a community of it's own within the larger community. People come and go without notice. When news of a death spreads via the homeless grapevine, we always wonder if it is someone we know. The blog showed a photo of Mr. Loftis. He looks real familiar to me. Did our paths cross? Hard to say. The paper said he was from Tennessee.

Seldom know more than another homeless person's first name. Street names are often used. Even given personal information, it gets lost from the brain quickly. My early routine was to record everyone I met; but I soon discarded the notes. When I tried to redo them from memory, I would not be able to remember details, names or faces. As mentioned in another post, out of nowhere a person's face will pop to mind or a name or memory.

Met a lot of Harold's or Harry's on the streets. And Tom, Dick, Joe, Bob and Dave. 69 year old white men; long term homeless men who spent most of their homeless days in Los Angeles; some would be around town a day or week or two; others would come and go. Some, like Kevin, I knew from my homed days. Sonny I knew too. Not his name, he was not friendly. Just a fixture on the streets of Long Beach.

Safety in numbers is why homeless usually hang with a crowd and stay in one area. Murder is always a threat. Rape also, especially for the females. That is why I never understand the laws prohibiting sleeping in vehicles. Just a bit safer to sleep in wee hours of the morning or night.