Episode 43: Oceanside CA: The War On The Poor
“War leaves nothing else if not destruction and displacement. If you consider this statement true, what are we engaged in currently? One, the war on the poor. Who are the heroes in this war? The military? The police? Who were made to be the villains? The Unhoused community. Join us for episode 43 Oceanside CA: The War on the Unhoused.”
INTRO
THEO HENDERSON : Good afternoon! This is Theo Henderson for We the Unhoused. We are here not in Los Angeles, we are here in Oceanside, California. Behind me you can see we’re next to the library and not too far off is City Hall. As you probably have guessed, We the Unhoused is investigating the Unhoused crisis here, all over the California area. And Oceanside has offered some interesting insights thus far. So at the beginning of the episode, what I noticed when I came in was very different from the other places I’ve investigated. For example, Santa Cruz has San Lorenzo Park, Los Angeles has Echo Park and Unhoused all over and scattered and also very visible, along with the Special Enforcement [and Cleaning] Zones (SECZ). Oceanside doesn’t have Special Enforcement Zones, but they have camping and anti-camping signs all over. For example, there’s no bathing here, there’s no offer of services that would be provided for Unhoused to sleep or camp around these areas. And it seems like it’s heavily enforced, but what I’ve also seen is that a lot of the Unhoused seem to be in constant motion and movement, maybe they’re going to services? Or maybe there’s a tacit understanding that they can’t stay in a place too long.
The contrasting thing is across from us near the bank. There are a couple Unhoused people who have set up shop to stay. This is the first of many, first time I’ve seen any Unhoused person that’s actually resting a lane down, but I don’t see any of the police officers coming to arrest them, and I don’t see any LAHSA (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority) services, and I definitely don’t see sanitation like I saw earlier in other episodes that come to do CARE (Cleaning And Rapid Engagement) sweeps. So this episode provides a lot more interesting things, how each place deals with their houseless crisis. This is Theo Henderson from We the Unhoused, and I’m gonna take you on a journey of Oceanside. Yes, it’s near the ocean and yes it’s near picturesque areas, but each place has a character and community as well as a personality that they give. So what personality did they have against the Unhoused here in this community? We’re going to find out. May we again meet in the light of understanding.
INTERVIEW with PATRICIA in OCEANSIDE
THEO: This is Theo Henderson from We the Unhoused. I’m here in Oceanside, California doing my exploratory interviewing skills, as well as investigating how the Unhoused are treated here in Oceanside. And in our studio today is a wonderful, kind-hearted person by the name of Patricia. So let’s welcome her to our show and get her story. Hello, Patricia!
PATRICIA: Hello.
THEO: How long have you been out on the streets?
PATRICIA: 7 years now.
THEO: I’m out on the streets 8 years haha! So, you beat me. How did you end up on the streets?
PATRICIA: Well, I lost my job, then my mom moved away.
THEO: I’m sorry to hear that.
PATRICIA: Then a mugging on the street, then my identity got stolen, someone steals my wallet, it’s got my birth certificate, social security card and my I.D.
THEO: Oh my goodness. From my own personal experience, I’m from Chicago, and COVID-19 has made it really difficult for me to get my birth certificate. The reason why? No one is in the office. Even if you do have money, in Los Angeles, in order for me to get my social security card, I’ve got to have 2 forms of legal identification. And the rules in L.A. don’t apply to the rules in Chicago. They don’t care what it is, they’re gonna follow their own protocol. So I can’t get my social for that very reason, which also inhibits me from getting the housing I need because of the rules that are already in place. Are you facing that same situation?
PATRICIA: Yes, I am.
THEO: I would have asked, as I always ask this first question, what was it like the first time that you were on the street? What did you fear and feel at that time?
PATRICIA: Oh my gosh! I have to take myself back. [Long pause] I was scared. I was like a lost puppy.
THEO: How did you cope with it? For me, I walked all night.
PATRICIA: Yeah, that’s pretty much what I did too.
THEO: You know, the next night I was so tired, I was trying to find a place. But I heard so many horrible stories, and then, too, I was trying to face the reality that this could possibly be happening. So the next night, guess what I did?
PATRICIA: What was that?
THEO: I got on a bus! I stayed on a bus! I couldn’t walk anymore, ’cause I was freakin’ tired. I got to find a place I could just rest, and then guess what I saw? A lot of people that were on the street were sleeping on a bus. Particularly in L.A. with the bus that runs all night. What was that like here?
PATRICIA: Well, for me, I didn’t sleep on the bus. I was more of a “Sprinter.” So I would stay up all night, I just walked around, you know? And I would try to find a corner somewhere, you know, in the light. They say, stay in the light. So I’d go in a corner and just shiver, you know, as long as I could, and then when I couldn’t take it anymore, I’d look at the time, and once it’d hit 3 o’clock, I took my butt right over there to the Sprinter.
THEO: Hahaha what’s the Sprinter?
PATRICIA: The Sprinter is a train that goes from here to Escondido.
THEO: Ohh, there’s people that do that, too, here in Los Angeles. I started to stay at Santa Monica. But people don’t tell you that you can freeze your butt off. Because at night, it gets freaking cold. All that wind, that rain. How do you survive when it rains out here?
PATRICIA: Trying to seek shelter any way you can. A lot of people, a lot of the homeless people get together and, if they have money, they’ll all pitch in together and get a hotel room.
THEO: That’s smart.
PATRICIA: They’ll just shack up in the hotel room, you know, until —
THEO: It’s beneficial, you guys get to use a shower, get your TV on, and things like that, so I think that’s an excellent idea too. How long does that usually last?
PATRICIA: ’Til the money runs out, pretty much!
THEO: Haha I understand. Do they have — ’cause we have in Los Angeles — Project Roomkey out here?
PATRICIA: I’m not that sure about Project Roomkey.
THEO: They may not have it here. In Los Angeles, we have high cases of COVID-19, and one of the issues is that they didn’t want to use the hospitals where it’d fill up with Unhoused people. So what they and activists suggested down there in Los Angeles, there’s a lot of abandoned buildings, a lot of abandoned hotels, they’re not at full capacity like here. And they could put the Unhoused in the hotels, and they could feed and take care of them until they get their housing situations straight. But unfortunately, NIMBYs (people who believe Unhoused people should live “Not In My Back Yard”), they resist that, they hate that. They feel like it’s “free stuff,” and they feel like they shouldn’t be allowed the same diginities that housed people get. Do they have any Project Roomkey out here like that?
PATRICIA: Not that I know of, from my experience. I’m sure they do somewhere. I know Interfaith, they do a lot for people. I had sought shelter one time, but I had to go to San Diego. It was Rachel’s Women’s Center.
THEO: Ohhh, there’s some interesting experiences. Lots of people don’t like shelters because 1) it’s almost like prison, and 2) it’s like it restricts you, it restricts your movements. For example, imagine you had your own autonomy, and you have, like in Project Roomkey, a 6 o’clock curfew. Who in the heck wants a curfew? Because they’re grown adults, not children. So why should someone dictate, like we’re in prison? And we’re free! Hahaha! I don’t wanna volunteer to go to prison if I don’t have to! I didn’t break a law, so why in the world would I want to be going to a program? And when you don’t wanna go, they say you’re “service-resistant.” People who are saying that, they don’t have the balls to run these programs or get in these programs themselves to see how it is. They’re always the cowards sitting around pontificating about these kinds of nebulous claims. What would be the best way we could help you? You’re a kind-hearted person, and I know that this is not the life you want to lead, so what would get you on a good track?
PATRICIA: I was told, about last week I think it was, and I’m just now getting around to be able to do so, but I was told that if you are having trouble getting your I.D. or your birth certificate that, if you know at least 2 people who have an I.D. who can verify, to say, “Yes, this person is who they say they are,” then the republic will notarize a paper stating, “Yes, this person had verified that they’re who they say they are.” They can take it, for $10, and go to the DMV or the birth records, and they can get —
THEO: So this is what would help you jumpstart? Are organizations like Interfaith and them willing to do that for you?
PATRICIA: Yes!
THEO: Oh, that’s wonderful! I’m so happy to hear that, because everyone needs to be in a place. With the rain in the next few days, and actually next week as well, I don’t want anyone out here suffering like this. I stayed out in the rain in Los Angeles. It is very, very hard to stay dry and warm in a frickin’ — it’s like, it rained practically 2 weeks all day and all night, and it’s very difficult to sleep because once you get a little slit, then it’s like, BAM! And then you’ve got to make sure your stuff ain’t wet, and then you’re cold, and then you don’t wanna smell. How can you keep your stuff clean?
[inaudible off-camera]
THEO: It was hard, man! Los Angeles is very, very aggressive against people trying to find a nook or cranny. They’ll call the police on you for looking crazy. So that’s a sad reality. Have you guys — because I’ve seen police around, and I see them around the areas where the Unhoused are — are the police bothering you guys, or talking to you, or trying to tell you that you can’t stay some places?
[inaudible off-camera]
THEO: So they give you guys tickets? How do they expect you to pay it?
[inaudible off-camera]
THEO: Hahaha so you put it on a Christmas tree, ’cause there’s nothing they can do about it? That’s horrible, lots of wasted time and taxpayers’ money. They coulda spent all that time trying to get you guys places to stay! Have you been facing this as well?
PATRICIA: Yes, I have.
THEO: I’m sorry to hear that. I see the RVs over there, does the City or your neighbors get upset when they see you guys around?
PATRICIA: Not necessarily, they kinda get used to it. We just do our own thing, you know? We don’t bother them, we don’t go near their vehicles or touch anything, we don’t throw clothes and stuff around. We kinda just keep our distance and keep our area clean, and it’s usually OK.
THEO: This is very interesting, because I’ve been trying to compare and contrast how it looks here. I noticed another thing that at least in L.A. they would not do, is they don’t like the Unhoused on the beach. If they see you guys on the beach, they’re running out to get you. They’re arresting people, things like that. I don’t see that kind of thing going on here.
[inaudible off-camera]
THEO: It’s going on?
PERSON OFF-CAMERA: Of course it’s going on. [inaudible]
THEO: OK, that’s smart. So they don’t wanna cause tension on themselves. It makes a lot of sense. I was smart, because I knew, when I was, I heard them leave, so they wouldn’t be able to pinpoint me. Because you know, you got the neighbors that are taking pictures and running up on you, all that crazy —
PERSON OFF-CAMERA: [inaudible] They are not who you think they are.
THEO: Oh really? You guys are giving me an education here. I know L.A., I can’t say I know well about Oceanside, and I’m glad that you guys are giving me the 411 on what’s going on. What would you think would be helpful to Oceanside, how could they help all of us in this kind of predicament? What would they need to do?
PERSON OFF-CAMERA: [inaudible]
PATRICIA: We have a number 211 that you could call.
THEO: And 311 to call if they see encampments in Los Angeles. That’s how they’re dealing with the situation.
PERSON OFF-CAMERA: [inaudible]
THEO: But there’s no numbers for us when they bother us! But that’s another — that’s what the City doesn’t wanna talk about. They align and support those kinds of groups.
PATRICIA: Right. Any time when the homeless people have some kind of situation, like if it’s gonna storm for 4–5 days, people will request them to call 211 and tell them that you don’t have shelter or anything like that. They will pay for your room to stay in.
THEO: Ohh well at least that’s a creative way, but they could do that a little longer than when you can’t stand the rain! Because most people don’t wanna be sitting out here freezing, flooding themselves, drowning or dying of hypothermia.
PATRICIA: There are situations that could possibly take place where you can get food, and they had pantries. If you need clothes or shoes, transportation, any kind of medical condition and stuff, they give you all the information that you need for all that.
THEO: Oh man, that’s wonderful. Again you’ve educated me on what really goes on here. We have different activist groups in Los Angeles, like Street Watch, LA CAN, and those kinds of things because the criminalization of Unhoused people was so good, that we have to stand up and stop them from putting us out in the desert, which they’re still trying to do. Get us away from society, so we can just die! There’s so many issues. With the pandemic, they’re living out, like families with infant kids, in parks and stuff. It’s very very sad. So where does most of the Unhoused — is there any park here? That’s another thing I noticed, you guys don’t have a park! Not that I’ve seen.
PATRICIA: There’s one off of College, I think. From what I hear, you’re allowed to camp over there.
THEO: Oh, really? I have to check it out then, I would love to look into that. Patricia and, sorry I didn’t get your name, sir — Barry. Thank you very much for giving me your insight into it, and I am going to be milling about a little bit more. I’ll come back again, ’cause I’ve gotta go to San Diego another time, and I will interview you guys hopefully to check to see how you are doing. Thank you very much, this is Theo Henderson from We the Unhoused, and I hope you all are listening, learning and meeting in the light of understanding. It’s our ultimate goal.
UNHOUSED NEWS
THEO [at a graveyard]: This is Theo Henderson from Unhoused News. The top story today is, San Luis Obispo held a memorial service and vigil for the Unhoused that have perished during 2020–2021. One Unhoused member who was employed as a dishwasher had given back to the Unhoused community by handing out meals, and with meals that connect, and as a dishwasher.
The Unhoused that have died during this pandemic, and before this pandemic, are exhaustive. This does not include an exhaustive list, but here are a few: Carlina, she died this month of cancer; Mississippi, he passed away from a fatal fall; Joe, he died of cancer as well; Christina succumbed to substance usage; Jessica, she passed away from anaphylactic shock; Misty, she died from an unknown illness, as well as Bongo; John, he attempted to cross Highway 101 and got hit by a car; as well as Alishir, who attempted to cross the Highway 101 at night. These lists are not exhaustive. As of today, we have over 160 Unhoused people passed away in L.A. County, and they’re still counting. 4 a day die in Los Angeles, and this point is to illustrate, where do they go? Most Unhoused people go here after they’re cremated and not claimed, and they’re being buried in unmarked graves or mass unmarked graves with a marker on it.
THEO [at ACLU building in L.A.]: This is Theo Henderson for We the Unhoused, and this is Unhoused News. [Oceanside] City Councilmember Chris Rodriguez is asking for the enforcement of criminalization on the Unhoused community in Oceanside, California, using vouchers to provide the pretext for police to cite Unhoused people who he claims are uncooperative. The Unhoused person has a choice between taking the voucher or being arrested or cited. In other news in Oceanside, the brushfire reignites the blame on the Unhoused community in Oceanside, California. Mayor Peter Weiss blames the Unhoused. “If you’re Unhoused and want to get help, we have programs to help.” Michael Mcconnell says the lack of sufficient funding and mental health resources leaves the state in a precarious position. Currently Oceanside uses $3 million of resources a year on Unhoused people. And this is Unhoused News.
INTERVIEW with MARY in EL PUEBLO, LOS ANGELES
THEO: This We the Unhoused exclusive deals with a further story on the issues at El Pueblo. We had a resident Mary who was gracious enough to invite us in her home, her tent, to talk about her struggles with being Unhoused and being criminalized in El Pueblo. And this is her story. Hello, this is Theo Henderson for We the Unhoused. We have a resident here, and I’ll let her introduce herself. Mary has graciously invited us to explore her home, and she’s one of the residents on El Pueblo. So let’s get her story a little bit, and how she got here, and what insights does she have about living here on the streets. Hello, Mary!
MARY: Hello!
THEO: So tell us a little bit about, how long have you been here?
MARY: I’ve been on this block for about a month.
THEO: Where were you from originally?
MARY: I’m from Lompoc, California, but I came —
THEO: Never heard of it, what’s it known for?
MARY: Santa Barbara County, it’s by the Hanover Airforce Base.
THEO: So what got you from leaving the Santa Barbara area to come to Los Angeles? What happened?
MARY: To pursue my dreams. One of ’em was independence, which I have now. And the other one is music. I’m a late bloomer, but hey! It’s only too late when you’re dead.
THEO: I noticed that you’re playing with the drumsticks. So you’re teaching yourself to play the drums or percussion?
MARY: I’ve played since I was 15, so I’m just fooling around, trying to get attention from someone who might need me.
THEO: Oh, you’re gonna be hired on for your services. What are the instruments you play? You play drums, what other instruments?
MARY: I write classical on piano, I fool around with the string instruments, singing, you know?
THEO: You’re an artist’s artist. You’re not just a one-dimensional artist. What got you into the creative arts?
MARY: I’ve been drawing and figuring out piano since I was like four or five.
THEO: So you were a prodigy?
MARY: I don’t know about that! I just started playing triads and melodies, when I was — you know, my parents had a piano, and I heard the music, and I was like, “OK!” You know, something to do.
THEO: What do you want to do with your musical talents? Do you want to be in a band? Do you want a record? What ideas or dreams do you want to do with the talents you have?
MARY: I want to work with R&B and hip-hop artists. Just R&B and hip-hop music. I don’t know anything about the music business side. I don’t know if I would play with a lot of people or be part of a group. I don’t know how that goes. But if somebody needs me somewhere, they know.
THEO: Can we get a quick demonstration of your skill? I noticed you was doing it —
MARY: You want me to do it on the ground, or on my legs?
THEO: The ground will be great. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Mary’s gonna perform for us. Let’s hear it!
[Mary plays drums]
THEO: Thank you very much! That was phenomenal talent. You obviously have not — this is not your first time doing it, and it’s evidently very clear you’ve got some skill on that.
MARY: [inaudible]
THEO: I guess you remembered the basics!
MARY: I think music keeps growing in your mind, even if you’re not playing. The limbs have to catch up, that sort of thing. If you’re a musician, the absence of the tools doesn’t mean that it’s not developing.
THEO: Well Mary, thank you for that. Will you give us a tour of your place there, of your home, if you don’t mind?
MARY: You want to tour it, or do you want me to explain it?
THEO: I would love for you to be the tour guide for us.
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[they walk into Mary’s tent]
MARY: This is barrier #1, I pull the flaptop tight.
THEO: To make sure no one comes in.
MARY: If they do, it’s a clip and will make noise. Enter at your own risk. I’ve got a door like this, it zips up. Don’t trip please.
THEO: I’ll try not to trip hahaha. So this is where —
MARY: This is an 8-man tent. I was lucky enough to get it ’cause I was living with a disabled man with a walker, and he needed this. But it’s too big for someone, but I don’t do drugs and alcohol in here. It’s hard to find somebody who doesn’t bring drink and drugs around, I just don’t know.
THEO: There’s a lot of pain, a lot of suffering out here too.
MARY: Yeah, it’s survival. But I’m getting what I need from the different people who come around, and there are many kinds of organizations. Churches, homeless outreach, different names, you know? And if it wasn’t for them giving food and supplies, right now with the COVID, where are we gonna get it? I get disability money, but I’m transitioning because I’m not disabled anymore. So, I want a job, I want to work, and I want to work in music, period!
THEO: You know there’s a group I haven’t been regular on, but they have Unhoused and housed people, they have on Zoom. I don’t know if they have artists united basically in homelessness. What they do is, every week they have people on the street and in the street and the housed perform. I’m gonna try to get in touch with you, Mary, and put you in touch with those guys. They do that every Friday, and you have a contact list. It’s better to be with someone musical and creative people, creative things happen! Creative solutions happen. Music and other artistic expression is important in any movement, and this is a primary example. Thank you very much for showing us your home. I appreciate all of us for listening in and listening to your story, and I hope again we meet in the light of understanding! Thank you very much, Mary!
INTERVIEW with MR. HILLBILLY in OCEANSIDE
THEO: Thank you for inviting me in, that’s very nice of you. Would you mind if I sit down? Thank you for having us here. Tell us a little bit about it. How long have you been out like this?
MR. HILLBILLY: Oh, I don’t know. 6 months or so. I went to prison, and when I got out of prison, my stepson had wiped out my finances and sent my old lady over the edge. She just passed last month of alzeimers and dementia. We were retired, we had a beautiful home, we had income, we had everything you could think of having. It all went south in the blink of an eye.
THEO: That’s very true. I too was working before I got ill, and then I couldn’t heal and get better and work, it’s impossible because you’re gonna need time to get things back on track. Here I am in the same situation but trying to highlight it. What was it like when you first realized that you were going to be out on the street. What was your thinking?
MR. HILLYBILLY: I was thinking, what am I gonna do to survive? I’ve got mad skills. When it comes to skill level, I have bosses calling me up even on crutches and a wheelchair to go to work! [inaudible]
THEO: I noticed you have a toolshed here, were you a mechanic or something?
MR. HILLYBILLY: I refurbish apartments, I’m a mechanic. Any kind of construction, I do electrical, I do — this motorhome was given to me by a friend, and he got himself a new one, and this has no tanks, no wires, no plumbing, no anything in it.
THEO: It keeps you out of the elements, that’s one feature.
MR. HILLBILLY: Yes, it does.
THEO: You know, in Los Angeles, they do have something similar, but unfortunately the police criminalize and nitpick on every little ordinance there. I don’t know what goes on here. Is that the same thing that happens here?
MR. HILLBILLY: They come at us about once a week, once every 5 days. Wherever we go, they have code enforcement. Code enforcement will come at us in groups, en masse. And they will boot us out of wherever we are, or they’ll haul ass. They’ll tow anything that’s not registered, they’ll grab, which is something I have a hard time wrapping my head around. They pay these people to come take what little is left of somebody who has nothing to begin with and just completely destitute.
THEO: And to people who are living on the street, as if they’ve got money to just burn.
MR. HILLBILLY: People on the street have little to begin with, and these code enforcement people are just itching to take anything they have away. And then the police try to put ’em in jail. This virus thing has slowed their role quite a bit, so they really can’t come at us as hard and heavy as they’d like, because they’re restricted from putting us in jail. There are populations are way outstanding.
THEO: And it’s growing. Especially like in Los Angeles, so many Unhoused people in cars and the street, you can’t jail everybody! People are becoming Unhoused by the day.
MR. HILLBILLY: I bought that black truck in front of us that has a camper, and I was sleeping on the camper shell sharing space with my welder. Then my friend gave me this place, and I moved into it. But I have so dearly missed my woman.
THEO: I can imagine.
MR. HILLBILLY: We were retired and I had built our house around her. The gardens were impeccable, the house was outstanding. We had six-inch marble Italian tile, and this is a dual-wide mobile home. We had a Magellan refrigerator, the retail on that thing is $9,900. I didn’t have a problem with that! All of a sudden, I have nothing. My stepson wiped out my shed of $75,000 worth of my working tools. They got rid of her car. I’m glad my buddy grabbed my truck, but he thrashed it while I was in jail. I don’t understand how somebody’s son could do that, but um, all in all the introduction of homelessness into my life — I’ve always worked hard and had everything. I’ve had my Harley, my truck, my car, my house, all the amenities of everything. I’ve always had that. All of a sudden, I’m on the street with a broken truck. My grandsons dropped me off at a pick-a-part with a truck that didn’t run and just left me there! That was my first introduction to what homelessness, real homelessness.
THEO: What was your first night like? What did you do?
MR. HILLBILLY: Wrapped up in some blankets, rolled up in the bed of the truck, and went to sleep.
THEO: When you woke up, did you figure out how you were going to go to the bathroom, shower, things like that? What were those steps like?
MR. HILLBILLY: I still don’t have a clue!
THEO: Hahahaha!
MR. HILLBILLY: This has no facilities in it whatsoever. In that regard, I’m the same as the guy out here sleeping in a tent or sleeping bag. You do what you gotta do. You try to make allowances. You try to maintain dignity and honor. If you try, you can.
THEO: You’d mentioned the VA, are you a veteran?
MR. HILLBILLY: Yes, I am.
THEO: Where did you serve?
MR. HILLBILLY: In Vietnam.
THEO: Thank you for your service. Are they trying to help you get a stable place?
MR. HILLBILLY: They made offers of housing and help, but so far everything they’ve offered is a group, a dorm, or it’s been something that, I’m sorry, I can’t live like that.
THEO: Because you’re used to, or is it frightening because of COVID —
MR. HILLBILLY: I’m just an independent soul. My little lady was the only person in my life who really mattered to me, and since I’ve become homeless, you find that there are very few good people out here. The ones that you do find, you got to hold onto. This fella a couple mobile homes up, he’s a friend of mine and has been, we’ve been friends for almost 50 years.
THEO: Wow!
MR. HILLBILLY: He’s in a motorhome, he lost his house.
THEO: I’m sorry to hear that. So many stories, it would take forever, but I’m gonna get as many stories as I possibly can and come back and see how you guys are.
MR. HILLBILLY: We leaned on each other for the last 50 years, back and forth, materials and tools and knowhow and this, that and the other, we all have our specialities. But there are a few of us who are much more highly trained than other ones, and we have the better aspect of it. Because anyone who has problems with their vehicles, houses, thises, thatses, they come to us! Right off the top. They know that we do things, they come to us. We generally get things fixed or moving or whatever. Mechanically that man can make anything run.
THEO: That makes sense. Thank you again Mr. Hillbilly, I thank you for your time, and for your graciousness of inviting me to your home. Once of things I like to talk about, the journalists that don’t understand that we are in your home and have to act like guests, and it’s very important we don’t take that for granted. I try to also educate other people that even though we are Unhoused, we require the same dignity that we would if we had a house or coming to your home. This is Theo Henderson for We the Unhoused, I thank you all for listening, and may we again meet in the light of understanding.
INTERVIEW with ADALIA in OCEANSIDE
THEO: This is Theo Henderson from We the Unhoused, we’re here in Oceanside, California, and we just had a touching story with Mr. Hillbilly, and we have another guest who’s also a Youtube sensation, and we’ll have her introduce herself and give her perspective on living in a unique situation. Hello, what’s your name ma’am?
ADALIA FLORES: Adalia Flores.
THEO: Ms. Flores, how long have you been out here?
ADALIA: Off and on since 2016.
THEO: That’s pretty tough. It’s 2021. How did you end up out here, if you don’t mind my asking?
ADALIA: I’m naturally from Oceanside, locally and naturally born. It’s just, you know, when you don’t have the proper support from either family or close friends, there’s times you hit a rough patch, like with work or, you know, it didn’t work out between you and your spouse, and you end up out here. You don’t really know what it is ’til you hit the belly of the beast. Certain things conspired in my life to put me here, that’s kind of why I have a no-bullsh*t point of view in life, because I’m already at the bottom. I’m tired of being at the bottom. If I keep taking bullsh*t, I’ll stay in the same cycle, you know what I mean? That’s where we’re at.
THEO: That sounds like a fighter, and one who hasn’t given up. What was your first night, what was it like your first time you were out here? Was it scary, or was it something that was eye-opening?
ADALIA: It was an eye-opener. At the time, I had my two daughters, living in a car, and we were living at the truckstop right here off the 5 [freeway], right before Las Pulgas, which is the last exit before you get to San Clemente. It was an eye-opener, almost a slap to the face, because before I had children, I left California coming out of homelessness in 2010, I was out here for a few months, and I was like, “F*ck this!” So I left, I had a few kids. When I decided to be a mom, I never thought in my right mind, I was gonna end up on the streets begging for food for them. I’m begging for money to get gas just to make it from Point A to Point B, because they need a shower and a proper place to sleep. You can’t just post up anywhere. Someone will call the cops and report us, you know what I mean? Eventually it really pushed me to do stupid stuff, to —
THEO: Survive! Basically it’s survival, is all it is.
ADALIA: It’s all it is, but first night was an eye-opener, for damn sure!
THEO: How did your kids take that? Did they realize, or they were too young to understand what was going on?
ADALIA: Too small. My daughters were two and one, and um, you know what I mean? I tried making it as fun as we could. We’d go to the beach. If I had a little bit of money, if I could splurge on them, because my 50, 70, $100 to splurge on them is going to give them the moment I can’t give them everyday in a home. So I’m gonna give ’em a moment, at least if I can, do it right then and there. I’ll go spend $100 on them at Chuck E. Cheese, and a lot of people would say I’m dumb for doing that, and I don’t think I’m dumb for doing that, because I’m giving them an opportunity to jump around, have fun, laugh, play. They can’t do this strapped to a carseat all f*cking day.
THEO: But see, that’s one of the arguments I was having with one of the activists about the Unhoused. They forget that they’re children. You can’t make them feel like they’re in prison, and tell them, “Don’t give ’em toys!” and things like that. They still have the same developmental issues, like people that are housed. If we get to that prison mentality, or allowing them to suffer, then we’re creating a new generation of trauma, and that’s why I’m against that.
ADALIA: I completely agree with that 100%, 1000%! Publicize that! For real. I did the most as a homeless mother trying to survive out here to provide and make it fun for them, because they don’t know! They don’t know about bills. They don’t know 3 ½ times, they don’t know $1300 for a studio, they don’t understand that! They just don’t know, we’re in a car today, and maybe we might eat chicken nuggets right now, and maybe later we might eat more chicken nuggets, and later a sopa, you know what I mean? But, if I had the money to give them the opportunity to be happy, have fun, I’ll do that.
THEO: You know, some families, like I’ve interviewed, I had interviewed a mother who had a young son and the police were always threatening to take their son away. I was wondering, because it was very scary. She was living out in the park, and they kept coming by with what they call “children protective services” (CPS), police officers and things like that. Did you experience any of this kind of stuff?
ADALIA: I’m actually going through something like that right now. But the funny twist about that, I have two sets of kids. I have two daughters with one man, and two sons with one man. My daughters went through the most turbulent times of homelessness for me, which was almost two-and-a-half years. I was pregnant in a car with my third. I took my brand-new baby to a car with my two toddlers. At one point, we were five to a car! And one brand-new baby. I asked CPS and I’ve called CPS plenty and many of f*cking times, to help me get out of my situation. They said since I’m not negligent towards my children they cannot take my children. That was then. This time around, someone said that I was along the lines of doing drugs and I’m homeless, and this and that, and they take my sons away. So, why do you take my sons away? Because you heard of this and that, I’m on drugs? But you know my situation for the longest, and you have documentation. Because when you call CPS, they document everything! Just like when you call welfare, they document everything! Social security, they have to document. Insurance companies document everything!
THEO: So, instead of you calling them voluntarily looking for help, they take it, I guess, he-said, she-said stuff, and then basically decide to take your kids?
ADALIA: Basically. The way the system works, and this is kind of where you’re coming into play, is showing light. What Mr. Howell was showing you [inaudible]. Basically, if they can put you in their computer — because when they’re talking to you on the computer, you know, on the phone, they’re clocking crap. *click click click click* You know what I mean? Domestic violence is one of their subjects. Drugs is one of their subjects. Mental health is one of their subjects, you know what I mean? If you could fall into brackets, that’s where they’re gonna place you. So supposedly, with my girls, there was nothing to put me in a bracket for CPS, so they couldn’t help me! But now, supposedly because of the assumed drugs, they have a bracket! So then they interjected themselves and removed my children illegally, and now I’m having to jump through hoops to get them. And I have also on record with the CPS workers, I have to do all the services, and they may not be able to place me in housing. So they’re gonna give me my kids back. And guess what? I’ll still be homeless.
THEO: That’s horrible. I’m really sorry to hear that. I also know that you have some bright spots too, that you have an Internet channel. So tell us a little bit about that!
ADALIA: Internet channel is Adalia FLores Reporting Live from Oceanside, California.
ADALIA [from her Internet channel]: Hi, my name is Adalia Flores. I am just letting it be known that, you know, Oceanside, California has a big problem. San Diego, California. All coasts of California, from north to south, from top to bottom, to the border, we have a big-a** problem with homelessness.
ADALIA [from her Internet channel]: Those are all my pamphlets of housing resources, hotel vouchers.
ADALIA [from her Internet channel]: I went to the welfare office for a voucher, and they want me to pay $100 deposit! Where in the f*ck am I gonna pull out $100 for a deposit? I guess I’m not! These are mine, I paid out of pocket. I was working at Michael’s, third shift, leaving my two girls with my boyfriend at night so I could go and try to work, and I was pregnant at the time. [holding up denial letter] “Denial letter for temporary shelter. Denied.” So, maybe whoever I was talking to earlier, sounds like a broken record. “Oh, I hear it all the time. Blah, blah, blah, it’s mean.” Yes, really f*cking mean! Paper with resources, another pamphlet with resources. More homeless resources. Resources, resources, resources, resources, resources for days!
ADALIA [from her Internet channel]: Hi, this message is for Amber. I didn’t want to talk to you and let you know just don’t give up. As much as it looks like bullsh*t, just don’t give up, because they don’t care at the end of the day, because you are probably the one standing outside the gas station asking for just a gallon of gas or even just something to eat or something to drink. I know the feeling, I really do. I know first-hand: two toddlers, pregnant, homeless, living in a car for two years. Then I had to kiss my mom’s ass to live in the living room. You don’t believe me? [points camera toward living room] That’s my baby right there in the living room. For right now, until something blows up, and I’m back on the streets, or I get my sh*t together and can rent out a room, or … only time will tell. Only ambition will tell, I guess. But the thing, I think, to help me to push my case is just consistency to keep going everyday, getting in their faces, talking to supervisors, make complaints. Honestly it really does work. And the welfare system over here, they do have a big sign behind the worker that says, “Your customers are first.” So, me with a retail background, I know to cry wolf. “I’m not happy! I’m hungry! ‘No, not today?’ You need to feed me! You’re gonna go get me a five-dollar voucher or gift card, or something. You’re gonna figure it out, because I’m hungry! When you clock out, guess what you get to go do? You get to eat and go sleep on a nice, cushy bed with a nice pillow and blanket. So, you can do that, but I can’t because you said I’m denied? F*ck that! Go get me somebody else. I don’t like your answer. Go get somebody else.” You have to be like that, you do. Because I saw a lot of it. And mind you, I was a mother. I’m a mom. I’ve fought, and I’m still fighting. Still fighting. Just me. Really am trying to make a difference. I’ve helped four homeless people today. I’m not bragging, but it just hurt my heart to see so many out here struggling and [inaudible]. And I know the feeling first-hand, you know? I’m not just doing it just because I want attention. I’m doing it because I know how it is to be hungry. I know some of you who’ve ever had a habit, but I have! And to know that there’s a little human being inside of you that’s hungry too and is feeding off of you, it feels like you’re stuck on dope. And that sensation of you feeling sucked up because you haven’t even been taking care of yourself because you’re high. It’s the same feeling when you’re pregnant and hungry. Girl, it is so f*cked up. It’s so not a great feeling, trust me. So yeah, I was the one standing outside the gas station, at the pump, with my gas can. “Hey bro, hook me up with a gallon? Hey man, you know, I need five bucks to put in my tank. My kids are in the car, they’re hungry. Help me out,” you know? I have no shame in my game, trust me, because at the end of the day, my kids need to eat. At the end of the day, I need to make it somewhere safe. So my kids can actually sleep in the car safe. So if you’re a go-getter, you can go get that. You’re not gonna take “no” for an answer. Just don’t give up. That’s my suggestion to you: never give up.
ADALIA [back with Theo]: That, I basically, I have a couple videos. A couple activists hit me up on Youtube. They wanted my personal opinion on stocking stuffers. I was kind of against the stocking stuffers. I’m not hating on anybody’s point-of-view on a gift for somebody that’s less fortunate, but I felt, if you’re gonna put the time and energy for hand sanitizers, little lotions, instead of doing that, why can’t you maybe get a group of your church, or whoever you are representing your organization, and try to get at least half a deposit for someone to get inside for Christmas.
THEO: That’s a good idea, because in Los Angeles, we’re working on mutual aid and giving Unhoused people not only that. Because like some of the Unhoused need it for feminine hygiene products, being able to clean themselves, or what we’d call dignity. Gift cards, give them cards because some places in L.A. don’t let Unhoused people use the bathroom. So what you gotta do is go and buy something, and then they’ll open up the bathroom. So we try to do different, creative ways, because they’re very —
ADALIA: Bathroom should be open for everybody, anybody! Because if you’ve gotta pee, you should be able to go use the bathroom. Because guess what? If you go to the bathroom outside, you’re gonna get a ticket. It’s not right. Just because you’re homeless and have no money, you can’t pee? You can’t pee like a human being.
THEO: Well apparently they think we don’t go to the bathroom anymore, once we come out on the street. It flows up into the clouds!
ADALIA: Apparently they think you stop living and became dirt. Pretty much. You get stepped on. You’re “nothing.” The City will give you nothing. The cops look at you like nothing. Family. You know what I mean? It’s a sad cycle that we all struggle through, and the saddest thing, no one should really be pointing the finger or looking down on you, because god is a motherf*cker and he will catch you by your butt. And if you are talking crap about a homeless person, up to god that you say you’re sorry and “I rebuke that,” because he might make you walk our steps.
THEO: Very well said, and where we can end it at. This is Theo Henderson for We the Unhoused. I always say, “Karma never forgets an address.” And if you are the ones that are on these committees that are talking horribly about Unhoused people and lack the sensitivity and compassion, don’t worry. The pandemic was only an opener. There’s always something that can happen. A medical emergency. Losing your job. And that you’re finding out that the situation was not what you have been purporting it to be. This is Theo Henderson from We the Unhoused. I thank you all for listening, and it is my sincere hope that we met in the light of understanding, and that we’re doing something to make the world a better place.
INTERVIEW with JESUS in OCEANSIDE
THEO: This is Theo Henderson for We the Unhoused. We have gotten such warm, heartwarming stories, and also the educational understanding on what it is like to be displaced out here in Oceanside, California. And what I find is this kind of similar thing is what I find in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, San Jose, Santa Cruz, we all have that in common. It’s really tough out here! And it’s not easy, some people will have you believe. You can’t have a famous actor portraying the Unhoused and not knowing it’s a tough circle. So, I have another guest here that he’s been gracious enough to invite me into his circle. Mr. Hillbilly has spoken very highly of you, and said some warm things about you. So without further ado, I’m gonna introduce myself, my name is Theo. What’s your name, sir?
JESUS: Jesús, I go by Jesus [jē’zəs].
THEO: Jesus, thank you for taking the time and willingness to tell me your experiences. How long have you been out here?
JESUS: I’ve been in this area about three years.
THEO: How did you end up in this area for three years?
JESUS: I had lost my apartment, my job. Me and my ex- and my kids were out here. I had met a gentleman, he’s like my grandpa now. He helped me get an RV to get off the streets. We were in a tent actually right over here by Yum Yum.
THEO: He definitely kept an eye on you, and obviously spoke very highly of you. You must have a very good nature about yourself. So, what was it like the first night being out here with your family? You said you had your kids out here as well, so what was that like?
JESUS: I felt like a failure. I felt like I wasn’t protecting right. That I failed them. Everybody around me that saw us on the streets, instead of giving me a helping hand, they looked down on me, you know? It was hard, it was very hard. I didn’t think we were gonna make it that first night. I couldn’t sleep. I was cold. All I was doing was trying to keep them warm.Thank god for Benno’s. Brother Benno’s is an organization that would make breakfast and give us food for the day. And they helped us out a lot.
THEO: That’s a lifesend, people see a need and want to make the world a better place. So how were you able to navigate? Is your family still out here? It sounds like it. What took place? Obviously, usually from the interviews I’ve had, most of the fathers allow their families, the wife and the kids, to be taken care of first before they do. So, what’s going on? Is that what’s going on?
JESUS: No, I had gotten an RV that was broken down. I got it for free and worked hard on it.
I had it for seven months, and I made it as homey as possible. And when I got some money, I bought supplies to really, really fix it and renovate it. The night before I renovated it, the police came and said they were doing a “routine check,” and then they called me out, called my ex- out. They were running my name and her name. I hadn’t been arrested for anything since I was 16. I’m 32. But they took my RV and took my kids!
THEO: Oh my god, that’s horrible! I’m so sorry to hear that. So they were CPS obviously —
JESUS: No, CPS never made it on scene!
THEO: Police took your kids?! Literally?
JESUS: Yes, he said he didn’t feel comfortable with us having our kids. And we hadn’t been in trouble, so we didn’t know we could’ve said no. He said he didn’t feel comfortable with us having our kids, and so he had an ambulance come with carseats and take all three of our kids. I didn’t know that was wrong. This happened on a Sunday morning. They told us to go to the police station. We went over there, we didn’t receive a ticket, we didn’t get charged with anything. They basically took our kids. When we got to the police station, we didn’t know the names of the police officers, so they couldn’t tell us where our kids were. We camped outside the PD station all Sunday night until Monday morning, until they could finally tell us where they were.
THEO: That has to be a horrible experience. That here comes the police, comes and rolls up on you on a Sunday, snatches your kids, don’t give any identifying information, no paperwork, and you don’t know where your kids are. They could’ve been imposter officers, they could’ve thrown the kids off somewhere, and you don’t know where they are, their state of mind, their ability, and I can imagine your ex- was just in a frightful state, as well as you.
JESUS: Oh yeah, it broke her mentally. A year without seeing her kids, or in her care, it broke her mentally. She ended up taking a bad route to try to cope. Me and her, we no longer see each other, and I don’t —
THEO: It had to be traumatic. Mothers are really connected to their kids. If you do that, it messes ’em up!
JESUS: Oh yeah, we spent every day that I had, it was about the kids. Every morning, every night, it was all about the kids. Being without them, it hurts. It hurts, man. It was just — it happened so fast, and I like I said, we weren’t aware. The depression hit hard, and here we are.
THEO: And people wonder why we’re talking about “Defund the Police,” because they had no business doing that. It is not a crime to be poor! Even CPS was saying, just because you’re not neglecting the kid, you’re just poor! You’re caring for the kid, you just went and took their kids, and then leave no information about your children? That’s horrible.
JESUS: Yeah. The police treated me like I was a criminal, from the beginning. Five months later, when they found out that we were going to the courts, we were trying to get our kids back. We were trying to stay on track. They found out that we were working hard, and they found out that the CPS worker didn’t agree with how we treated our kids. They came and they checked up on me, they actually had me in handcuffs for 45 minutes, saying they don’t know who I was because I didn’t have an I.D. They were basically bullying me.
THEO: I’m so sorry you went through that. That’s horrible. I mean, it breaks my heart to hear this.
JESUS: Yeah, I’m getting through it. I spend every day trying to help someone else, because there’s always someone else who’s less fortunate.
THEO: Yeah, but you don’t deserve that. You didn’t deserve that. And Mr. Hillbilly, as well as you, you guys don’t deserve that! You deserve the same dignity and respect. Just because you’re lost, I don’t know, your luck, doesn’t give people the right just to step on you. That just really infuriates me, that the experiences that many of the Unhoused that I continually come across in the L.A. as well in California, they experience the same kind of indignity. When are we gonna stop this? What is the best way for us to help you, if we could help you? I’ve heard that there may be a Project Roomkey here, but there’s not a Proehct Roomkey here. It’s not really run well, or it’s like a prison. What’s your insights on this?
JESUS: Well, all I really need is a chance to go job-hunting. If I can have a place to shower, I can go job-hunting. I’ve been a hard worker all my life! It’s very hard for me to find a job. I was born out of the country, so I have to find jobs that pay under the table, or gardening, or something like that. But if I find a job — I’m a very hard worker, and I’m a jack of all trades. I know gardening, roofing, electrical.
THEO: I know that in certain places, like I do in Oxnard, they had a lot of workers who are undocumented who are working at produce farms and things like that. And they have that same fear. They’re hard workers. They literally put food on everybody’s table, whether you’re republican, NIMBY, democrat, or proclaim to be progressive. They are putting in the work so that we can be able to take advantage of their hard work. And the least we can do is offer the kindness of citizenship, or them to make sure that they are secure just as we are. Is there anything else you’d like to leave with the audience?
JESUS: Yeah, I just want people to know they should humble themselves. Just because we’re out here and less fortunate, they’re not better than us. Because they can end up here just as fast as anybody else can.
THEO: This is Theo Henderson for We the Unhoused. You hear many voices out here saying the same thing, so despite all the NIMBYs’ conversations or the hit pieces like “Streets of Shame,” here’s the words from Unhoused people with lived experience who have been saying the same from the beginning of my episode. Let us meet in the light of understanding and hopefully we can make the world a better place. [to Jesus] Thank you very much for your story.
CLOSING
THEO: This does conclude our episode at Oceanside, California. By now, I hope that you stayed with us and learned about the anguish and the difficulties and the pain that my Unhoused friends have suffered through. Their stories should be told and be uplifted, and people should be moved and galvanized to do something about it. When I ended this episode in Oceanside, I returned back where I first started, where the waterfall was. I couldn’t help but see the same [restrictive] notices, and I can see the comparison of the same way that was done for the Unhoused when I was, before I was ejected out of the park in Chinatown where the signs littered the area. There’s no difference in that.
The one thing common that I’m noticing all the areas is they definitely vilify the Unhoused. They rely on the apathy and lethargy of housed people. They rely on tested tropes about Unhoused people in the most negative of fashion. They rely on iconography to demonize Unhoused people so you can not see them as human beings. They rely on poor people, poor people to vilify and say that “I broke out of this cycle of poverty, why can’t you?” They use every tool in the book, and the distressing thing is it’s not always the rich that has these kinds of ideologies, it’s the poor that will be working at grocery stores that will be shutting down because they don’t want to pay them “hero pay.” They’re ready to break their neck and curbstomp an Unhoused person for stealing a loaf of bread or trying to survive and have food. They will sit in and have a joke and demean the Unhoused person if they’re having mental health issues, or they are suffering some substance use issues. These are also the antagonists in the game of learning how to demonize Unhoused people. Once you have poor people looking at other poor people to demonize, the rich person can take money from both peoples’ pockets. And unfortunately we have too much of a sad reality, when you see in these city council meetings, where parents or families are coming to demonize Unhoused people, saying the safety of their children is paramount. Considering the Unhoused families with children, they’re not considered paramount.
As you heard, some of the stories are very gut-wrenching, and hard and sad, and I hope that we move toward action once we meet in the light of understanding. But I hope we move and make this a distant memory thirty years from now. This is Theo Henderson from We the Unhoused. I thank you all for listening, and it is my hope we meet in the light of understanding and do something about it.
