Downtown 4/19/2010

I had been alerted during the week that a homeless veteran named James was usually seen at an off-ramp to the 605 in Baldwin Park. I drove there on my way downtown but didn't encounter him although, I may have seen him. When I got off that off-ramp I ended up helping a young woman named Michelle right near there. I had seen three homeless people walking towards what appeared to be a path leading under the freeway and Michelle confirmed that there were people living there and that was the way to get down there. She told me she was out by the freeway earlier than normal because she was totally out of money. After giving her some food and water she looked through the clothing items in the trunk of my car and found several things she could use, in particular a heavy coat that she said, "looks warm". She told me, "It gets cold at night." She also told me the bread in the bag of food was really a good thing. I was so glad to have been able to help her. I'll start checking in this area more often on these trips.
After leaving Michelle I ended up going on downtown by way of Valley Blvd (the I-10 was packed). Just before getting downtown I passed by a park and saw a homeless man sitting at a park table. Luckily there was a parking place nearby so I parked and took a bag of food over to him. After giving him the bag of food I asked if he needed some water and he said he did. I got the water and some socks and shirts out of the car and walked back to him. When I got back there he had opened the can of soup and was dipping a piece of bread from the bag in the can of soup. Apparently, he was really, really hungry. A couple of people have asked me how homeless people heat up the cans of soup I give out. I tell them, "You've got to be kidding. They're not only homeless with no way to heat it up but they're hungry too and won't care whether it's hot or not." This man's name was Quintado (I think) and he was from Cuba. He didn't speak much English so we couldn't converse much. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and one blanket. He probably hadn't eaten in a couple of days judging from how fast he started eating what I gave him. As I continued on towards downtown I ended up on North Main St. and found Pedro sitting right near a recycling place. It's possible he had just taken in some stuff because he had very few possessions with him, not even a shopping cart. He too, started eating the food out of the bag right away and was quite happy that I stopped to help him.
Just on down the street, North Main crosses Alameda and I turned down Alameda St. Right near a Metro Link depot is a small area with several park benches. The area is too small to be called a park, it's more of an outside waiting area for the train. There was a homeless man sitting and sleeping on one of the park benches. His name was Dickie and he was one of the dirtier homeless men I've encountered. He had one plastic bag of possessions and that was it. He probably was in his sixties but looked older. Living on the streets can make people look a lot older. He seemed very weak and tired. I don't know how he gets by day to day. He wasn't exactly near the missions on Sixth St. but was close enough to walk with some effort. Maybe, that's why he appeared tired. He thanked me for the help.
Going on down to 4th St. I found Fernando near the bridge. You may remember him from a couple of months ago. He was the one who wanted to know what God I was praying to. He only wanted to pray to the "Almighty God". He also, had just been rousted by the police when I saw him that time. This time he had quite a set-up by the bridge and had made a canopy with a blanket and was laying in it's shade. I thought he was Ron and had called out to him. He told me Ron is still around although I haven't seen him in a couple of months now. He accepted the bag of food and was quite thankful for it. I noticed, since he had his shirt off, that he is extremely skinny. I asked him if he was keeping out of trouble and he told me, "I always try to keep out of trouble but trouble seems to find me!" Next time I'll ask him about his relationship with the "Almighty God". I'll be interested to hear his comments. The Gospel of John booklet that I gave him the last time tells about the Almighty God who gave Jesus Christ all power and authority and inspired men to start the missions in that area that he, no doubt, frequents.
The last man I encountered was Sal. I had driven down 7th St hoping to find Marie. I haven't seen her in a couple of months now either. Sal was on the other side of the street and as he walked towards me he was limping very badly. He told me he had broken his leg a year or two ago and it hadn't healed correctly and the toes on his foot didn't extend out anymore. He readily accepted the bag of food and water and a few clothing items. After praying with Sal I looked into his eyes and saw a look of quiet desparation. Sal is fairly young, perhaps 30 or so and it's difficult to see a bright future for him at this time. I wish I had the capacity to do more for him and the others that I saw today. A few of the people today were as desparate for help as any I've seen in a while. It occurred to me that because of their plight there probably isn't anything that I could have done today that was more important than helping them. What a reminder how every moment counts for these people. --Until next week. --John