A Skid Row Reflection
Comments (4)
Photo by Dominic Riley
Homelessness has always bothered me. The man who once pestered me for money in the drive-thru line, who wouldn't accept a hamburger instead of the few coins I was planning on giving him has given homeless people a bad name. That reason isn't the greatest to bastardize a group of people, but those are usually the homeless who I encounter.
The ones who beg and don't appreciate the offering I deem acceptable. The ones who look in pretty bad shape, yet ridicule me for being selfish with my earnings. However, walking along Skid Row with the brief introduction from Kevin Michael Key (a local activist leading a group of us on a tour) made me realize something that I've always noticed, but never wanted to harp on -- nearly all of the homeless people I encounter are black.
He pointed out that more than 80 percent of homeless people on Skid Row are black. I think I knew about this figure before he said it. How many non-blacks had I ever walked by on the street who didn't directly ask me for money? Not many. How many times have I been with a group of friends and heard nearly verbatim, "Hey Slim, do you have any change?" At least a dozen.
So maybe the reason why I'm bothered by homelessness and singled out among a group of mixed company is because they may actually see themselves in me. They identify with me. They look like me. They're black like me.
This fact doesn't make me fear homelessness, but makes me wonder if I'm closer to being a candidate than others. And while walking among a group being led by two well-known black figures of this community, I wondered what people thought of me. What they thought as I slyly aimed my camera at their faces, what they thought about me being clothed in a clean outfit, what they thought about me wearing a jacket with a USC emblem taking a tour of a place that many didn't ever dream about calling home.
I was aware of my race on this day. I was aware that I looked more like them than I did my classmates. I was aware that maybe I was being judged for wearing an expression on my face that looked like I didn't care.
In reality, I was actually moved. Moved to understand why so many black people end up homeless in Los Angeles, why so many end up in jail, and why so many aren't attending college. For me, I've lived a life not worrying about those things. I lived a life striving to counter such statistics. But living that life can't be about ignoring these discrepancies.
I may not be able to make sweeping changes to this community of homeless people, but I do know that I can at least start with making a change within myself.
Comments
there was a good malcolm gladwell article that said that most people that are homeless are homeless for one day. a small minority are the chronically homeless. most chronic homeless people are mentally ill or addicts or both.
OH, and I really like your photo.
Admittedly I don't know much about racial demographics of LA's homeless population. In my neighborhood, I think the majority of the homeless guys are white. But something I do notice is that MOST of the homeless people are guys - I don't see a lot of homeless women in my community. So, maybe there is something, like we tend to look for the people who look like us or share something in common with us. I think that is really important, and like you said Dominic, reflective. And I agree with the first comment that it is very important to consider the How and the Why when attempting to determine possible solutions to the problem. But I think the first step in that process is self-reflection, and I think being able to relate oneself to others is definitely a major step taken by all those that end up finding solutions to these major social problems.
And I think, probably just because I am one, but I think journalists can play an important role in the process. By telling other people's stories in a sympathetic and relatable way, we can hopefully inspire others to sympathy, self-reflection and ideally action.
Hi Dominic,
Your article was indeed reflective, but presented a somewhat limited perception.
Having spent considerable time in downtown Los Angeles, I would have to inform you that there are many non-black homeless people, and in fact, the majority are of Caucasian decent. On this particular day, you only happened to have noticed the people who were of color. It's similar to purchasing a new car - you never noticed the car until you purchased one, now everyone is driving your car.
Homelessness is not about race, it is about people (Someone's father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or sister) who have fallen out of a system of which the rules have been defined by society.
Rather than "Who", the greater question is "How" this happens and "What" do we need to do to solve the problem.