The smell of alcohol wafted my way several times during the wee hours of the morning as this gentleman, whom I estimate to be early-forties, yelped in pain at a foot injury. He was loud and fidgety mouthing gibberish and obscenities throughout the night. I suspected he was a methamphetamine user. It was too dark to tell.
At 3 a.m. this morning he let out let out a blood curdling cry that startled me to a sitting position. It was time to talk to this guy…
“Dude quiet the ‘F’ Down or the people that live here are going to call the cops.”
He said, “You startled me.”
“Dude, I’m lying here sleeping not even moving — please go to sleep.”
He wakes up in the morning and starts conversations with people passing by. The conversations were harmless, other than the fact he was disheveled and bare foot totally immersed in his role as a man on a bender. His face was hollowed at the cheeks and acne stained. Clear signs of a tweeker, the most unpredictable and dangerous type of person there is on the streets.
As he got ready to leave he turned his conversation towards me.
“Call the cops, your a ‘F-ing’ cop caller. I’m talking to you sir. Some people don’t know shit.”
I let that go in silence. Alas he continued to talk nonsense as he walked away. A response was required.
“Chill out man.”
He continued muttering on his lonely walk to Loaves and Fishes.
Note: I have permission from the owners to stay on their porch.
Kendra pulled up on her bike, “meow, meow.” She was happy to share that someone she hasn’t seen in years came to the Plaza with her kids and talked to Kendra saying, “I want to help you.”
A lot more kind words and smiles were shared none more rewarding than a full arm handshake as Kendra said, “Thank you for listening to me.”
My one prayer for the evening is simple… Please dear God give people the kindness and hospitality to talk to those that need it most. Amen.
“Reality is a perception located somewhere behind the eyes.” — Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner
“I have had people come up and talk to me about the ‘blue van’ parked on the street in Garberville in a two hour zone. Supposedly people have seen them selling methamphetamine. It’s been parked in that two hour zone for three months.” — A woman at a town hall meeting describes her blue van perception
The perceptions detailed in the “blue van” video are an amazing set of coincidences. There were in fact two blue vans that occupied a similar space across from the Humboldt House Inn, Garberville, Ca.
The first van to occupy this spot was inoperable, abandoned — and quickly taken over by several homeless people. How do I know this? By talking with two homeless men at an encampment the night of the infamous Town Hall meeting in Redway. I was fired up at the ridiculousness of two youngsters, clearly not methamphetamine sellers, who arrived in town three weeks ago, being caste as meth dealers on the streets for months.
Before I could descend my soapbox one of them burst into uproarious laughter that gyrated his entire body. It’s possible I have never seen a man laugh as fully as he.
He said, “I was living in that van off and on for awhile. It was a joke man. A bunch of us were using it as a hangout and party spot.”
I asked, “What about the meth dealing?” His gyrations return.
“Oh yeah, I don’t doubt it with the people that were hanging out day and night. It was towed about a month ago.”
The second “blue van” arrived at nearly the identical time that the first one was towed, and remained inoperable while the occupants were raising repair funds by spanging, busking and looking for work.
How do I know all this? I met and interviewed them a week prior to the town hall meeting. Their street names are Ollie, a woman, and Tooth a man.
This culminates to a situation after the town hall meeting on June 26th where these kids have been wrongly accused in the worst possible setting — a packed room of people, many of whom were angry at… those, them and these kinda people. It was ugly and everyone knew where they lived.
Ah, enter into the mix a Good Samaritan who, I assume, must have been in attendance at the meeting. She drove up to Ollie and Tooth at their “blue van”, shortly after the town hall ended, to offer something they had discussed together days prior…having them stay and work on her property in exchange for towing and ultimately having their “blue van” repaired. They reached an agreement then and there.
I spoke over the phone several weeks later with a member of the Garberville Chamber of Commerce. During our conversation she expressed regret at seeing the “blue van” being towed away. She perceived the towing was the result of repercussions from the meeting. Looking back it’s easy to perceive it was, and a blessed on at that.
Without a Roof 