A Trip to Skid Row

On Saturday morning I drove out to Los Angeles to visit a place that most people try to forget, Skid Row, which is a hotspot community of homeless people. I got in my car and drove along the 10 freeway not really knowing what to expect. I went out there with really no intentions other than to just walk around and observe another culture other than the one's I see and interact with every day. I have seen homeless people before. I see them every day, but I have never seen anything like this before. This culture, the Homeless Culture, is one that most people shy away from and what I saw opened my eyes to a whole new world that I never could have imagined.

They are the forgotten.

They are the neglected.

They are the stigmatized.

They are the dehumanized.

They are the hopeless.

I got to downtown L.A. at about 10:00am, parked my car about two blocks away, grabbed my camera, and then headed towards Skid Row. As I walked down the street the sun was already beating down on me from overhead and I knew that this was going to be a hot day.

As I walked along the street I saw a homeless man pushing a shopping cart up the street. It was filled with all sorts of different objects and it looked like it was about to tip over at any moment. I continued walking and then turned down another street.



As I walked past old abandoned buildings I saw all sorts of graffiti on the walls. Some just random tagging, but some were elaborate pictures and names done by some talented artists. One in particular that I saw said "Undiscovered," maybe a dream of some sort of future success or perhaps a dream that would never come true. There were so many abandoned buildings that were slowly deteriorating and decaying.



As I made my way towards Skid Row I saw a homeless man with no shirt or shoes on carrying a folded up cardboard box, his dirty pants hanging off his waist. He walked across the street and then hoped a fence that led to an alley way along side a bridge that was littered with trash. He laid his cardboard box along side of the wall and then laid down in the shade of the building, trying to get out of the heat. He didn't seem to be bothered by the garbage that he laid down in, but in fact, quite the contrary. He began to pick through the trash like a grocery shopper in a store looking for something to eat.



I continued along my way until I finally entered Skid Row. There were people every where, mostly black, some Latino and white. Every way I turned I saw homeless people walking or standing along the streets. There were bulging trash bags and old dirty blankets just sitting in piles along the sidewalks.
I saw people just lying on the floor, some sleeping, some just staring at the street.
In the center of the community, squeezed between two buildings, there was a park like area, but not with grass and trees. It had a few benches, some tables, and a basketball court. Along the gate of the park about 15 homeless people were lying on the floor atop of old dirty blankets. Some were sleeping, some were talking to one another. There was one homeless man who was just standing in the middle of the park with his arms stretched out in front of him in a circle. He stood there for what seemed like forever, not moving, as if he was a permanent fixture in the park.

I walked down the streets, an outcast with a camera. Some people stared at me as I walked along, wondering why this intruder with a camera was in their city. One homeless man came up to me and asked what I was doing. I told him I was down here to take pictures for a class so that I and others could get a better understanding of this culture. He gave me a real strange look and told me that people down here didn't like cameras. He stood there for a moment longer then he asked me for some money. I gave him a dollar.

Across the street from the park something caught my eye. On the corner of the street there was an area with bushes and some trees, almost hidden from the outside world. As I walked up there was a homeless man sitting in front of the entrance, the guardian to this little tucked away oasis. He told me that cameras weren't aloud inside. Another homeless man standing nearby took interest in me and asked what I was doing. I gave him the same answer I had given the other man. He told me that this was a soup kitchen where people could come and get food. There was an elaborate art piece on the wall which was what had caught my eye. It was a colorful picture of parrots and trees.
The man told me that a guy named Miguel had made it out of old glass and stones. He told me that Miguel didn't live there any more though because he had gone back to Mexico to try to find work. The art piece covered the whole wall adding what little beauty it could to this dark and decaying place.
The man walked with me for awhile, showing me another art piece a few streets down of a man holding a rainbow. Around the man in the picture were famous people in history like Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. and below them were positive sayings. I looked at the picture for awhile and then my guide asked if I had any money. I gave him a dollar too.

There was so much commotion, people going here and there, and no where in particular.
A homeless lady was walking in the streets. She was wearing really provocative clothing and I couldn't help but to think that she may have been a prostitute trying to survive down there on those hopeless streets. She started to yell "F*** America!" over and over again. I walked past two homeless shelters and both were overflowing with people. There were food lines that never ended. I saw volunteers handing out bottles of water and a man handed me one. I took it, grateful for something to drink.
One homeless man had what looked like a self made bandage tapped around his cheek that was covered with blood. The overwhelming smell of urine and sweat was every where I went. I saw puddles of pee on the sidewalks and feces on the sides of buildings. There was trash every where I looked.

I spent a short three hours down on Skid Row, but it felt like so much longer than that. After I had seen enough I got in my car and headed home, back to my life. What I saw, my words can not describe. What I just saw is merely a fraction of what Skid Row is. That sad thing is, I was able to leave, but these people live this, or should I say, survive this every day. I will never forget what I saw on Skid Row. There was so much hopelessness and despair. These people are truly the forgotten. All I know is that these people need help. Some people already are. Society has segregated this these people into their own little forgotten community, away from the rest of civilization where they can be ignored and forgotten. Here is a poem for thought...

The Forgotten

By Benjamin Bishop

I walked through the slums of L.A. today
To a place that’s been deemed Skid Row
Where the forgotten and the hopeless live
To where the rest of society won’t dare go
People making beds upon the streets
Lying side by side by side
Sleeping on old mats and dirty blankets
I swear I nearly cried
I look left and right and up and down
There are people every where
Standing all along the sidewalks
Or lying in the gutters of despair
The putrid smell of sweat and urine
Seems to linger all around
Shopping carts filled with garbage
Stacked up in a towering mound
Drug addicts and alcoholics
Cripples and the mentally ill
People down on their luck
Who couldn't afford to pay that final bill
The shelters are overflowing
And the food lines stretch a mile
Hands keep reaching left and right
And not one face wears a smile
Some people turn to trash cans
Eating bits and pieces of moldy bread
They say people come down here to die
But most are already dead
Society turns a blind eye
Hoping that it will all just go away
These are the forgotten streets
Of an urban city that’s in decay

Compassion Where You Least Expect It

I debated over whether or not I should write about this incident that happened to me the other day all last night. On one hand I didn't want to write about it because I didn't want to come across as if I was trying to make myself sound good or like this great person. That's not the case. I in fact recognize that I am not and in many circumstances am quite the opposite. That being said, I finally chose to write about this incident because I think that the story has a great moral to it.

A moral even for me to learn from as well as every one else.

Yesterday afternoon around 2:00pm I had got off work and was driving down the street to hop onto the freeway to head home. As I got into my car I could see the heat waves literally pour out of my car. My steering wheel was hot to the touch and I immediately cranked on the air conditioner.

As I drove down the street, just about to hop on the freeway, I got stopped by a red light. I looked over and there was this homeless man standing on the center island holding a sign asking for money to get food. He was wearing jeans that were dirty and faded, a t-shirt that probably used to be white but was now more of a brown color, and a grey baseball cap. As the sun beat down on him he looked like he had just walked through Death Valley. I looked at the man and then rolled my window down. He looked at me for a second as I rolled down the window, but he did not move. I waved him over and he smiled as he ran up to my car.

"Do you want me to take you to get something to eat?" I asked him.

"I would love that," he said, his sweaty face brightening up.

I reached over and unlocked my door and he climbed in. He immediately thanked me over and over again as he shook my hand.

"My name's Don," he said.

"My name's Ben," I said back.

As we drove a block down to a Del Taco he told me that he used to be a truck driver, but he had been laid off. He said that he had a wife and a daughter as well. Again he thanked me saying that he really appreciated it. I told him it was no problem.

We went inside of Del Taco and I told him to get what ever he wanted. He stood there for a moment looking up at the menu then asked if he could get the combination #1.

"It's only $5," he said. "It's the cheapest one."

"Get whatever you want," I said. "Don't worry about the price."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah of course," I said.

He smiled again then asked if he could get the combination #3.

"It has two tacos," he said. "I can give one of them to my wife."

I asked if he wanted me to get her anything, but he said no, that it was okay. I paid for his food with a $10 bill then gave him the change. He looked at me with uncertainty in his eyes, like a small child who had been given some great gift.

"Are you sure?" he asked me again.

"Yeah don't worry about it," I said.

I asked him if he needed a ride any where else, but he said he was okay. I walked out of Del Taco headed towards my car. As I was getting in to my car he peaked his head out of the Del Taco door and gave he a thumbs up and yelled thank you. I closed my door and drove off.

The reason I decided to write this was because I think that we can all learn something from Don.

This man has nothing.
He has no house,
no car,
no job,
and no money.

What this man does have, however, is a lot more concern and compassion for others then I have seen in a lot of people who do have a house, a car, a job, and money. When I told Don to get what ever he wanted he still chose the CHEAPEST item on the menu because he didn't want to be a burden. After I told him to get what ever he wanted he chose something with two items in it because he was CONCERNED about his wife. And when I asked if he needed a ride any where else he said no because he didn't want to be an INCONVENIENCE to me.

This man who has nothing was still concerned about me, not wanting to be a burden, and he still thought about his wife and her needs as well.

It's sad that a homeless man is more compassionate than most people in the world.

It's sad that this man with nothing still has CARE and COMPASSION in his heart when a lot of other people who are way better off don't have these qualities.

The next time you are driving down the street, getting on or off of the freeway and you see a person standing there holding a sign asking for a little money for food maybe you should ask yourself...

"Where's my COMPASSION?"

Global Crisis!

This last Wednesday was a very significant day which a lot of people may have been oblivious to. March 11, 2009 was Global Food Crisis Day. What this day entailed was the coming together of people to help fight against starvation that is infecting the world. The organization that is taking the lead on this issue is Compassion International along with Christian radio stations such as Air 1, Christian churches, and compassionate people everywhere.

The fact was put forward that this is not just a centralized food shortage that is affecting Ethiopia, or India, or Africa; however, it is instead a world wide epidemic that is affecting every country in the world.

And yes, even America.

The U.N. World Food Program calls this issue a silent tsunami.

There are people all over the world who are surviving on less than $1 a day. Millions of children got to bed hungry every night and about 25,000 of them don’t wake up the next morning because they have starved to death.

And yes, there are people starving in America too.

Compassion International challenged people to donate just $13. They said that this small amount was enough to feed one starving child for an entire month. They then said that you could donate $156 which would feed a starving child for an entire year.

Now this shocked me.

The fact that a child could eat for as little as $13 a month is just amazing. The fact that a child could live off of $156 a year is just astounding.

I began to think about this in terms of the amount of money people spend each day on ‘STUPID’ stuff. Stuff like coffee, or energy drinks, or sodas. People spend $2 to $3 every day on drinks when there are little kids who don’t even have clean water to drink. And I am not claiming to be high and mighty either. I too have fallen victim to these “Little Luxuries.” And that’s just what they are, LUXURIES. We don’t need these things. Especially when there are children who are starving.

Just think about it.

If you buy a cup of coffee from Starbucks or an energy drink every day you are spending about $15 a week. That money that you spent in one week for a Little Luxury could have feed a starving child for an entire month.

I think about all the people who pray to Jesus every day asking him to help cure world hunger. I think about all the people who blame Jesus for not doing anything. I think about all the people who deny the existence of a compassionate God because nothing is happening. Then I think that Jesus has already done something. He has already given us the means to cure world hunger. Jesus has provided us with the money to take care of this problem, however, we instead are too self centered and selfish to make a difference. With all the money that we spend each day on ‘STUPID’ stuff we could instead be using that money to help feed a hungry starving child. But unfortunately we live in a world where not every one cares. Or they do care, but only about themselves.

I’m not saying to give up your ‘Little Luxuries’ or that it is wrong to treat yourself every once in awhile. What I am saying is that maybe you should think about the starving child that you could be feeding each month if maybe you cut one cup of coffee or one energy drink out of your week each month. If you did something as SIMPLE as this then you could be doing something as GREAT as feeding a starving child each month.

Just think about it.

Does This Seem Odd to You?

The other day I was driving through downtown San Bernardino trying to find a Stater Brother’s grocery store where I could get a cashier’s check so that I could reactivate my substitute teaching account. My certification is up so I need to pay a recertification fee so that I can continue subbing.

As I was driving through the neighborhoods of San Bernardino I was having quite some difficulty tracking down a Stater Brother’s grocery store or any other grocery store for that matter. I drove up and down about twenty streets when finally I decided this was a lost cause and headed back to my own home in Colton, where I know where the Stater Brother’s grocery store is located. All this said, it was extremely hard to locate what I deem as a very common and necessary community commodity. What I did notice a lot of, however, as I was driving up and down endless streets was that there were an overabundance of liquor stores on every street corner.

And when I say there was a liquor store on every street corner I’m not exaggerating. I saw at least fifteen liquor stores as I drove around like a lost tourist in a foreign country.

Now I don’t know about you, but this struck me as sort of odd.

I think it is pretty sad that you can drive down almost any street in this country and find a liquor store that is open from the first sliver of sunlight until after 2:00am, however, you can not find a grocery store if your life depended on it.

As I was driving through downtown San Bernardino it was about 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, and High Schools were all getting out at this time. I saw kids walking up and down the streets, wandering around aimlessly. Some were just standing on street corners doing nothing while a majority of the kids were going into the liquor stores to buy after schools snacks.

Theses kids don’t know anything different. They are used to seeing a liquor store on every street. Used to seeing drunks passed out in front of the stores. Used to seeing prostitutes. Used to seeing drug deals happening right in front of them as they wander in and out of these stores.

To them, these are everyday occurrences.

I think that it is really sad that this is what our country has come too. That instead of after school programs or churches or community centers, which by the way I didn’t see any of, we know have liquor stores instead that take up space along our streets.

Maybe one of the reasons, and let me restate that again, one of the reasons why we have so much crime is because we do not have any community involvement anymore. Instead of having a safe place to go after school, like an after school program, a church, or a community center, we instead have liquor stores and kids who just wander around with nothing better to do, gradually becoming desensitized to the events they witness every day.

Here is a poem for thought...

Then and Now

There once were preachers on every street corner.
Handing out pamphlets and proclaiming Jesus as Lord.
Now we have drug dealers and prostitutes
Selling addiction in a bag and their bodies to all who can afford.

There once were churches at the center of every city
Where people would gather together as a family to meet.
Now we have bars and liquor stores
Selling addiction in a bottle and putting drunks on the street.

There once were communities who would gather together
As one big family showing concern for one another.
Now the only time you see a community as one
Is when they are drinking their lives away with each other.

--By Benjamin Bishop

Trying to Survive

No matter where I am at it seems like everyone is on edge about the current state of our economy. There is this tension that is covering everything like an invisible fog that is almost suffocating. People wonder if President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package which is designed to help America’s failing economy will actually work. People are scared that they too may soon become one of the 3.6 million job loss casualties that have occurred in the last 13 months. People are losing their jobs and they are losing their homes.

But even in the midst of this economic crisis, people are still surviving.

For most people, however, they may have only felt a little pinch in their wallets. Maybe they have had to get rid of a car or two, downgrade from the 50” Plasma screen TV, or maybe they have had to stop eating out every night.

Yes they too have had to make “sacrifices” to “survive” in this economic crisis.

As bad as things are right now in our country right now there are people who have been “surviving” for a long time. And that is exactly what they are doing. Surviving. There are people in our country who are being overlooked every single day. They sleep on park benches using newspaper to stay warm in the winter. They stand on the freeway ramp exits with signs asking for just a little spare change. They dig through trashcans and dumpsters eating our leftovers.

They are the forgotten.

The untouchables.

Most people won’t even look at them, afraid that if they make eye contact with them they may have to make up an excuse as to why they can’t spare a little change.

The estimated population in the United States of America is about 304 million.
The estimated homeless population in a given year is about 3.4 million.
That accounts for about 1% of the United States population being homeless.

Of those homeless
40% are families with children.
55% have no health insurance.
23% are veterans.
25% have been physically or sexually abused.
38% have less than a High School diploma.
50% receive less than $300 a month as income.

These statistics are sad and frightening. It makes me wonder why our country has allowed this to happen. Why these people are overlooked every single day. Why is it that we, as a Nation, cannot help to provide for these people?

This got me thinking. There are an estimated 304 million people in the United States. About 3.4 million are homeless. So let’s say there are 300 million people in the U.S. who are not homeless. If each person donated just $19 a month which is $228 a year then this would provide each homeless person with over $20,000 a year. This money could be used for food, rent, clothing, health insurance, and education.

What I propose is this. There should be a Homeless Tax. Each working person would be taxed $19 a month. To help compensate for children or non working spouses, each working person would be taxed $19 a month per person within the household. By doing this we would be able to help these people get back on their feet, get an education, provide for themselves, and become a productive part of society.

Some may think this seems like a handout or question why should they have to support these people. My question is why not? I feel that this is a travesty that has been allowed to happen for far too long. It is time we stood up as a Nation and helped our fellow man. Jesus cared for the poor and called every Christian to care for the poor as well. If Jesus thought that this was an important issue then we should probably listen.

$19 a month per person.

I say Yes We Can.

Work Ethic? What's That?

In our great country of America it used to be that the harder a person worked the more rewards that person received. Whether those rewards were a pay raise at your job, more vacation time, or a promotion, there was some sort of benefit to being a good hard worker. There also used to be a sense of pride in the work people did as well. People took pride in being called “good workers.” Took pride at accomplishing “something.”

Sadly to say, that is no longer the case.

I remember when work ethic was something employers looked for. And I remember when people had it too. It seems to me, however, that this is something that has gone out the window like some sort of passing fad.

Work Ethic!

Of course not!

That’s like having an out of style haircut.

It seems nowadays, and mind you I am only 27 years old, that no one has any work ethic anymore. Another word for it is LAZINESS. Employees are allowed to show up to work late, allowed to call off last minute, or allowed to not even bother showing up to work at all. Or if they do come, they act as if it is some sort of inconvenience to their all important life to be at work doing, God forbid, actual work. The whole time that they are at work, all they do is whine and complain that they are at work, the whole time not doing any actual work. And they are allowed to do this all without any consequence.

If an employee with no work ethic is discovered it is as if the standard has been set from there out and management no longer expects any great output from them. They never showed any great potential when they were hired so why should it be expected of them at this point. Yes I know that in some cases management does occasionally fire lazy employees, however, in most cases, it is as if they don’t want to even bother. It’s as if by doing so they are admitting their mistake at hiring this lazy worker.

I don’t know what it is. Why this sudden lack of work ethics or laziness has taken over the population and is spreading like some incurable disease. Whatever the reason, it’s spreading fast.

Ironically, it is actually the good workers who get punished because management expects more out of them. If an employee shows even a glimmer of work ethic management latches onto that like a starving leech. Your boss might start saying things like,

You are someone I can count on.

or

You never let me down.

But when you do, it’s as if the world has suddenly stopped spinning on its axis. If a good worker slacks off even just a little bit, management is there in a heartbeat to let him know.

However, when an employee with no work ethic slacks off it is looked at as though it is nothing new. As if it is expected. Thus, the employee with high work ethic is forced to carry the load of the employee with no work ethic.

It may look like a strange backwards world that we live in from the outside, but I assure it’s real.

So heed this warning.

Sooner or later your place of employment may become infected by the unethical worker too. If this does happen you have two choices.

1. You can pray that your boss hasn’t noticed that you are a good worker.

Or

2. You can pray that you get that job that you put an application in for last week.

We Are Not in Heaven Yet!

I recently came across a post that someone wrote about Barack Obama becoming President and their view that nothing will ever be perfect unless Jesus Christ was President.

This got me thinking.

First and foremost, I am a Christian. I read my Bible, I pray, I am involved in Christian community, and I volunteer at church. I am not making these statements to sound prideful or arrogant; however, instead I am making these statements to show that I love Jesus Christ and am committed to serving Him and living my life for Him.

Now this being said I think a lot of people have the wrong view on this life, Christians in particular. I think that a lot of Christians have this view that we are all eventually going to die and go to Heaven and then everything will be perfect, which it will, however, that this means that there is no significance or reason to have Hope or Faith for something better now.

Everyone, Christian and non-Christian alike, has a responsibility to strive for something better in this life. To help others. To want change for the better. To be humanitarians. Caring for someone else other than just you. This is what Jesus did.

Just because Barack Obama has become President, which by the way I think is GREAT, I voted for him, does not mean that every problem is going to get solved or that we will all of a sudden reach this Utopian perfection. Yes that will all happen in Heaven. However, just because he is trying to make a difference, trying to help this country, trying to make a change, does not mean he is trying to replace Jesus. What he is trying to do is be a good steward of what God has gifted him with and that is leadership of this Nation.

So for all the Christians out there in the world who think and say, “Well he is not going to make everything perfect. Nothing will be perfect until I get to Heaven or unless Jesus Christ was President,” you are right.
However,

WE ARE NOT IN HEAVEN YET.

All of us still have an obligation to make a difference in this world. To play our part in this life that God has given us.
That is what President Obama is doing. He is playing his part.
So stop complaining that there are still going to be problems.
Stop complaining that President Barack Obama is not going to make everything better and that only Jesus can do that.
Instead, realize that this is something that is very much needed for this country and that President Obama is helping to do his part right now.
Get out of your bubbles and come to the realization that just because we are saved by grace does not mean that this life loses its importance.
We are all called to be good stewards in this life, regardless of whether or not you believe in an afterlife.