- Don.
Sadly, you're still homeless.
- Yes.
- You look great.
- Thank you.
- Oh my gosh, you look great.
And you're gonna,
because of all the traffic,
you're gonna have to speak up.
- Okay.
- We're near where the Super Bowl is gonna be.
- Correct.
- And they just moved you,
they swept the area.
- They are sweeping everywhere around this area.
- Yeah.
Displace the people
and offer them no options of where to go.
So right now I'm stuck on a sidewalk
with all of my belongings.
I don't know where I'm taking them.
- What does that feel like?
(cars moving)
- Kind of lost really.
What are you gonna do?
You know.
- Well, the horrible part is
they don't offer you support.
- No.
- They just move you on.
- Yes.
- And take your stuff.
- Yes.
If you don't have it out in time, yes.
Yes, and this latest sweep that they did,
all the other sweeps that I've ever been a part of,
they give...
you know it gives you a date and a time of 9:00 o'clock AM.
And this time they were showing up when they wanted to.
Like this field right here
that we're in,
the people that were here in this field yesterday
were prepared for nine o'clock yesterday morning
and they showed up at 4:30.
So a lot have lost
You know, their belongings.
It may look bad out here,
but to some people that's all they have.
- Right.
And that's what, you know,
people drive by and they see homeless people.
- Yes
- And they think they're the victims.
when it's you guys that don't have a place to go.
- Right.
- A bathroom.
- A kitchen.
- Right.
- A dumpster to put the trash in.
- Right.
- And they're the victims
cause they got to look at you-
- Then don't turn your face.
Don't turn your head
- or help you.
You know what I mean?
- Right. It's kind of judging.
Right.
- I mean, you guys,
are homeless without homes, without bathrooms,
without a way to take care of the trash.
You're the victims,
not the people driving by.
- Right.
- So like when you say it might look bad.
Yeah, you don't have any trash pick-up.
- No.
- Its gonna look bad.
- No, no trash pickup, you know.
Dumpsters around here are a lot.
So we can't even dispose of it that way, you know.
If you burn it,
which is now what they're saying
is the reason for this
latest sweep was because people
under the bridge were having fires.
All the fires were contained
and they were burning because
it was cold or people were hungry
and then they were put out.
Nothing was ever out of control.
The fire department never had to show up
underneath the bridges or anywhere out here,
from what I know.
- And fire is dangerous in Southern California
and you know, to stop any of this is to get people housing.
- Right.
- You know.
- If you're upset about homeless people
starting a fire to stay warm or to cook,
then let's end homeless.
- That's right.
And you know, with the money that was given,
why is there still a crisis?
It angers me so bad.
- You've been out here for a long time.
- Almost three years.
- And one of the things people ask about
all the time is they want updates.
Updates?
And I love seeing you.
I'm glad you reached out.
I'm sorry I don't have a whole lot of time today.
I will be back.
We'll hang out, go to dinner-
- Right.
- something
But I hate that you're still homeless.
I love seeing you,
but I hate the you're still homeless.
- You know I do too.
But if me still being homeless, you know,
with the way things are happening right now
at this very moment,
the way they're doing things,
if it, you know,
if a change is made because of it
I'll do it again.
- Yeah, do this with your bank.
- I know.
(Mark laughing)
I don't care.
I'm homeless, I'm homeless. - I know you do.
I'm not supposed to look good.
- You look incredible.
(Don laughs)
- I almost, when I pulled up,
I almost didn't recognize you.
Not that you look bad before,
but you look good for a homeless person.
You're walking down the streets.
Nobody would recognize you as a homeless person.
- It will not take my pride.
Will not take my pride or my confidence at all.
Period.
- Period
I may be homeless,
but it's not gonna control me to that point.
- You're a survivor.
- I am, I am.
- And I'll link to the other video.
- Okay
- You've had some life changes.
- Yes.
- Do you really want to talk about them?
- Well I will say that me and my husband
are no longer together.
We've been separated almost a year.
He is by the grace of God in a hotel
awaiting his housing.
He seems to be improving a little bit more.
Every time that I talk to him,
which isn't very often,
but at least he's still alive
and he's pushing forward too.
- Yeah.
- That's all I can wish for.
- And you're saying,
well relationships are hard.
Then you add the stress of homelessness
and you guys were stranded here.
You didn't like, you know,
it wasn't like the game plan you're gonna,
Hey, let's go live in tents.
- There's always a reason for everything.
- Yeah.
- Always.
- Your nose healed itself.
- Yes it did.
That's great,
cause we're all worried.
- Yes it did.
- And you fell on your bike and got a little (indistinct)
- Yeah, I wish I had a better story.
(Don laughs)
So yeah.
- Yeah.
- And I'm down to one dog.
- Yeah.
- Sadly, but at least I have her.
- So what's the day like?
- A little easier than the last, I guess.
- Because it's just you.
- It's not as hard, yeah.
Yeah.
Well, it's hard, you know,
having to give my dogs up,
but it was the best thing I could've
done for her and us.
And I still see her every day.
(laughs)
She's doing real good, so.
- Yeah, when I gave away my iguana,
I had the same thing.
It was better for her
and ended up being better for me,
but it hurt.
- Yeah, it will hurt,
cause I raised (indistinct) her so,
but I'm good.
I'm good right now.
I need to get somewhere and get stabilized a little bit
so I can work on my health issues
that I have going on right now.
And I'm not gonna disclose those at this time.
Hopefully I'll never have to,
but I'm pushing 50.
So it's bound to have them.
- You're a rockstar now.
You have KTLA,
local TV station interviewing you.
What'd you tell them?
What they ask you about.
- The truth,
I told him the truth.
You got Caltrans out here lying.
You've got an organization that, you know,
is ran pretty much through the county.
That's telling people that they're gonna do certain
things and they don't.
Same shit different day.
Excuse me but it is, you know.
You gotta sit here and come
make people leave an area that
they've been around and have gotten used to
as part of their daily routine
and tell them that they got to change it.
Where, but not offer them any change for it.
- Right.
So let me ask you this.
How many times to case managers or support services
or when Caltrans comes
or LAPD or sanitation or who it might be CHP.
I don't know who this area is.
The city of Inglewood even.
- Okay yeah.
How many times did they say,
"Don let's get you help?"
- Honestly, since before the separation
or after or all together?
- Yeah, just recently.
- Recently.
- (indistinct) last year.
- Okay, well, I'm gonna say this.
When Mike and I split up, you know,
cause they never did anything before, right?
Okay.
Well, and they told us we'll be prioritized
because of his health issues.
Well, that never happened and took him,
you know,
going through a crisis to even get house for himself.
But they did not come to me at all until July of last year.
told me that I was gonna be put on the list,
come back to me in November and told me I was approved for
one of the emergency housing vouchers.
No, yeah.
November.
That's when I filled out my application.
- So they came to you in July?
- Yes.
- And then came back in November?
- Yes.
- Just several months.
- Yes.
- A lot can happen in several minutes out here.
- Well, I'm out here by myself,
still legally married to somebody in their program.
- Yeah.
So then November,
you got on the housing list.
- Yes.
- And here it is January.
and you're still homeless.
- Yes, I have an interview for my voucher
on February, the eighth Lord willing.
And that my mouth didn't get me in trouble,
but if it does so be it.
So be it.
- So you reached out to me.
- Yes.
- Why?
- Because what you do is great, Mark.
You care.
You care and there are so many people that
are the people that actually wasn't that
you know, met you through.
You know, they're great people too all these,
all the volunteer outreach or the nonprofits
y'all are still the ones.
And I'm very grateful for that.
- Yeah.
Matt and I talk about you from time to time.
- I love Matt.
- Yeah, he's great.
- And Maggie.
- And Maggie, yeah.
- They're the dynamic duo.
- Yeah.
- And I mean, I'd jump over joy
If they finally get you into housing.
Not Matt Maggie.
- Oh I know.
Because Matt and Maggie would.
I would if we-
- They'd have me in their garage.
I don't know.
But you know, prayer works a lot.
- So what I meant by why reaching out to me
is what do you have to say to people?
There's something.
You know, you have this audience.
- The awareness is there,
the awareness is there.
Take us seriously.
Help do something, help make a change.
- Plus help people.
- Right.
- Like I said, instead of driving by saying,
"Oh my gosh, you've got to look at the homeless people."
Say, "Oh, we've got to help end homelessness."
- Right
- You know?
So, if you had three wishes, what would they be?
- To see my now almost three grand babies,
grand daughters of course.
Have all this changed,
have all this changed.
That's it.
Have it changed.
Change it.
- And by have it changed, meaning
- Make a difference - Let's end homelessness.
Let's all work together instead of against each other.
- And stop the stupid criminalization.
- Yes, yes.
- It's true.
- We're out here, you know, unhoused.
We're not criminals,
not all of us, you know.
take a chance to get to know somebody.
- So thank you very much for reaching out.
- Thank you more.
- Good seeing you.
- You too.
- And when I get back from New York,
I'm coming down, we're hanging out longer.
- Awesome.
Awesome.
(upbeat music)