Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Reader writers get up very close to San Diego's homeless

At the plasma center, Balboa Park, San Diego River

Though Rat, Painter, and Wyoming would rather panhandle for money, they have been donors there off and on for months. - Image by David Diaz
Though Rat, Painter, and Wyoming would rather panhandle for money, they have been donors there off and on for months.

Blood Brothers

It wasn’t long before the owner of the radiator shop discovered that Rat had been sleeping in the van. But when the man saw Rat’s beat-up face and how sick he was, he agreed to let Rat sleep there. Rat has a certain way about him that makes people like the shop owner want to help him out. Besides his blond, youthful appearance, he has an eager sincerity, like the perfect soldier he once was.

By Steve Sorensen, Dec. 23, 1987 | Read full article

The homeless are easy to spot roaming downtown streets: slow, aimless gait; dirty, unkempt appearance; frayed, shabby clothes; life’s possessions rolled into a sack.

Labyrinth of the Radiant City

He's got hold of my bag. He’s trying to yank me into the bushes. “What do you want?” I scream. He grips my bag. A tug-of-war begins. “What do you want?” It’s obvious what he wants, stupid. He gets two hands on the strap, pulls harder. “Let go! Let go!” I yank with all I have, and the contents of my bag spill to the sidewalk. The man releases the strap and scuttles behind the bushes.

Sponsored
Sponsored

By David Rioux, June 3, 1993 | Read full article

Crossing to St. Vincent’s main entrance, I spot a familiar face in the meal line: the black fellow I stayed with in Balboa Park two nights before. Uncle Remus’s companion, the quiet man.

Labyrinth of the Radiant City, part 2

My thoughts drift to the squirrel woman. Where did she get those bruises? Where is she sleeping tonight? My mind wanders to other people. The little artist I met this morning, probably passing this night on El Cajon Boulevard, sketch pad in hand, a streetwalker modeling. And that teenage runaway. She must be at her sister’s by now. And my father back home. Hope he’s all right. Hope everything’s okay back home. Wonder what time it is in Massachusetts.

By David Rioux, June 10, 1993 | Read full article

Goldie Harris: "I got my mom out here, but I got a lot of homeless people that love me more than my own family...thank you, Jesus."

What Do I Have to Be Thankful For?

Reed: "I have no plans for Thanksgiving. Just be with good friends, like my family here and with Sister Winnie and St. Vincent's and the Salvation Army."

Kakei: "Sister Winnie is over at 16th and Island. She's very good. Horizon is the best one for Thanksgiving. You get showers, you get clothes, You also get an eye test and a glaucoma check. They have doctors — they have everything. It's in Clairemont."

By Robert Kumpel, Nov 22, 2000 | Read full article

Jeff Viator. What struck me as somewhat peculiar is that Viator said he had never seen the police and the police said they had never seen Viator.

They Make Their Home by the River

The Mission Valley Preserve is one of the most beautiful areas in San Diego. It also is one of the ugliest and that is part of the problem. It has native plants, like cottonwoods and willows; and invasive exotics like Arundo donax, salt cedar and palms. It has giant blue heron, Least Bell’s vireos, yellow warblers and feral cats and stray dogs. The river has largemouth bass and green sunfish and - shopping carts and Styrofoam containers.

By Stephen Dobyns, Oct. 18, 2001 | Read full article

Robert: "I got into a fight with my roommate in ’98, and I ended up breaking my hand hitting him, which caused me to lose my job."

Houseless

“I had a business that was failing to support me, and I could not bring myself to let it go. I had to sell everything I own — microwave, childhood toys, guitars, all of my CDs, 99 percent of everything I owned — just to keep it going. I finally walked away. I could not stand the pressure. Digging my food out of a Dumpster or getting lunch and a sermon is so much better than working like a dog.”

By Doug DuBrul, June 22, 2000 | Read full article

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Surf Scoter is arriving in numbers, great tidepooling opportunites

October's Hunter moon is also a super moon
Though Rat, Painter, and Wyoming would rather panhandle for money, they have been donors there off and on for months. - Image by David Diaz
Though Rat, Painter, and Wyoming would rather panhandle for money, they have been donors there off and on for months.

Blood Brothers

It wasn’t long before the owner of the radiator shop discovered that Rat had been sleeping in the van. But when the man saw Rat’s beat-up face and how sick he was, he agreed to let Rat sleep there. Rat has a certain way about him that makes people like the shop owner want to help him out. Besides his blond, youthful appearance, he has an eager sincerity, like the perfect soldier he once was.

By Steve Sorensen, Dec. 23, 1987 | Read full article

The homeless are easy to spot roaming downtown streets: slow, aimless gait; dirty, unkempt appearance; frayed, shabby clothes; life’s possessions rolled into a sack.

Labyrinth of the Radiant City

He's got hold of my bag. He’s trying to yank me into the bushes. “What do you want?” I scream. He grips my bag. A tug-of-war begins. “What do you want?” It’s obvious what he wants, stupid. He gets two hands on the strap, pulls harder. “Let go! Let go!” I yank with all I have, and the contents of my bag spill to the sidewalk. The man releases the strap and scuttles behind the bushes.

Sponsored
Sponsored

By David Rioux, June 3, 1993 | Read full article

Crossing to St. Vincent’s main entrance, I spot a familiar face in the meal line: the black fellow I stayed with in Balboa Park two nights before. Uncle Remus’s companion, the quiet man.

Labyrinth of the Radiant City, part 2

My thoughts drift to the squirrel woman. Where did she get those bruises? Where is she sleeping tonight? My mind wanders to other people. The little artist I met this morning, probably passing this night on El Cajon Boulevard, sketch pad in hand, a streetwalker modeling. And that teenage runaway. She must be at her sister’s by now. And my father back home. Hope he’s all right. Hope everything’s okay back home. Wonder what time it is in Massachusetts.

By David Rioux, June 10, 1993 | Read full article

Goldie Harris: "I got my mom out here, but I got a lot of homeless people that love me more than my own family...thank you, Jesus."

What Do I Have to Be Thankful For?

Reed: "I have no plans for Thanksgiving. Just be with good friends, like my family here and with Sister Winnie and St. Vincent's and the Salvation Army."

Kakei: "Sister Winnie is over at 16th and Island. She's very good. Horizon is the best one for Thanksgiving. You get showers, you get clothes, You also get an eye test and a glaucoma check. They have doctors — they have everything. It's in Clairemont."

By Robert Kumpel, Nov 22, 2000 | Read full article

Jeff Viator. What struck me as somewhat peculiar is that Viator said he had never seen the police and the police said they had never seen Viator.

They Make Their Home by the River

The Mission Valley Preserve is one of the most beautiful areas in San Diego. It also is one of the ugliest and that is part of the problem. It has native plants, like cottonwoods and willows; and invasive exotics like Arundo donax, salt cedar and palms. It has giant blue heron, Least Bell’s vireos, yellow warblers and feral cats and stray dogs. The river has largemouth bass and green sunfish and - shopping carts and Styrofoam containers.

By Stephen Dobyns, Oct. 18, 2001 | Read full article

Robert: "I got into a fight with my roommate in ’98, and I ended up breaking my hand hitting him, which caused me to lose my job."

Houseless

“I had a business that was failing to support me, and I could not bring myself to let it go. I had to sell everything I own — microwave, childhood toys, guitars, all of my CDs, 99 percent of everything I owned — just to keep it going. I finally walked away. I could not stand the pressure. Digging my food out of a Dumpster or getting lunch and a sermon is so much better than working like a dog.”

By Doug DuBrul, June 22, 2000 | Read full article

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Ben Folds takes requests via paper airplane at UCSD

A bunch of folks brought theirs from home
Next Article

Larry Turner – the man who would be San Diego's mayor

Ex-Marine, cop answers the personal questions
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader