The participants of this project had various opinions on homeless people prior to watching the film. When we asked them to write everything that came to mind when they thought of the word homeless they wrote down things like Detroit, MI, veterans, dependent, minorities, lonely, ill-mannered, begging, unemployed, financially irresponsible, dirty, STDs, and misrepresented. While most of these terms carry a negative connotation, not all the participants believed homeless people are drug addicts, alcoholics, and complete bums. They expressed some knowledge about the homelessness crisis, saying the closing of mental hospitals in the 1980s was very detrimental to the lives of the mentally ill. In addition some believed not all homeless people are to blame for their situation, that there are other factors at work; they acknowledged the fact that the system is the real problem. Overall the participants’ views on homeless people ranged from fairly positive to quite negative; however, we then proceeded to watch The Pursuit of Happyness and afterward asked them if the movie had changed some of their opinions on homeless people. In our post-film discussion we heard more terms and phrases like “hardworking,” “loving,” and “trying to do the best with what they’ve got,” uncommon associations with the homeless. One participant then said lack of public awareness is a significant reason why there is such a stigma on homeless people, and that it is important for the rest of society to recognize where these people come from, what their situation is, and what their lives are like. In response to this we had them write down all the solutions to homelessness they could think of. This activity yield vastly fewer ideas than the first one, but in addition to increased public awareness they believed reducing the number of incarcerations of drug users and homeless people, giving homeless a place to live, rehabilitation centers, and food banks are all ways to improve the lives of the homeless. At this point we introduced the participants to some concepts we have been learning about in class such as housing first, as well as the fact that shelters and service agencies are not nearly as impactful as they need to be or could be because of the way society is structured. They were quite surprised to hear how people wait weeks, months, even years to get into shelters because of waiting lists and all kinds of complications and hoops to jump through. None of them were fans of the leaf blower effect and agreed it is the laziest way to go about dealing with the homeless population. Housing first was a more popular topic. They all believed housing first was the most obvious change that needs to be made and that its is probably going to have a significant impact on getting homeless people off the streets and on a better path.

Yesterday, February 13th, in Los Angeles Chinatown the dragon parade was hosted in honor of Chinese New Years. This is the year of the Fire Monkey who’s character is ambitious and adventurous, but irritable. The monkey’s character was essentially synonymous with surroundings of Chinatown, filled bustling bright blood red streets flashed by my eyes as the dragons floated by. The image created was beautiful- the neighborhood was packed and morale was high. And the lack of space and desire for authentic dim sum made me irritable.

Families were everywhere and the demographic was scattered- the difference night and day compared to ‘typical’. I wanted to see typical, I wanted to see who really occupied the streets of Chinatown. I did not want to forget that the majority of people (asian and latino descent) who are residents of the Chinatown area lived on annual incomes of $22,754 six years ago.

I did not want to forget that homeless people line the streets- but I could not ignore my reality and my blindness to the true brutality. The truth was sheltered, covered, replaced with ambition and adventure. There was a makeshift mart made of various vendors selling knock-offs of clothing brands, five shirts for ten dollars. Extending the line of poverty- working the system to buy, sell, and waste more. The cycle being perpetuated threw me to a further spiral- dim sum the only cure.

Our group scattered to a hole-in-the-wall recommended by an old local Chinese lady.

The dim sum was super- tasted just like it should, with a price that matched wonderfully. Fortunately or unfortunately, do to a ten dollar minimum on card purchases I loaded boxes with ten dollars worth of Chinese dim sum. Obviously unable to devour all deliciousness in one sitting, and having had made eye contact with a homeless man sitting in a wheelchair I decided to ask my friends who was willing to give up their food.

Without hesitation all of my friends donated to the food box we were about to present this man. I confidently walked over to him and presented him with the box of food, “Hi sir, this box of food is for you, there are some dumplings and bread that will last and I would love for you to have it.” He looked at me, smiled, thanked me, and refused the food.

I did not question him but smiled in response, said thank you and wished him a good day. I forgot to consider all that comes with being homeless and the obstacles one must face while homeless. Mainly and particularly for this case- the difficulties of finding a restroom as a disabled and unkept homeless man.

In an article written by author Sohpie Cockie, the plans of Hawaii’s state legislature to combat homelessness in tourist hub, Waikiki, is outlined. The article explains that the state has initiated a campaign to help the homeless population of Waikiki either, return to their home states, or into local shelters. It was also mentioned that majority of the homeless living in Waikiki are transplants and came to Hawaii with the intention of being homeless- or became homeless after they arrived and found that the cost of living is excessive. In order to discourage transplants from moving to Hawaii the initiative will also take the time for a PR campaign getting rid of blogs and false media that encourage the thought that Hawaii is a homeless friendly state.

The initiative has been funded privately, by the local mainstream hotels, and publicly. The private funders had similar views abut the homeless situation as most (think about the views of those in the documentary we watched on homelessness in Santa Monica- its unsightly and bad for tourism. It is interesting to note how our greed for money cloud our judgments and numbs us, allowing us to forget to treat humans as humans no matter their circumstance.

Though the program is also focusing on relocation they are worried about the system being overly abused. They predict that there is a possibility that people will flow into Hawaii in mass numbers with plans to get there, and none to leave, with the assumption that the government will present them with a free ticket home.

Homelessness is an issue everywhere,

Including paradise.

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When watching the documentary that showcased the lives of a community (family) compiled of homeless people in Santa Monica during 1994 it was hard to not be emotionally effected. The effort that this community put into the upkeep of their living space (such as sweeping rugs, making beds, and maintaining cooking supplies), newly formed familial bonds, and livelihood (can collecting and dumpster diving) was impressive. I would never have the resilience to be hassled by my inner demons as well as outer entities such as police and the societal structure that enabled me to live a suppressed life.

One example of impressive resilience and strength that stands out is, the army veteran who collected cans for 15-18 hours daily in order to make less than $40 change. He had all sorts of problems with his feet including, but not limited to, ingrown toenails and terribly painful callus. These problems should and could have left him incapable of maintaining his daily chores in order to survive. But when push comes to shove and you are faced with a choice of life or death- those who want to survive will aim to thrive in whatever ways they can.

How do these people maintain the courage to handle or bare the multiple struggles that present them daily? Where do they gather their strength, motivation and faith to keep going in a world where they do not belong? The most unsettling portions of the documentary were statements taken from (non-homeless) Santa Monica residents and tourist about homeless people. Statements about the process of evolution, and how the homeless were stunted in this process therefore should not be allowed to live their gift of life, was astonishing. The general air of the civilians towards the homeless was unfortunate. There was a lot of degradation of the human spirit and mind, calling homeless “unsightly burdens”.

The moment when the “family head” started breaking down in tears was a huge moment to understand and empathize through. Imagine; everything you have built and tried so hard to protect and maintain being stripped from you because in the eyes of society you have no right to anything you lay claim to. Not your belongs, your family, or yourself.

You just have tears worth noting.

In the article entitled, “Governor Wants 10.8M to Tackle Homelessness”,  written by Mileka Lincoln on January 22, 2016 the allocation of Hawaii state funds in regards to homelessness is briefly touched upon. The article adequately describes how funds will be given to the police force, and a soon to be establish “maintenance crew”.

These maintenance crews will be vigilant in ensuring that the current laws in place, prohibiting sidewalk sitting, are followed. The sweep will be a daily job due to the vast homeless population that resides in Hawaii. The state’s objective for the maintenance crew is to encourage people to move out of the streets and the into shelters. The transition will be a long and difficult one, aggressive in nature. How would you feel to constantly be on the run?

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