This week in class we watched the documentary, Taylor’s Campaign. By far it was one of the best documentaries about homelessness that I’ve seen.

It showed real issues that homeless people in Santa Monica, and I’m sure in other places, face everyday. It showed homelessness from the perspective of homeless people. The homeless people that we meet in the film have personalities that are likable and make you question how someone like this can be homeless. The documentary truly shows the unjust side of dealing with homelessness. It enlightens the way police treat homeless people, and how people in City Hall treat them. To me, it looked like they had forgotten about these people’s humanity. One homeless man stated, “We got nothing to stand on…we can’t turn to nobody.” The same people who are supposed to fix these issues of poverty seem to have turned their back’s on a large population of people living in their city.

I felt angry about some people’s comment towards homeless people. Many people saw them as a burden to the city. It also upset me that Santa Monica wanted to pass policy that meant a person could not give food or money to a homeless person. I felt like they had no right to stop a person from helping another person on the street. I was a big fan of Ron Taylor because he really cared about these people, and like one of the men said in the film, “It’s hard to find a person that really cares.” He really wanted to make a difference in the city, which I found inspiring and motivating. His beliefs and actions allowed me to think of ways in which I can help the homeless community now and in the future.