Homeless

Barbie and Ken

While working on the homeless documentary I would stay out all night shooting. On the way back to my apartment in Bankers Hill, an area close to downtown San Diego, this homeless man was sleeping with some full beer cans next to him. This couple walked byas i photographed. I asked them to stand by the sleeping man. The man made the face on his own. It’s hard to see in this photo, but blown up you can see she has a credit card in her left hand.

Homeless in San Diego

When I first arrived in San Diego I was overwhelmed by the numbers of homeless. It was obvious folks turned their heads. The homeless were ignored, unless the city needed to spruce up their appearance for various reasons. The cops pushed the homeless population out of the downtown area through various means, only to have them return shortly after. This, to me, was an outrage and I could not grasp the whole situation so I started documenting the homeless. This was the image that set me off.

Balboa Park

Some panhandlers use crutches as a tool for sympathy to get spare change. This guy was for real. His grinding walks around the area wore him out. He slept in Balboa Park across from very expensive rentals and condos. There was a food line in the park which he frequented daily.

Crazy man

I call him Crazy man because he had a reputation for being crazy. I listened to him speak but it was impossible to have a conversation with him. I was able to get this photo only because he had seen me around enough to trust. Once I saw him beat a man who tried to take his watch. He definitely knew how to fight which surprised the guy who thought otherwise.

Cowboy

Cowboy is a good looking man with a nice jacket and hat. He is seen here vacating a homeless camp that the police were getting ready to clean out. The homeless were using an abandoned amphitheatre in Balboa Park as residence. Periodically the police would chase the homeless out of camps they were getting to large or unyielding.

Homeless drunks fighting

These two guys could barely walk but still managed to try and fight each other. The police took their time breaking them up which gave me plenty of time to get this photo. The amused look on the police officers face sitting in the car tells the whole story.

Sleeping bag moat

This man created a moat, similar to the ones used around castles, to surround his sleeping bag. I can only speculate it gave him a sense of security. He slept in Balboa Park which was home to thousands of homeless.

Waking up pissing

In downtown San Diego homeless people slept on sidewalks. This man woke up, urinated from the prone position then went back to sleep. Using bathrooms is one of the most challenging aspects of being homeless, along with finding secure sleeping spots and food.

Sad

She was sleeping in the fetal position on the sidewalk in the middle of the day in a busy part of downtown San Diego. I found this to be sad. I felt helpless.

Food Line

The food line at St. Vincent De Paul in downtown San Diego was always full of hungry homeless. They also provided shelter but there was a waiting list and restrictions which limited the number and types of homeless allowed in the program.

Waiting and hanging out

This homeless woman waits at the St. Vincent De Paul center in downtown San Diego for food and shelter.

Angry man

This homeless man was drinking and angry. He did not appreciate me photographing him. He was hanging out with other homeless folks at a camp in Balboa Park at a picnic setting. I was invited and felt comfortable taking his picture.

Homeless rabbit

Mike, a homeless man I knew who lived in Balboa Park, had a pet rabbit. He would leave the rabbit with his girlfriend in the day while he went out and distributed advertising flyers. It looks like the rabbit was growling.