Basque Hotel Dinner
I had a very nice "pre-Mother's Day" dinner last Thursday night at the Basque Hotel in Fresno. It's one of those places we rarely go anymore, but when we do we always have a great time. Maybe because it's a bit like being at home, where we all gather around the table and "pass the bread" or "pass the soup". Maybe it's just because when we finally get a chance to be together, it's going to be great - regardless of where we are.
Leaving the restaurant, I drove back towards California Dairies on my way to getting back on 99 and heading home. I was surprised at how uncomfortable I felt by the people out on the street. The moon was full - it fact, it was a beautiful sight out of my windshield on such a pretty night. But the people that lined the streets made me very uncomfortable. Stopped at the red stop lights, I found myself very uncomfortable, checking to make sure the doors of my car were locked.
What was it that made me uncomfortable? I'm trying to relive the drive and remember what it was. There was a full moon out, but maybe there weren't many street lights. Are there? I can't recall now if I noticed street lights or not. The people didn't threaten me in any way, except by being out on the street doing things that didn't seem appropriate for people to be out doing. Why would two middle aged (I'm guessing) men be sitting on a sidewalk, their backs up against the walls of a factory, drinking something from a paper bag? People walking, window shopping, going in and out of open businesses, walking towards their vehicles, to the ball park - that seems reasonable. But people sitting on sidewalks, not near their cars - not near their homes - that doesn't seem reasonable to me, I guess.
Earlier last week, I drove through downtown Fresno early one morning to take a visiting guest to the Amtrak station. I had the same degree of surprise at that time - when I saw so many people wandering the streets as the sun came up. They seemed unkempt, and again - none of them threatened me, but I felt threatened by their presence. I also found a little "village" of people living in tents, and saw some beautiful people stumbling out into the light of day.
Homelessness bothers me, and I am a very compassionate person. But it strikes me as a problem that the last two times I drove into downtown, these were my observations. Surprised me too; I usually am not anywhere near downtown Fresno.
Do we as a city just allow people to make their tent homes and live where they choose? Is it safe for people to wander around an industrial type area, where there are no businesses open? Is it legal for people to be drinking on the streets?
Madre dos Milagres
On a star lit summer night
Oh. I love the Basque Hotel for dinner. I remember going there with my brothers and Father before I became homeless.
Ahem.
Yes, that's right, I too am homeless.
I am educated, intelligent, sober (non-drinker, non drug user - - not even coffee or cigarettes) and I ocassionally smile.
I know that being homeless means being someone to be able to point a finger at and say "see, one of those people".
Prejudice can be a blanket to cover people with which may fly back and allow you to hide under it or hide you from others and eventually hide you from yourself.
The homeless are not any one class of people so much as they are people, who, for the time being, are without a home.
Maybe we will meet some night while we are passing soup as one big happy family on a star lit summer night.
Peace baby,
Father Luke
A Conditioning Of The Mind
a conditioning of the mind...
what if we conditioned our minds….
by ceasing to make judgments?
what if we saw things for what they were….
rather than what we want them to be in order to coincide with what we think we know?
what if rather than observing others and judging them….
by observing others we learn from one another and judge ourselves?
perhaps through casting judgments on ourselves we will justify the case that no judgments should be cast at all….
because we really don't have that right.
and we may then learn not to judge….
and we may then accept each other for what we are.
perhaps we all feel the same way about the same things….
we just don't know it yet.
just one more way to help stop living lost in our own perceptions….
the next time you see something you'd like to hate or cast judgment on….
instead seal your lips with a smile and roll on by….
and place compassion where its due….
because we're all living just like you.
- Christopher Ruff
I'd just like to point out I moved to Fresno just a few months ago and that I live downtown. I walk to Fulton Mall, the stadium, Chinatown, etc. all the time. I often walk home from Fagan's or wherever late at night, usually by myself. Honestly, because everything is closed at night, I rarely even see anyone out and about.
thanks for your honesty
I want to commend madre dos milagres for her honesty in admitting how she has felt while visiting some of Fresno's more urban areas. I think cuts to the heart of a major problem in our community. It's extremely insular.
How can downtown hope to attract intrest from people who have not ever seen it? If we get them there how can we teach people that homeless does not mean criminal?
Homeless people don't scare me.
But I am guilty of feeling 'uncomfortable' in the same way madre dos milagres has - just in reacting to other things. Big trucks with rifle racks make me nervous. People who spend too much time with their plastic surgeons creep me out - I can't trust what I see. Wondering what's really in the meat at (insert fast food name here) scares me. Dirty bathrooms are really scary too.
To some degree we all fear what we don't understand.
Ideas to force changes in perception:
Start carpooling our fine homeless folks to other parts of Fresno so we can all share the experience equally. Or we can just bus them all to Clovis. They have a 'cute' downtown so maybe they'll seem less scary there...
Semi-joking but you get my point.
To some of the other posters in this thread - attacking people who see the world differently from you is NO way to open their eyes. Next time be brave and use your real name + say something constructive.
Yes, homelessness is a
Yes, homelessness is a serious problem everywhere but one to say they felt threatened about their presence is ridiculous. The problem has been there for many years. For some reason, i felt that entry post are putting negatives about downtown and chinatown.
QUESTION
But seriously, is it legal to drink on the streets? I've been to outdoor events where we have to leave our beer at the "rope" because we can't leave the event with an open container.
QUESTION
But seriously, is it legal to drink on the streets? I've been to outdoor events where we have to leave our beer at the "rope" because we can't leave the event with an open container.
and your point ...
So, because other cities have homeless people this makes it okay? People can drive through downtown 24 / 7 and see this, yes. But is it okay? Can't we discuss it reasonably?
Another example of why
Another example of why Fresno is "what it is" - While everyone sits around claiming to be so open minded and forward thinking, one person can post a simple comment and the idiots come out of the woodwork to attack those thoughts. So someone had the nerve to ask about homelessness!! Wow! Off with his head, huh? This isn't the tenderloin district, it's not San Francisco, it's not LA - This is Fresno, and this is a person who posted a comment about an experience.
We can talk all we want about how insightful and creative and clever we are, but homelessness and loitering does bother people, especially at night. You might be a well traveled person and be aware of that, but it doesn't make you right in your ideas and thoughts, and it doesn't give you the right to attack someone who has a question about it.
Let's just accept then all of the problems we have as a city, as long as other cities have the same problems. That is what you're saying. Let's accept gang violence, graffiti, teenage pregnancy and car thefts because - "hey, San Francisco has the same problem".
You should give some thoughts to your comments before posting them.
Welcome to late night in Chinatown
It's really not as bad as it looks, at night, I hung out at the Green Tea Room some times late at night watching the Street next to the La Fiesta, The crime was not really too bad than any other area, except the closing hours of the La Fiesta Bar, when the drunks would hit the street and maybe once a month their would be a fight, but the Police presence was always good in that neighborhood most of the Police who where assigned to that beat knew the owners and regulars of the Neighborhood, their was the Day shift Police officers that you would see in their cars and on bicycles and then there was the Night shift officers who would patrol in their cars. They where never really that far away when you needed them they could be their with in 5 minutes for almost anything. Out of the five years my friends ran their shop there I can only remember two instances that were involved with, one was their fault the other was not. I had only one instance with some minor finder bender. But beyond that I'd not be too worried about walking around their during the day, but at night I would not be alone, unless you are with a group, but places like Crises Meat Market are safe late at night, they have their own security. I wonder if Full Circle Brewery has any stories of a incident at their place from the people at night that make the area uncomfortable.
Why is Homelessness a problem downtown, maybe be cause the shelters are located in that area south of Chinatown so they are going to leaner around their because it's with in walking distance.
Until the U.S. Government gets off it's duff and really works at eliminating poverty here this Homelessness problem is always going to be here.
If San Francisco ever solves it's homeless problem Fresno should follow the same solution, even thought Fresno's problem is nothing compared to San Fransisco's.
Please....
As a former yet proud Fresnan, I have been living in Downtown D.C. and I see people in any way (uncomfortable in your meaning) everywhere in Downtown and doesnt seems to bother anybody during the daytime and even the nighttime. Whoever post this entry is obvoiusly isolated in one place which this person has never been to downtown Fresno or SF or Manhattan or DC or any big city. What a joke!
homeless
This story is either written by someone who has never been away from the River Park area or this is a joke. The writer has never been to the Tenderloin in SF otherwise this is a non-story.
For the past 40 years the bums have been leaning up on against the buildings of ChinaTown in Fresno drinking out of bottles in paperbags. Only the label within the bags have changed. Now you can't even buy Thunderbird.
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