Sometimes, we choose to ignore the harsh realities of the world we live in. Last night I had one of the most incredible, shocking, and eye opening experiences of my life. I was in LA for Zach Bonner's birthday party at the Union Rescue Mission. After this awesome party that Zach threw for Homeless Kids, (which @FUNDaFIELD had a booth at) it was time to get ready for sleeping out.
Our team consisted of myself, Zach Bonner, my new buddy and world-renowned magician Derek McKee, and Union Rescue Mission CEO Andy Bales. Additionally, our man for the night would be program graduate and URM employee “Sugarbear”.
Initially we were under the impression that we would be sleeping in a closed off area with lots of security in what would essentially be, an awareness raising sleepover. We were given our EDAR’s which are basically very cool solo tents on wheels, and told to roll them out back.
Once out back we started to realize what we had gotten ourselves into. Tents and just blankets lined the street as we set up in what appeared to be a city of homeless people. This was one of those surreal experiences that you think you understand but really have no idea. The level of poverty we saw just on our initial walk around the block was incredible. This was the “real” LA and we were jumping straight in.
Upon our return we started giving out McDonalds hamburgers to people who sleep close to the mission which people were literally begging and pleading us for, clambering around each other for the precious burger which seemed to be worth its weight in gold.
As the night progressed, we learned the language of skid row (much of which I will keep off this post). Greet people with “Sup bigger-than-me” or “How you doin’ cuz?” among other things.
The first real scare was the big white SUV that sped down the street at 100mph and then upon seeing us slowly turned around and sped back and then drove off. Things continued to get crazy as we saw a very vocal and overexposed lady try and sexually assault some of the men around the mission.
Through the night we saw crack dealers, fights, rats, ambulances, countless police, and a host of incredibly fascinating people. One highlight was a profane rapper named CC or “Captain Cool” rap to us in conversation for about 15 minutes of clever rhymes. Another was realizing that no matter how many cold beverages I chugged, I do not get brain freezes. The last was Mrs. Bonner nearly jumping 20 feet once she realized a rat had just crawled over her (she and social guru @hardlynormal stayed for a bit.)
It was fascinating to learn how even in the brand new apartments across the street, horrible atrocities were taking place and that the “guards” were controlled by one of the 52 LA gangs. Sleep was minimal, and when I finally fell asleep I woke to the sounds of yelling as Andy and Sugar bear went to break up a fight in which an old man was robbed by a young man who then punched him. The old man then proceeded to crack the kid on the head with a pipe and he nearly passed out.
In conclusion, it is obvious that this experience will have a profound impact on me. We live so close to people who live with so little and yet we oftentimes find it very easy to look. Skid Row makes the “ghettos” as seen portrayed in film seem almost tame. This was an incredibly real experience ,which as Derek said, “every kid should go through.” People (myself included) often forget about the huge problems in our own backyard ,which can be just as huge as problems in another state, nation, or continent. If you live in LA, take the time to get down to Skid Row if only to see how the other side lives. Follow @Zach_Bonner, @abales, @Derek_McKee, @hardlynormal and @FUNDaFIELD.
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