Walking on Broxton Avenue on a Friday night, it’s not hard
to miss the homeless strolling among hordes of young people waiting
to see a movie or be seated at a restaurant.
One standing in front of Starbucks identified himself as James
Reed.
He had alcohol on his breath and a backpack on his back that
holds all his belongings, including his “money
cup.”
Though he expresses remorse about his alcohol use, he admits
that he could not ask for money if he was sober. “This is the
only way I can do it,” he said.
With such prominent presence, the homeless of Westwood are bound
to become an unavoidable part of student life. Many students know
“the regulars” of the area and even know where they can
often be found.
Reed is one of these regulars. He calls Westwood his
“territory” and added, “I know who is who and I
know how to socialize.”
His friends call him “heart attack,” though Reed was
not willing to reveal the story behind the name.
But other than the nickname, other aspects of Reed’s life
were not kept much of a mystery.
A Vietnam war veteran and a veteran of the area, 52-year-old
Reed has spent his days in Westwood for the past six years,
“on and off.” He is envious of his peers who spend the
nights here, while he has to take the bus to downtown Los Angeles
to sleep at a homeless shelter.
“If I had a blanket or a sleeping bag, I would not leave.
… I feel safe here. … I can leave my bag on the street and no
one touches it,” Reed said.
And when it comes to money, his only source of income is the
donations; with the amount given to him by a single person varying
from a few cents to $20.
“I felt like a king on a throne,” Reed said of a
time when someone gave him a $20 bill. “I grabbed him and
gave him a hug.”
But for every person who gives money to the homeless, there are
many more who don’t.
“If they don’t have it, or just say
“˜no,’ that’s still nice,” Reed said about
most of his daily encounters, adding that there are those people
who don’t stop at a simple “no” and make
disrespectful comments.
Be it through a rude refusal, a small donation or a mere smile,
Westwood’s homeless community has a place in the daily lives
of the rest of its inhabitants. And to four students who live on
the 900 block of Gayley Avenue, across from In-N-Out, one homeless
man is more special than the rest.
“They call him “˜Uncle Jim,'” said Steven
Ounanian, a third-year design and media arts student.
Ounanian and his three roommates moved into their new apartment
early July, and it did not take long for them to learn about the
neighboring homeless man who often sleeps under their window during
the day.
“He is nocturnal,” Ounanian said. “He screams
at night, “˜Where is the light?'”
The midnight screams are what grabbed the attention of these
residents by keeping them awake at night. Ounanian decided to
address the issue one night and told the man to stop.
“The name (Uncle Jim) just came out that night … it
seemed natural and I didn’t want to call him
hooded-sweatshirt-guy,” he recalled.
The apartment residents say that from that night forward,
“Uncle Jim” became a topic of conversation at the
apartment and that they notice when he is not around some
nights.
While some students like Ounanian and his roommates have
developed an attachment to their new “neighbor,” to
many others, the neighborhood homeless are just another aspect of
the Westwood atmosphere to which they have become desensitized over
time.
Economics graduate student, Katherine Loh, moved to Westwood
just a few weeks ago and she already recognizes a number of
homeless people that she has seen on a few occasions.
Loh said she wasn’t surprised to see homeless people in
Westwood, “which is the sad thing,” she added.
She believed that it made sense for the homeless to come to an
area like Westwood, since people generally have more money here and
are therefore more likely to help.
And that is exactly why another homeless man spends the majority
of his time in the Village asking for donations.
On a Friday night, 55-year-old James Johnson was walking up and
down the drive-through line at In-N-Out asking patrons for spare
change.
His clear plastic cup looked empty with only a few coins
covering the bottom.
He explained that he has been homeless for two years now, since
he got out of jail.
To cover his minimal expenses, Johnson said he usually comes to
Westwood twice a day and stays around the area until he has enough
money for food and his bus ride.
He and his spouse live in a tent in Compton, which is two train
rides and one bus ride away. “She is waiting on me right
now,” Johnson said. Yet in order to protect her, he refused
to discuss whether she also traveled the area or asked for
donations.
As for himself, Johnson sporadically changes locations and goes
to Hollywood or Santa Monica. But Westwood remains his main
destination.
“I come across snobs … but people in the neighborhood
are generally nice,” Johnson said about his relationship with
students and residents.
He added that unlike some of the other homeless in the area, he
tries not to have an attitude toward people.
But regardless of how the residents and the homeless feel about
one another, the homeless population of Westwood is not going
anywhere.
UCPD officer, Brian Washburn, said the number of homeless in the
Village has not fluctuated over the past few years.
And with this consistent presence comes what the community might
look at as a problem. Many Westwood businesses have previously
voiced their concern about the Village’s homeless problem and
have made it known that the homeless are not welcomed inside their
establishments.
Reed had barely entered Rite Aid, when he was stopped by an
employee asking him to leave the store.
The sales associate explained that they have a picture of Reed
in the back and he is not allowed in the store, since he was
previously caught stealing.
Reed denied that the picture was him and said he must have been
mistaken for another homeless man.
He said his feelings might be hurt, but he does not let such
instances upset him since problems of that sort are not out of the
ordinary.
Washburn explained that considering the large population of the
campus and the village, the number of reported crimes in regards to
the homeless, are not abnormal.
Regardless of what his situation is now, Johnson is optimistic
about the future. He said his disability checks are going to start
coming in soon and that means that he and his wife can rent an
apartment.
“We are gonna get the basics: bed, television,” he
added.
As for now, he will save his burger and fries to share with his
wife.