Cover Story
Vehicle dwellers (continued from previous page)
open and a hand with a plastic milk carton full of urine reach out and pour it onto the street was the morning I told the person to be gone by the time I came back from my walk or I would call the cops,� she said.
B
ut if residents are feeling overrun, many vehicle dwellers say they are just trying to peacefully co-exist. In a commercial area of warehouses, homefixture businesses and small tech companies between Charleston and San Antonio roads, Paul, 55, a disabled military veteran who declined to give his last name, said he and his mate, Ommie, have looked for so-called legitimate places to park their older tan Sunsport motor home. “We tried to get into trailer parks in Redwood City and San Jose, but those places said the RV was too old. The parks want newer vehicles. We were moving from one street or another and ended up here,� he said, of the location on Transport Street. The couple chose the industrial area because they don’t want to be around homes, playgrounds and schools where they would irritate residents and cause calls to the police. “I want to be safe with my environment,� he said. An American flag flutters from the RV’s door. “I’ve been a taxpayer all my life and served my country. I’ve always worked,� Paul said, adding that he doesn’t like the image of the homeless person as a non-contributor. “I’ve given to this country all of my life.� Although homeless, he is still contributing, he said, a sentiment of many vehicle dwellers.
Willie Mackey, third from right, who was homeless for more than six years and now resides at the Opportunity Center, leads a discussion with volunteers and homeless residents about creating a mission statement for the Community Cooperation Team. Those living in their cars like to point out that, far from being apart from the community, they look out for the neighborhood. A homeless man, Andre Belton, saved the Friends of the Palo Alto Library offices during an earlymorning fire at Cubberley Community Center in August 2010, which erupted while he was
living in the parking lot, they said. Paul said a dweller can act “like a watch dog,� observing activities at street level that others in homes don’t see. He routinely keeps an eye on the businesses and shoos off skateboarding kids who take advantage of parking lots during the off hours, he said.
A tall, amiable man with a shaved head, Paul said he and Ommie are on fixed incomes. Many of the vehicle dwellers with a little money or even with jobs live in their RVs because it allows them to save a bit for emergencies, he said. (continued on page 24)
Good for Business. Good for You. Good for the Community.
When you shop locally, good things happen to make our community stronger: t :PV LFFQ UBY EPMMBST JO UIF DPNNVOJUZ t 4IPQQJOH EJTUSJDUT SFNBJO EJWFSTF BOE WJCSBOU
t :PV CVJME SFMBUJPOTIJQT XJUI t :PVS SFDPNNFOEBUJPOT UP OFJHICPST BOE GSJFOET TNBMM CVTJOFTT PXOFST XIP FODPVSBHF PUIFST UP KPJO JO BQQSFDJBUF ZPVS DPODFSOT TVQQPSUJOH MPDBM CVTJOFTT BOE GFFECBDL BOE DPNNFSDF t :PV IFMQ DSFBUF KPCT GPS MPDBM SFTJEFOUT BOE UFFOT
%JTDPWFS MPDBM CVTJOFTTFT BU 4IPQ1BMP"MUP DPN t 4FBSDI MJTUJOHT t 3FBE BOE XSJUF SFWJFXT t 'JOE DPVQPOT BOE TQFDJBM EFBMT
t 1VSDIBTF HJGU DFSUJĂś DBUFT t 4FF VQDPNJOH TQFDJBM FWFOUT t 7JFX QIPUPT BOE NBQT
For more information call 650.223.6587 or email info@ShopPaloAlto.com Page 22ĂŠUĂŠ Ă•}Ă•ĂƒĂŒĂŠx]ÊÓ䣣ÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž