Rampage Fresno City College
Volume CXIII, edition 6
April 18, 2007
Since 1949
The Social issues facing our Valley
Fighting to sur vive Fresno’s Homeless battle for basic needs
By Shirley Nakagawa Rampage Reporter First of a two - part series When a lawsuit was filed against the city of Fresno last year for the violation of a homeless community living under highways 41 and 99 (August 26, 2006), the nationally syndicated stories created a renewed awareness about the vulnerability of America’s homeless citizens. Many advocates of the homeless have posed these questions: “How can this happen in America?” Others have wondered, with so many organizations asking for money to feed the hungry in other countries, who is feeding America? How did these people get to this point and how are they surviving? Most want to know, is there a solution to wipe out homelessness? Who is homeless? Not all homeless look like the wrinkled, worn out, unshaven old man, or the bag lady, pushing a cart of potential yard sale items. Most are healthy robust working men and women who have been laid off from their jobs, evicted from their homes, and unsure of where to go next. The homeless could be healthy college students who struggle with juggling family, school, and work responsibilities. Fresno City College student, Donna Clark, was homeless for three years. Clark, 46, was homeless as a result of her addiction to crack cocaine and her mother’s death. Clark was arrested numerous times until
Under the overpass of 41 and 99: the place where many of Fresno’s homeless call home.
Photo by Todd J. Placencia
court ordered her to rehabilitation at Westcare, a program in West Fresno. She ultimately found sobriety and employment, and presently rents a room from a home owner in Clovis, California. Recently, Clark took this reporter on a visit of the site of the infamous Fresno City clean-up where she too had lived and found friendship with other homeless individuals.
Clark said that when the city workers bulldozed the tents and personal property of these homeless in what they claimed was an effort to clean the debris and fecal material in the surrounding area, the homeless lost items such as personal identification, family photos, and medication; their whole livelihood was trashed during the raid. Fresno City officials claimed the site was a health hazard
because the homeless were leaving fecal material nearby, which some say is a direct result of the absence of nearby toilet facilities. A man who wouldn’t give his name approaches and asks, “What would you do if someone came into your house and decided what to throw away and your meds, bibles
pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. The only thing that really worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless, irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an
ether binge, and I knew we’d get into that rotten stuff pretty soon.] Raoul Duke played by Johnny Depp in the movie ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’, spoke of the un-manageability and insanity associated with drug use. Data from the 2004 National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show drug use is prevalent and cuts through all age groups in America.
About 110 million Americans age 12 or older (46 percent of the population) reported illicit drug use at least once in their lifetime. Within the past year, 15 percent reported use of a drug and 8 percent reported use of a drug within the past month. The survey also showed that marijuana and cocaine use is the most prevalent among persons age 18 to 25, the largest age group of students on
and personal items were tossed? Then, the city tells you they were just cleaning the place up? That’s their justification, but it’s a lie. They were trying to throw us out. We were the trash.” Just how do people become homeless?
Drugs’ Deadly Embrace: ‘Fear and Loathing in Fresno’ By Cody Gless
Rampage Reporter [We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of highpowered blotter acid, a saltshaker half-full of cocaine, and a multi colored galaxy of uppers, downers, laughers, screamers... Also, a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a
See Homeless : an unavoidable reality pg. 2
Fresno City College campus. “The age group between eighteen and twenty-four has the highest risk of becoming involved with drug use,” said FCC Human Services Instructor Clifford Garoupa. A n FCC student who wishes to remain unidentified said, “Smoking pot off and on and occasionally drinking, took me on a journey I’ll never forget and led
See Drugs take their toll on the mind and body pg. 3
Also Inside:
Asian Month Opening Ceremonies, pg.6 Spring is for Artists, pg. 9
Photo by Laurel Doud
Fresno City College’s Sustainable Action Club calls on Congress to ‘quit talking and start acting to reduce carbon emissions.’
Office: (559) 442-8263
Business: (559) 442-8262
Fax: (559) 265-5783
School of Hard Knocks, pg. 10 Susan Yates, ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ pg. 14
E-mail: rampage-news@fresnocitycollege.edu