Celebration Is a Very Transient Thing for Street People

The sun rose over the halls of justice Thursday morning and cast its ever-loving light on the sad souls of the street.

There’s no better sight to the street people than the sun, bringing the promise that it won’t rain and that maybe the cold winter nights will soon be fading to black.

On top of that, Thursday morning was the day after Municipal Judge B. Tam Nomoto threw out charges against 22 street people arrested last summer, saying in strong language that Santa Ana police had unfairly targeted them for arrest.

You’d think it would be their day to shine.

It don’t work that way, folks.

You don’t work up much enthusiasm for a celebration when you’re still going through the trash looking for empty soft-drink cans.

Patrick Walsh was sitting on a bench in the Civic Center on Thursday, not far from where he was last August when the police began their sweep that led to the arrests. He hadn’t been in Santa Ana long, having just migrated from Fountain Valley, where he had been sleeping under an overpass.

On the day of the sweep, he was drinking a Pepsi on the bench when a man next to him tossed a cigarette butt on the ground. His friend was arrested, Walsh said, but he wasn’t. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had, he said.

“It was more a case of, ‘If you want to arrest me, go ahead,’ ” he said.

Walsh, 32, is coming up on his first anniversary without a home. He says he has various odd-job skills but is hampered from finding work because he doesn’t have any transportation. Someone stole his bike, he said. He talks about his life with a matter-of-factness that borders on the wry.

“I take each day as it comes. I don’t enjoy it that much. As far as the court ruling goes, if it sticks as far as human rights goes, that’s fine. But as far as day-to-day living goes, it’s nothing to have a big party about.”

He wasn’t even surprised by the ruling. “I heard some of the testimony of the police officers, so I figured what the ruling might be. As far as celebrating, we’ll have to wait and see. But if it’ll make them think of not classifying us--the thing that upset me was the councilman who said all the homeless were vagrants and bums.”

Walsh can appreciate the David and Goliath aspect of the case, but not enough to crow about the victory. “I can see both sides,” he said. “For the people who work here (in county government), it’s trying for them. Some people who are homeless can be a problem. But on the other hand, what’s the solution?”

George Ellithorpe, who has a bit of the storefront philosopher in him, moseyed over to the bench where Walsh was talking. Ellithorpe, 60 and sporting a sweat shirt adorned with Bible verses, said it was important that the street people not gloat in their victory. “We’re taking it in stride,” he said. “The only thing is, the police should have thought before they did it. But they don’t think, they just do. They just act. Bam. And they call us mentally ill.”

A few blocks from the Civic Center, the Episcopal Service Alliance serves lunches to the homeless. There was a buzz in the air Thursday from the 50 or so people in the courtyard soup line, but program manager Pam Cole said it was no different from any other day.

“Life goes on,” she said. “They’re excited because some of them made the newspapers. The people who were in the papers were excited. The people who were quoted were excited. But most of them were more excited about the guy who got shot at the Y than about a decision in court.” Lunch Thursday consisted of soup, some fruit and some bread and coffee. Such is a victory party when you live on the street.

I asked Cole if she didn’t see a bit of a landmark nature to Nomoto’s ruling.

“Just getting up in the morning and not being beaten up is fairly landmark for some of my clients, never mind if you’re going to end up arrested for jaywalking or beaten over the head for what you have.”

You mean by their friends, I said.

She nodded. “Friendship is a fleeting thing on the street.”

About then, she saw one of the men in the food line who had taken some money last week from another homeless person. She didn’t want him back in the group, she said, and would have to ask him to leave.

Life goes on, indeed.

“They seem to react more strongly to injustice than justice,” Cole said. “It’s hard to explain that, but they know that at times of injustice, people are going to come in, but as soon as justice is accomplished, they’re going to be forgotten.”

She’s probably right. We know the homeless don’t get many victories; maybe that’s why the notion of them beating the government in court warms the heart a little.

Let them be kings and queens for a day.

And it’s probably pretty naive to expect them to celebrate their victory by dancing in the street.

When you live on the street and not under a roof, you can do that every night of the week.

Dana Parsons’ column appears Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Readers may reach Parsons by writing to him at The Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626, or calling (714) 966-7821.