Rev. Andy's Blog

My Night On Skid Row

by Erin on Tuesday, October 6th, 2009, Filed Under General, Rev Andy's Blog | View Comments

(As reported from Twitter that night.)

If you have ever doubted the horrors of Skid Row, the need for change, and also the reason we can’t live up to being the City of Angels until no humans live on the streets of Skid Row – read this!

 

I am joining 2 well known Pastors remembering anniversary of their church by suffering on streets with those who 1st joined church 8:49 PM Oct 1st

I’ve fried turkeys & interviewed folks all night on Skid Row LA, but 2night I am sleeping on streets of Skid Row & tweeting what I see. 8:42 PM Oct 1st

Watching prostitution & drug trade in self-cleaning toilets on San Pedro. Hoping Pastors don’t want to sleep near that 2night! 9:25 PM Oct 1st

Our guest ladies on cots are sleeping in http://urm.org chapel 2night due 2 waxing floors. They’re worried about me on street 2nite. 9:30 PM Oct 1st

Waiting on Pastors & Loretta Swit, Hot Lips Houlihan from MASH called me to pick up donation this Saturday 9:53 PM Oct 1st

Intoxicated man w/ big boom box just lurched in my face & said he wasn’t scared of me but I was busy twittering & hardly noticed :) 9:56 PM Oct 1st

The rats are so loud I thought someone had a squeezy toy! 10:40 PM Oct 1st

Trying to calm down a young man revved up on something & upset at his baby’s mom. I let him borrow my phone but they hung up on him. 11:34 PM Oct 1st

When I decided to stay on streets outside http://urm.org i forgot it is 1st of month & folks on street have $ 2 get higher than kites 11:57 PM Oct 1st

Helped older man who was intoxicated, invited Calvin into program, gave my card to girl w/ wheelchair & told her I’m worried 4 her 12:41 AM Oct 2nd

Each time a police car drives by, I feel a sense of safety, as I believe do others who are on the streets tonight.

Just stopped a man who was attacking a couple on streets and then I called 911 & reported him. 12:50 AM Oct 2nd

Lady in wheel chair sells herself out of self-cleaning city toilet & gets high on heroin. I told her 2 come 4 help & that I am worried 4 her 12:56 AM Oct 2nd

A friend from Seattle weighed in on twitter.com and said that Seattle had given up their self-cleaning toilets for just such reasons. 

Just told the man attacking everyone that he should feel bad about attacking everyone after he said I should feel bad about my “shift”. 1:04 AM Oct 2nd

Just took walk around block and found lost 87 yr. old man looking in our locked back        door. He’s safely in bed now! 1:21 AM Oct 2nd

Took another walk around block & intervened in fight between man & woman. Now  man telling us how he lost wallet & $300.  2:03 AM Oct 2nd

     

Finally met up with Dream Center’s Pastor Matthew Barnett on streets of Skid Row celebrating their 15th anniversary. I’ll twitpic soon! 2:31 AM Oct 2nd

Somewhere in here a man came with a sob story about his family and being out of gas.  I gave him all I had-about $8.00

Finally settling down to rest in http://Edar.org on sidewalk. Folks are asking about them. Hope it’s rat proof! 2:56 AM Oct 2nd

I’ve got to be honest-No way I could sleep soundly on streets if I were truly homeless. 3:03 AM Oct 2nd

Now Pastor Tommie Barnett stopped by and greeted us on street. He’s heading over 2 sleep in Midnight Mission Courtyard! 3:25 AM Oct 2nd

http://twitpic.com/jxxxo – Finally met up with young 72 yr. old Pastor Tommy Barnett of Dream Center fame on streets of Skid Row! 4:30 AM Oct 2nd from TwitPic

tommybarnett

http://twitpic.com/jxy7e -  Connected & greatly encouraged by Pastor Matthew Barnett, celebrating Dream Center’s 15th by sufferin …4:34 AM Oct 2nd from TwitPic

matthewbarnett

Thankful my night experiencing homelessness on Skid Row is over. It was as bad as the nightmares I’ve had for years about being homeless.5:41 AM Oct 2nd from mobile web

 

One of my friends wrote me and told me that after 6 or 7 days, the fear is replaced by anger, and we as humans adapt to any situation eventually.  I, for one, say Skid Row is not a situation or environment that any human being should adapt to.  It was terrifying.  I would not have slept even the one hour I did from 3 A.M. to 4 A.M. until one of our brave guests joined me in an adjacent Edar.  I felt he had my back and so I slept for a bit.  Two days later, he was arrested on the street for a strong armed robbery.

  • Tracy

    Amazing experience! I pray we never become immuned to the horrors of homelessness!!

  • http://topsy.com/tb/bit.ly/N5NUu Tweets that mention My Night On Skid Row | Union Rescue Mission — Topsy.com

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Union Rescue Mission and Benjamin Wright. Benjamin Wright said: RT @abales New blog post: My Night On Skid Row http://bit.ly/N5NUu (crazy.. just blocks away from last night's star gathering to hear Thom) [...]

  • Benjamin

    I once was living on the streets of L.A. Homeless with no food, money or shelter. I know exactly what you are seeing and and hearing on the streets, you will never forget the experience, I can’t forget. Trust in the Lord.

  • http://urm.org Andy Bales

    Thank you, Tracy, and Benjamin, for taking time to read and comment. So glad, Benjamin, that you are not out there anymore! God bless you, both!

  • http://yahoo tina bunn

    Andy,

    You are a true soldier in the army of the Lord! You took your fight to the battlefield to experience exactly what those homeless experience every night. You have some much passion and compassion for those living on the streets of Skid Row. It is so obvious and commendable. When you shared that you were going to spend the night on Skid Row..I wanted to share it with you so I stayed up waiting for your comments and responded to some of them. Yes, I lived on Skid Row for over a year but never actually had to sleep on the streets. The rats would have terrified me! However, my husband has and I’ve heard his stories. And since coming to URM, I have heard many more.I empathize with many of them. I am so proud to be a part of your team! Stay strong in the Lord!!

  • http://urm.org Andy Bales

    Thank you, Tina! Yes, the rats were on my mind most of the night as well. Thanks for your encouraging words. Bless you!

  • Glenn Bell

    Hello Andy,
    My prayers and hopes go out to you, and your illk. As you know I did live on the streets many years ago, so i speak from (distant) experiance. When I stated the the anger, I was short sited, Yes, It manafestests itself as anger, however, I believe that all anger is based in fear. The anger that I experianced all though years ago was purely a way to defend myself, from the continual onslaught. I had reasons to fear the people, reasons to fear the police, I had reasons to fear the drivers in the cars. I had reasons to fear the rats, my last meal (probably fished out of a trash can) the lack of diginity. The fear of the enviroment, freezing, burning, being sprayed with hoses. As I am sure that you can see, especially given your recent experiance, Some of God’s most frightened children are the most difficult to look at.
    And I agree untill we have a place in our society for all of God’s kids, we don’t have society, at least a civilized one. Please take my prayer and thanks for what you do and be safe and warm in Gods hands.
    your friend
    Glenn

  • http://urm.org Andy Bales

    Wow, thank you, Glenn. Powerful. I shared what you said about the 6th or 7th day, and the key is to not let anyone spend that much time on the streets before assisting them. Not one human, not even for a day is my new rallying cry. Bless you!

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