Scanner Reports 5-23-18

By Roger the Scanner Guy

I remember coming to Santa Barbara back in 1980 and sleeping outside as a young man working off the Labor Line, which was next to the Employment office on Santa Barbara Street. Most days I got work and residents of Santa Barbara were friendly, although there were some who hated the houseless. Then I did not consider myself homeless, I was camping and I enjoyed what I was doing, I made enough money most days to survive. A good day was $50.00, but I could survive on $10.00. The work ranged from weed pulling and brush clearing, painting, doing construction, moving furniture, unloading trucks, even cleaning up a train derailment. I helped build a deck over looking the ocean off Cliff Drive, filled in foundations for buildings and homes around town, picked lemons on the pass, avocados in Montecito, dug trenches in Hope Ranch.

After work some days I went to restaurants to eat and was asked to leave a few times because I was carrying a pack, noticeably houseless. Some people did not want homeless folks in their restaurants but sure did not mind them working for them. In most cases working for others here I was treated well, however, there were some jerks. Comparing then to now not much has changed in the treatment of the homeless though it’s worse now, I think back then people were friendlier toward the homeless than they are now. Many people minded their own business and were not as judgemental. Now many are downright mean but at the same time, there are more homeless people, many more homeless people not just here everywhere. There are not always places to go and clean up, go to the bathroom, or sleep without being harassed. Many homeless folks now are elderly, handicapped, or ill, not all are able-bodied, not all are helped by the shelters, some are too ill either physically or mentally. Shelters will not help someone that they feel they cannot help but they will take grants. Homeless who cannot be helped are stuck between a rock and a hard place some cannot function enough to move far yet they are condemned by people who do not understand their plight. Some people don’t care about their plight, these folks are simply in their way and must be moved, though things don’t work that way. They never have. I doubt they ever will even though injustice has been yelled in every direction to the contrary and continues to be.

I think 40 years from now if this country is still here it will be the same. There are laws protecting everyone and they must be followed, some people respect the laws even if they don’t want to. I doubt there will ever be an end to homelessness, though there will always be people who will say there is. There are many good ideas to help end homelessness and thoughts on the subject but not everyone can be helped or want to be helped. I would not have even thought about writing this if I did not read some of the comments in William Smithers Essay about rent control on State street that spoke of cleaning up State street getting the homeless out of the area. I am facing homelessness now in 3 months, I could be out there too. I cannot work like I used to and let me tell you the last thing I want is to be homeless. I will do just about anything I can not to end up homeless but there isn’t a lot I can do physically now with my neck and back the way it is. Disabled on Section 8 housing there are many people that hate me just for that and would rather I be dead as I am considered a drain on their system though most of them were not even born when I was working and some of the older folks paid me very little for the labor I performed. I always worked when I could work sometimes I worked for free just for something to do. I always loved to work even though I was unskilled. I hope I don’t end up homeless. I hope I don’t lose my cat he means the world to me. I’m very afraid that I will, though I’m afraid of being out there stuck in a wheelchair unable to go very far not being able to make it to the bathroom, not being able to defend myself from being robbed, or beaten, or treated like shit. I don’t want to lose what little I have and I don’t want to lose myself ever again .Anyone can be in this position.

Scanner Reports, Monday:

• 415 Old yeller, yelling 100 Block of Magnolia
• 2900 Block of DLV another yeller, yelling.
• Medical call at McKenzie Park for a subject with broken bones due to getting hit by a vehicle on SUNday.
• Female yelling at her reflection in a window 130 Robin Hill Road in Goleta
• Heroin overdose on Lausen Drive.
• 459 Burglary to a garage 18 West Victoria.
• Check the welfare of a subject who has not showed up to work for 3 days 1700 Block of DLV, probably watching the royal wedding over and over again.
• Smoke investigation in a backyard in the 500 Block of Talent Road.
• The same guy who was 415 with a tourist last week I posted about on a Roger Report was harassing construction workers at the foot of the wharf near the Dolphin Fountain.
• Suspicious circumstances 5 to 6 juveniles working on bikes in a front yard on Spring Street the bikes were thought to be stolen, the kids are hispanic. I wonder if the call would have been made if they were ____?
• 2 Suspicious boxes in the bushes Figourea at Chapala.
• A license plate was found at MarketPlace.
• Suspicious male in a black 4-Door SUV wearing a black hoodie flagged down a female and asked her to meet him “around a corner” on Milky Way in Santa Maria.
• Check the Welfare of a subject who had been involved in a 415 Domestic in the 1200 Block of Palamino but had not showed up for work, vehicle still parked at home.
• SBSO officer finds an Unattended child at the entrance to Waller Park.
• Abandoned bicycle found locked to a garage at 35 Parker Way.
• 415 Roommates at the Garden Court apartments not getting a Bong.
• Wanted subject in the First Block of East Haley.
• Young Yeller, yelling at his Mother in the 800 Block of San Pascual.
• Fall victim head injury First block of South Salinas
• Report of male lying near the tracks several times Deport at Spring in Montecito.
• UI Male in Rite Aide 199 North Fairview left in Utility style truck was either drunk or UI Drugs.
• Report of a female 242ing Assaulting employees at The Neighborhood, that was all I heard the dispatcher  say I assumed it to be The NeighborHOOD Bar Montecito at Bath streets.

Scanner Reports, Tuesday:

• Loud Tractor 6:30 in the Friggen Morning in the 1200 Block of North San Marcos Road.
• Hazardous condition at SBCC In a classroom broken light with unknown liquid leaking from it.
• Look Out!!! Park a quarter mile West of the park on the railroad tracks a subject who fell lays. Hopefully this one won’t disappear before the Medics get there.
• Fall victim from a Ladder 10 feet head injury in the 3700 Block of State street.
• Scooter Down State at Ontare streets.
• Little girl calling 911 on her Mother for yelling at her in a green Jeep 290 Lighthouse Road, Washington School.
• Homeless subject threatening employees 100 Block of East Cabrillo now walking on the beach according to Park 3.
• Subjects thought to be using Heroin in a white Subaru in Parking lot 11.
• Subject fainted at the YMCA 36 Hitchcock Way.
• Overdose 6700 Block of Pacisdo.
• Suspicious circumstances 5 year old with old man in a pick up truck looks distraught at the Shell station Turnpike and Calle Real reporting party requesting that the childs welfare be checked.
• 23103 Reckless blue BMW coming down pass East toward Santa Barbara speeding cutting off drivers.
• Missing at Risk suicidal female says she wants to O.D. or jump off Cold Springs Bridge SBSO has all info on her.
• Fire alarms no fire Best Western in Carp 4500 Block.
• Disabled vehicle blocking in the 1300 Block of State street Mary 3 Has deployed the offical SBPD Traffic triangle.
• Suspicious subject on East Mountain at Ashley in Montecito not sure what he was up to but heard he was yelling later on.
• Fall Victim on Lucky Lane no comment.
• Possible case of Child Neglect at Mountain View School in the 5400 Block of Queen Anne involving 3 children.
• Assault 242 At the Social Security Office in the 100 Block of  West Figourea a lot of police showed up as the subject WMA was assaulting a security guard last I heard the Security guard had him up against  a wall.

As I stated earlier, anyone could end up losing everything and end up Homeless. I once  knew a very wealthy woman who  lived in a mansion in Montecito, she married a younger man. Somewhere along the line she became ill, had a brain tumor was operated on but the doctor did not get all of it so the poor woman was not the way  she had been before. Her husband got her to sign everything over to him then he tossed her out of his life taking all of her money. She had nothing, she was homeless, there was nothing she could do.  Years later she met a working man who took her in and married her. They had a couple board and care homes in Santa Barbara in their later years, both are gone now before she passed away she had become one of the Community Hero’s that the Santa Barbara Independent celebrates each year. Anyone can lose everything and become Homeless….That is enough outta me for now Have a great WEDnesday….Peter, Belinda, Angel Baby, Pooh Bear, Thomcina, Clancy, Midnight, Merlin, Tiger, Fish Head One, Poncho, Jerry, Walter, Fred, Jonathan, C.J., Brad, Billy, Carl, Stan, Kent, ELMO, Patrick, Christy, Diana, Jim, Rambo, Sherry, Bommy, Poppy, June,Muskie, Mavis, Pat, David Cox, Poe, Marty, Cop John, Bengy, Ricky, Magruder, Don, Edwin, Cory, Isabelle, Jerry, LUCY! John Hancock, Mickey Mantle, Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Tom Petty, and Chris willing we will see you on FRYday.  Later, Roger