The Experience Of A Life Time

We traveled from Ojai to San Francisco to participate in Homeless Connect Day at Bill Graham Auditorium on October 28. Although we knew it was a big event, we really had no idea how it would go.

After a frantic week of last-minute fund raising, we were finally posed to go. On October 27 at 6AM, I chugged down to Ventura to pick up Jillian – an amazing woman and supporter who came along to lead the art workshop we planned for the event. Next, we rolled over to San Clarita to pick up Jonathan – an extraordinary young man who is inspired by the Project.

After battling high winds for 6 hours, we finally arrived in San Francisco. It was early evening by then and we were looking for some place to spend the night in the RV. As you probably know, San Francisco is not an RV-friendly place and our plan to camp outside the auditorium fell through. Fortunately, I had a back up plan and we found a spot at Candlestick RV park which oddly enough is right across the street from Candlestick Stadium, home of the 49’ers.

Jill In A Hole

We managed to get some sleep despite the strange clanking and bumping sounds that penetrated our subconsciousness as the winds roared through the night. I was a little concerned about sleeping in the bed too because it collapsed just before we reached the RV park. Jillian was relaxing back there when we hit a big speed bump. The bed platform and Jillian went up in the air and came crashing down, trapping her down in the corner. As soon as we got the park, Jonathan literally jumped into action, screw driver in hand, climbing over the upended platform and reattaching the supports that had broken. Hurray for Jonathan!

Main Event

We hit the road at 5:45AM to get our parking spot on Grove street in front of the Bill Graham Auditorium. We were one of the first vehicles there, so we got a really good spot. Soon, volunteers began to stream in the doors of the auditorium and we joined them. We hauled our art supplies across the street and into the auditorium. We searched for our assigned tables, but came up empty. However, the amazing Sharon Johnson from Project Homeless Connect soon solved the problem and placed us right in the middle of the entire floor. Yes, the Hearts Of Fire Project was at the heart of the event! (If you look close, you will see our banner in the center of the photo).

Once we were set up, Jonathan and I headed outside to talk with the homeless people who were waiting in line. And what a line! It stretched all the way down the front of the building and around the corner. Hundreds were lined up waiting to get in at 10AM. We interviewed several people who told us about their experiences and their lives on the streets of San Francisco. Jonathan filmed most of these talks and all of them were amazing. We will be posting the video as soon as we finish editing it.

Jonathan & James

James was one of the people we talked with outside on the street. He was in a wheel chair yelling at people. He was mad about people getting in line before him, he was mad the police who didn’t make them move and it turns out, he was just really angry about his life. I had an amazing conversation with James. He told me about his suffering, how his life used to be when he was a buyer for Sacks Fifth Avenue. How he used to travel to Europe to see the new fashions. James talked about his time in Vietnam and his greatest pain – being rejected by his mom and his aunt.  He was upset about losing a great opportunity to live in a condo unit for a year rent free. A few days ago, James hurried to his appointment to secure the place, but when he got there, the elevators didn’t work. He had to wait until someone took him up the stairs. When he got the office for his appointment, he was late, so they refused to help him. Now James is just angry.

As we talked about all this, I asked James about his anger. I asked him to describe it. What did it look like, what was its shape and size and color? He said it was colorless, like an invisible curtain blocking his way, surrounding him on all sides.  I asked what the colorless curtain wanted, what was it trying to do? James said it was there to protect him from harm, from hurt and pain. He realized that the curtain was not effective in doing that. So he created an angel, a Blue Angel of Forgiveness. And then we wept together, he forgave everyone and felt at peace. When we next saw him inside at our workshop, he was calm, gentle and loving, a totally different person.

Mark & Bob

The wind was still blowing hard and cold when ran into Mark, a young man who was looking for his friend. He was concerned because he hadn’t seen her in several days. Mark told us he was living in a tent under the Mission Street bridge for the last six months. He came to San Francisco from New York to meet a  long distance girl friend, but it didn’t work out. Mark is an artist so he starting selling his paintings on the street. He was doing OK, at least earning money for food, when he was caught up in a drug bust that went down on the sidewalk near him. Although he had nothing to do with the drug dealers (he doesn’t do drugs or drink, he has lung cancer), he was arrested along with everyone else. To get out of jail, he plead guilty to a misdemeanor (selling paintings on the street without a license) and is now on probation. He wants so much to go back to New York, he has friends and a loving family there. But he can’t leave while he is on probation, at least not legally. So Mark is stuck. He can’t leave and he really can’t survive on the streets much longer either. As we finished our talk, he ran to hug his missing friend and they looked very happy find each other.

We were heading back into the auditorium when I spotted a mom and dad and three kids standing on the sidewalk, but not in line. I asked them if they were going inside, but they said no, they didn’t have a ticket. The tickets were free and were used to manage the crowd flow, but the event managers had run out, there were none left. I went to the front of the line and asked the admission manager if the family could come in. He said sure, bring them to the front right away. So I did, and in they went, filled with gratitude;  hope was in their eyes.

Back inside we went to work letting people know we were there, passing out fliers and talking with people. We had our tables and art supplies all set to go and were looking for “customers.” There were so many services available that it was a little bewildering to the people coming in. So we directed people to the services they wanted. Medical and dental care, acupuncture, massage, hair styling, shelter space, counseling and legal services – even the DMV was there replacing lost ID’s. Everything under one roof, that is the concept behind Project Homeless Connect.

Art Workshop

As people handled their most pressing needs, they were free to come over to the Hearts Of Fire Project area and do some art work with Jillian and Jonathan. Before long, we had the seats filled and people were drawing in earnest.

James, David, Maria, Seth, Sandra, Dolly, George and others immersed themselves in their work. Before long, we had some great art work and are looking forward to getting it up on our web site. Everyone had a great time, including Catherine and Gidalia – two local art therapists who came by to help out.

It was a life-altering experience to be with 2,400 homeless people as they came in off the streets and felt the love and caring that the 1,000 volunteers from Project Homeless Connect provided. The air was filled with compassion and connection – I have never experienced anything like it. Several homeless people that I spoke with told me how much love they felt there and some were moved to tears by it.  George was one of them.

George

When I first noticed George, he was sitting quietly in his wheel chair off to the side of the flow. He smiled when I said hello and I took his hand in mine. I felt stubs where his fingers used to be, his hands now covered with red sores. One of his legs was missing too. I touched his shoulder and asked if he would like to come and do some art work with us. He was delighted and followed me, pushing the wheels with his stumpy hands – I could see where the sores came from now. George took a place at a table and was smiling from ear to ear. Somehow he managed to draw, engrossed in making the marker go where he wanted on the page.  We talked on camera a little, but he was shy and we respected that. George left with happiness and hope and with our love and good wishes.

The event ended at 3PM, so we packed up the art work and supplies and stored it all in the RV. Since this was the 5th anniversary of Project Homeless Connect, we were invited to a big celebration upstairs. The room was filled with volunteers, food and drink and we had a wonderful time talking with people involved in the event. We learned that Homeless Connect Day started in San Francisco 5 years ago and since been replicated in more than 200 cities and three other countries. All of us were so grateful to be included in the celebration, it was very inspiring.

Bob, Jonathan & Jillian

After the party, we retired to the RV and headed out in search of a nearby parking lot where we could spend the night. We were elated but exhausted. We planned to meet with some people the next day to make arrangements for our next trip to the Bay Area to visit shelters there. Yes, it really was an experience of a life time. I left my hearts of fire in San Francisco.