Gandalf and Gator, Friendship in Homelessness
Beach area
I have been riding my bicycle for years, and I have enjoyed the beautiful environment of the Santa Barbara City. I have noticed that State Street and the beach have been the favorite places for locals and tourists to spend a beautiful moment. At the same time, there are other kinds of people that also enjoy being around these places, and they are people in homeless conditions. Some of them stay just for the weekend, and then they just leave the town, but some of them have lived in Santa Barbara for years and have owned some spots of the city.
To get to my work, I have to ride my bicycle from downtown to Montecito, and every time I go through Pershing Park, Plaza del Mar Park, and the beach, I can see homeless people. On the area of Plaza del Mar, there are two of them that I easily recognize because they stay on the same spot all the time. One of them on a wheel chair, and the other pushing the wheel chair to go everywhere they want. They are two very good friends living in homeless conditions, and their nicknames are Gandalf and Gator.
To get to my work, I have to ride my bicycle from downtown to Montecito, and every time I go through Pershing Park, Plaza del Mar Park, and the beach, I can see homeless people. On the area of Plaza del Mar, there are two of them that I easily recognize because they stay on the same spot all the time. One of them on a wheel chair, and the other pushing the wheel chair to go everywhere they want. They are two very good friends living in homeless conditions, and their nicknames are Gandalf and Gator.
Gandalf
Gandalf, as his friends call him because of his similarity with the wizard from The Lord of the Ring, he is a very nice man. He is the youngest of three brothers. He is 61 years old, and he was born in Massachusetts. When he was young, he was a butcher in Houston Texas. He became a homeless person in 1970, and since then he has traveled for different states, but he found in Santa Barbara the perfect city with the most beautiful weather. He lives at La Marina, and the spot where he sleeps, as he says, is a top secret. He doesn’t want that Police discovers the place where he spends the night. He says that he has received 14 tickets from the same guy, and he is convinced that this Policeman just want to take him to jail for been homeless. He says that if he gets 20 tickets, he is going to jail for 20 days. Actually, Gandalf says that it would be like going on vacations because everything is paid. “I can have free food, a bed, a toilet, a roof, even security that will take care of me,” he said and laughed loudly. Most of the time, Gandalf pushes the wheel chair to take Gator anywhere
Gator
Gator is a very funny man and enjoys talking with people. He is 47 years old, and he was born in Louisiana. He is on a wheel chair because of problems on his back. He says that he used to be a bad guy when he was young, but the dead of his daddy was a big impact in his life, and he became a homeless person. He used to jump busses all over The US., and one day came to Santa Barbara for one night and fell in love with the city. Since then, he has been living in the city for 12 years. Most of the time he is under the effects of alcohol, and he accepts that he is an alcoholic. “Vodka is my issue man, I am an alcoholic and I can’t function without alcohol,” he said. He has lived for 10 years besides the wall of the public restroom at Plaza del Mar. The most interesting thing about him is that he likes to sing rap music and he does it very well. It is evident that he needs a lot of things to survive next to a public restroom, but he asked me for a sleeping bag and a pair of black pants.
Gandalf and Gator
Gandalf and Gator have been friends for a very long time, and their friendship is what has been helping each other in hard times. Every morning, Gandalf leaves his secret spot at La Marina to meet Gator at Plaza del Mar to start a new day full of challenges. Beer, cigarettes, and vodka are their perfect company for hours of conversation. They talk about the problems of their friends, about the weather, about the problems of the city, and they share stories of their younger life. After some time of conversation, their bodies start to show their needs and it is time to go to the streets to panhandle for money. Most of the time Gator stays at his spot and Gandalf goes to see if luck is good with them. After some time, they meet each other again, and they share all what they get. The rule is to share all 50-50. Gandalf and Gator agree that living in homeless conditions is hard, wild, cold and unknown, but at the same time it is like living in total freedom. No bills to be paid and $ 10 a day is what makes their day possible.
Meeting Gandalf and Gator makes me see their world on a different way. It made me reflect on all those times when people just walk next to homeless people and they just don't pay attention to them. They are human beings with needs as us, and many times just a smile or just saying hi to them can make more than giving money away. During my bike ride along the city, I have noticed many things of homeless people: most of them have medical issues, some of them have a shopping cart to carry their belongings , some of them have a bicycle to move on the city, most of them carry an American flag with them like keeping hope, most of them panhandle for money, most of them have problems with alcohol and drugs, most of them wear duty cloths, some of them are musicians and artists, but the most important thing is that ALL OF THEM have a heart inside like YOU and I have, and that means that they have feelings too.
One week later I went back to the same spot where Gator usually stays. It was almost 10 PM, and it was dark, silent and cold, but there he was next to the wall waiting to fall into a perfect world on his dreams. I brought the sleeping bag, a new pair of black pants, food and other things. He was very grateful for the new things and he said a prayer. He thanked God for the new friend and for letting him to finish another day. It was a special moment and before I left the place he told me that I was welcome to come back any time, and asked me to close the door before I leave. He laughed and say bye.
By Elinton Jeronimo.