Interview With Homeless Guy

by Jack

This morning I had a long chit-chat with a professional [homeless] man, we’ll call him Jimbo.   Jimbo said he was getting “too old to be out here” and he was going to check himself into a “program” for alcoholics.  He said he didn’t drink, but this is the route one could take to get a free government paid apartment.

He’s never worked, but he managed to get on social security disability in his late teens, he’s now almost 60 and draws about $850 a month.

Jimbo said he has been around Chico for about 7 years and Oroville before that.  He came from Los Angeles before that.

He knows most of the homeless in Chico, and he can spot new arrivals in the blink of an eye.   Most of the regular homeless are like himself, they are just living a lifestyle, most are over 50.  They stay to themselves for the most part.  Some of them are in treatment drug and alcohol programs, sometimes just so they can get free things.   He pointed to two men in their 30’s walking past us, and said those guys are going to an AA meeting.  It must have been somewhere just north of us.

Jimbo checked the time on his cell phone and said he needs to be over at the Salvation Army for a free “snack pack” at 1 pm.  The snack packs usually contain a couple oranges and a sandwich, it varies, he said.   He already had a free breakfast at the Jesus Center, which he recommends for the quality of the food and ease of access.   He will eat there later tonight.  I noticed he had a couple of Coca Colas sticking out of his gear.

Jimbo won’t stay at the newer Torres Shelter because as he says, “they are too pushy.”   He says he takes prescription “narco’s” (narcotic pain meds) and the Torres Shelter forces him to take the pills too early and too late, he wants to take them on his own schedule.  So, he won’t stay there anymore because they are too controlling.   He mentioned in passing he’s going to give up his narcotics soon when he enters the treatment program, because they don’t allow alcohol or drugs.

I mention that so many of the younger homeless are always seen walking around carrying large backpacks and sometimes luggage.  He says they are mostly the new arrivals, the people who have not got a free locker yet.   Most of the (homeless) regulars all have free lockers.   He prefers to keep his stuff in a shopping cart, because he has too much for a locker.

So where can you sleep at night in Chico? I asked.  “Most anywhere, so long as it is out of sight.  Sometimes this could be in the park, but most anywhere you can hide is good enough.”  He likes Bidwell Park, but he doesn’t go too deep, just above 1 Mile is close enough.  Out of sight, yet not far from necessities.

What about the cops, do they bother you?  Jimbo says, “Nah, they all know me.  These rent-a-cops harass homeless people for no reason. (he is angry at them)  T”hey stop people in the cemetery who are just visiting their deceased relatives and they stop people around Safeway. But, I heard their jobs is about over. ”

Then I asked, how safe is it out here, have you ever had any problems living on the street?  “Not really.  It’s pretty safe here.  I just stay to myself and I don’t bother nobody.  I like to camp by myself. ”  He then showed me a portable radio and CD player which he sets up in his camp site.   I noted that Jimbo travels pretty clean.  He says he gets about 2 weeks of wear out of his pants and then he goes to the Laundromat and washes his clothes, one of his few overhead costs.  At the end of the month, Jimbo probably has more money saved than I do!

I asked him how he keeps his money safe.  “Oh, I got a checking account in a bank!”   That surprised me.  He also referred to some man who sends him money periodically for what he calls just “walking around” money.    I got the impression this person might have been some sort of conservator.

Jimbo doesn’t consider his situation desperate or needy.  He has all that he wants at the moment, cell phone, clean clothes, radio, a place to sleep inside or a place to camp outside.   He has plenty of money, more than enough for his life style, and he’s admittedly well nourished.  In fact all the homeless I saw were well nourished, especially the younger ones.

We were sitting on  the ground in the downtown park during this interview and as we talked Jimbo would point out various people walking by, some were obviously homeless and others not.  He knew their most of their stories and their bad habits.

Some of the homeless were predictably into drugs, and others were heavy drinkers.   The rare exceptions did neither, but they were usually mentally ill.   One older fellow he pointed out was in a wheel chair.   Jimbo said, “His legs don’t work no more because he gots cirrhosis of the liver, but he still drinks a lot. ”  I said, that’s like a death sentence isn’t it?   He responded matter of factly, “That’s ok, its on him.”   I didn’t think the wheel chair guy would last more than a month or two.  I’ve seen plenty like him in my life.

Jimbo scored a nice looking bed comforter this morning at the Jesus Center.  Apparently they were giving them away.  He was told they came from Motel 6 that was being remodeled.

I said, ”Crank used to be a big problem here.”  Jimbo said, “It still is.”  He added, “There’s a lot of narcos (pain pills) for sale on the street.”  He knew a guy that recently bought 160 Kolanpin for $160.  He said they (homeless) take them like water.

Another person, overhearing our conversation, said nurses are a good source for pills.  Nurses at rest homes can get their hands on patient medication that is supposed to be thrown out, but they never do.  Instead, they sell the stuff on the street.  He said this is common in Chico and then he named a couple of places where we can buy pills.  I won’t say the names, but they are high quality places.

I turned the conversation to bike thefts and Jimbo acknowledged there’s a lot of that going on.  “They (younger homeless) steal the bikes and take them to a place where they change the parts around and make them look different and then they sell them.  He indicated an area near Safeway on Mangrove  that is a meeting place for some of the bike thieves and he said they also hang out in the park.

This matches up with the pictures I took yesterday of the homeless with bike frames and wheels.  It might also explain why the homeless female was dragging the bike parts around.  Jimbo said this is real common knowledge among the street people.  Anyone can score a bike for cheap from these thieves.   Bike theft in Chico has always been a problem, so I wondered if I can find out this information so easy and document it, why aren’t our local police shaking these guys down?  Probably an extra effort by police is warranted.

While I was downtown I saw a police car drive by twice.  Jimbo says they almost never get out of their car unless they have too.   It’s pretty hard to spot a stolen bike frame from inside the police car when the  thieves with all their booty are a good 200 feet away.   The law says, probable cause to search exists when an officer observes a person in an area known for criminal activity and they are carry parts known to be frequently stolen.  At that point a police officer can approach them, take pictures of the property in question, check serial numbers and compare the items against the stolen property log.  Petty theft of a bicycle is a only misdemeanor, but possession of stolen property is a felony.   And that’s where police have some leverage and some good reason to do more field contacts with suspects in theft.

We spoke for over an hour before we parted company, but what I took away from this conversation and from my prior contacts with the homeless can be summarized like this:  Most of the homeless in Chico are living a lifestyle of choice.   There are two basic groups, the older and more benign types just looking to get by without much effort and the younger travelers.  They are far more aggressive.   Many that come here for a short time and move on.  Many of them have addiction problems and of course this makes their lives harder and leads to criminal behavior.   Most have their wits about them and know how to game the system.    The older ones could qualify for a  subsidized apartment somewhere, if they wanted one, but they like their freedom.  The majority of homeless in Chico and this is just my opinion, but I believe they are from outside our community and are drawn here by what they see is a great place to get free things, have a social life and not be at much risk.

So, I’m convinced that not all, but most so-called homeless, really are here by their own choice.   It’s a lifestyle and this is something the far left hate to admit, because it makes their philanthropy (usually with conservative tax dollars)  look less worthy or foolish.   They also want to promote the false narrative the homeless are just locals down on their luck…they are not.   I would estimate that upwards of 70% of Chico’s homeless are people from outside this community and we inherited them by virtue of the generous charity we offer.

The new homeless arrivals, aka travelers, is where the trouble starts.   They are the under 30 crowd.  They’re always on the prowl and looking for trouble.    They’re looking to score drugs, pot, pills or whatever they can.  Or they will be out to steal something…bikes are a popular target, or it could be booze, whatever they can is what they take.    These guys (and sometimes women) will be here for a few weeks or a few months, until they feel its time to move on before their crimes catch up to them.

It might be helpful if our police could find a way to make contact (and there’s always a way) with these younger types.  Let them know we’re interested in their behavior, then start checking up on them in public places where they hang out.  It doesn’t have to be rude, just a social call from your friendly police department.   If officers could find the time to do this I’m pretty sure it would help lower our theft rate and possible help reduce our homeless population.    As it is, Chico is on the travelers tour map and we need to find reasons for them to go elsewhere.  If we don’t, it’s going to be more crime, more cost to businesses in the downtown, more arrests and more abuse of services intended for the truly needy.