"Breaking Away" - From The Homeless Camp - "They Got Us Working In Shifts"

I saw this homeless campsite under the freeway the other day, actually it was back in March, it was raining, cold, as I rode by I saw a little fire flickering inside. I kept thinking about the hazard and that Atlanta freeway that collapsed because of a fire, so I stopped at the Cop shop and Dispatch called The Homeless Officer out and we talked for about an hour.

Homeless Condo

The Officer was very well educated on the issue and we had an excellent talk on the problem and what can and can't be done and what he does. This guy was like a social worker but he had a different kind of background, 20 year military guy, with a non threatening demeanor and a kind of homeless looking image, spoke without any noticeable prejudice or bias.  So all this was a couple months ago.

Clint

It was a two way conversation, I tried to explain how I wasn't being a grouchy old "YOU KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!" kinda guy, that I've been trying to neutralize myself on the problem so I could understand it, and that I've had a heightened 'Situational Awareness' of it lately after having my own violent run in with a homeless guy.  I pretty much had the opinion that homeless people are like the gulls on Alcatraz, they shit anywhere they like, eat their young and the young of other species, have enormous space to breed and they're just a huge annoyance, and are protected by Federal Law.

Mr. Sang

So the 'violent run in', I'll give ya the short version here, I dropped off my car at Mr. Sang's  U&I Auto place and I was walking along Harrison near 5th, enjoying the deep SOMA ambiance, and as I was crossing a narrow street, Merlin, an alley really, this guy came around the corner on a bike and slammed into me full force knocking me down hard on my right shoulder.

Federally Protected Feral Primate Area

I got right up, so did the other guy, he picked up his bike and started yelling. He was wearing something like welding goggles and had a boom box strapped to his chest, he looked kinda homeless, definitely not a high tech millionaire, or even a sleazy hipster.  I think he was going to the camp down the street, if I got my locations right, I was kinda dazed and confuzed.  He was escalating the conflict and I didn't want to.

The 38 Geary Bus

I couldn't move my arm so I walked away up to Market & 3rd, it was a long walk.  I located the stop for the 38 Geary bus, a girl gave me her seat on the packed bus, I must have been radiating pain waves, plus I was bleeding all over the hand hold, and so rode out to the SF VA Medical Center ER.

I think it's that one

So basically the one tendon on the top front of the shoulder snapped like a rubber band and all the other parts of the joint got kinda slammed and roughed up. Doing some Physical Therapy Rehab, the therapist says that I have a lot of well developed muscles and strength and so the Rehab might enable those other muscles to compensate.

But I requested they schedule the surgery anyway in case the shoulder can't get back into a usable condition for an active life.  I have a big fear that everything will just gradually wear out and I'll wind up in a wheel chair with an oxygen tube up my nose, sitting outside the VA in a Vietnam Veteran hat, bumming smokes.

SFPD HQ on 3rd nr Mission Rock

Eventually I got around to filing a report with the SFPD to secure any Victim's Assistance I can get from Ed Lee's Department Of Homelessness , and while I was there I had a cool side effect, I ran into Connie who used to work at Alcatraz.  Maybe some of you remember her ?

Oh, let me add this, almost forgot.  The Cop that took the report musta been new, his uniform and all the leather looked right outa the box.  Later he called me and asked some questions to help in his investigation.  I knew he was trying to be a good cop but all I could think of was that scene in The Big Lebowski when The Dude got his Torino back and he asks the cop if they 'got any promising, uh, leads?'  Press on the picture of the Cop below to play the video.

So it's been months and anyway, this is nothing !  Wait til you hear the rest that happened.  Stay tuned to WKRP for 'the rest of the story'.