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HOMELESSNESS IN LA THROUGH PHOTOJOURNALISM
LETTER EDITOR from the
58,936. That is the number of the homeless population in Los Angeles County alone, a number that continues to rise each day. The media has been closely following this growth for the past year, allowing the world to witness a crisis affecting individuals of all backgrounds. Through the years there is an inaccurate representation that only drug addicts and those who don’t want to help themselves become homeless. This issue of The Sundial looks past the dehumanizing stereotypes into what we as a society should be doing: helping people in need. The Homelessness issue not only focuses on the problem, but how locals are responding to it. We start with our cover story of two siblings who created Sisters on the Streets and lead the Hygiene Campaign tackling period poverty by donating feminine hygiene products to those who lack access to these resources (pages 6-7). We then follow a Muslim group who comes together every Friday and Saturday to prepare and deliver lunches to a homeless camp in Pacoima (pages 4-5), CSUN Professor David Blumenkrantz as he shares personal stories through his project, One of Us (page 8), and provide a list of six documentaries educating viewers on this growing crisis (page 10). The Sundial would like to thank you for your positive response to our new look and content. This support inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries of journalism and focus on topics affecting our community.
SUNDIAL STAFF Editor-in-Chief
Madison Parsley editor@csun.edu
Managing Visual Editor Joshua Pacheco photo@csun.edu News Editor Gillian Moran-Perez city@csun.edu Assistant News Editor Kimberly Silverio-Bautista city@csun.edu Chief Copy Editor Ivey Mellem copydesk@sundial.csun.edu Copy Editor Munina Lam copydesk@sundial.csun.edu A&E Editor Ivan Salinas ane@csun.edu Assistant A&E Editors Kayla Fernandez Deja Magee Moss ane@csun.edu Opinion Editor Raychel Stewart opinion@csun.edu Sports Editor Bryanna Winner sports_sundial@csun.edu Assistant Sports Editor Andres Soto sports_sundial@csun.edu Photo Editor Logan Bik photo@csun.edu Social Media Manager Natalie Fina sundialsocialmedia@sundial.csun.edu Graphic Designers Ewan McNeil Elaine Sanders Illustrator Joelena Despard Audio Editor Pejvauk Shahamat sundialpodcast@gmail.com Video Editors Andrea Esparza Elaine Sanders
Thank you,
Assistant Video Editor Brendan Reed-Crabb
Madison Parsley
Web Developer Rugved Saurabh Darwhekar online@csun.edu
Editor-in-Chief
Sales Representatives Pathik Patel Kelly Salvador Olivia Vakayil Estefano Vasquez Arlene Yeghiayan Sales Support HaoWen Hsueh
CONTENTS “Sandwiches on the Street” Pages 4-5
Logan Bik
Amar Billoo and his mosque give back to the community through sandwiches.
“Examining Homelessness Through Photojournalism” Page 8
Deja Magee
CSUN journalism professor David Blumenkrantz aims to share the personal stories of LA’s homeless through his project, One of Us.
“Documenting the Reality of Homelessness” Page 10
Ivan Salinas
Two Sisters Fighting Period Poverty By Gillian Moran-Perez
Cover portrait of Laura and Alycia Rathbone by Joshua Pacheco
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Check out these documentaries available on streaming services for free.
Distribution Lead Brendan Reed-Crabb Distribution Nicole Benda Emilio Bravo Publisher Arvli Ward arvli.ward@csun.edu General Manager Jody Holcomb jody.doyle@csun.edu Business Manager Sandra Tan sandra.tan@csun.edu
Published weekly by the Department of Journalism at California State University, Northridge Manzanita Hall 140 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA 91330-8258 News - 818-677-2915 | Advertising - 818-677-2998
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CITY@CSUN.EDU
LA HOMELESSNESS at a glance 10000 8000
LIVING ENVIRONMENT
44,214
5,231 UNSHELTERED
IN CARS VETERANS
YOUNG ADULTS (18-24)
FAMILIES
3,878
IN SHELTERS
IN TENTS
0
GENDER
58,936
31% FEMALE
2%
TOTAL HOMELESS IN
Los Angeles County
TRANSGENDER
3,845
16,528 14,722
ELDERLY (62+)
4,021
11,086
18% ARE LGBTQ+ 4000 INCREASE IN NUMBERS 22% SINCE 2018 29% EXITED FOSTER CARE 2000 40% ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE 62% HAVE INVOLVEMENT
50000
40000
30000
0
HOMELESS YOUNG ADULTS6000 (18-24)
20000
Where?
DEMOGRAPHICS
10000
Who?
By Gillian Moran-Perez
8,799
Homeless shelters and social services in LA
36,165
TOTAL HOMELESS IN
Los Angeles City
0.4% GENDER NONCONFORMING
Statistics gathered from research obtained by Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, LA City, and Homeless Shelter Directory.
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Noor Chacky, 35, and Zachary Gulshad, 19, lay out 88 sandwiches. The two pair the sandwiches with one piece of white bread and one piece of wheat bread.
Noor Chacky, 35, and Zachary Gulshad, 19, prepare the tables to make 325 sandwiches.
Amar Billoo, 28, assists Saif Ullah, 7, with the sandwich making.
Ishtiyaque Ahmed, 16, Imtiaz Ahmed, 12, and Mushtaque Ahmed, 54, place the finished lunches into the minivan to deliver to the homeless. The father and two sons give back to the community on a weekly basis.
Amar Billoo, 28, catches up with Duane Pierfax, 62, about his current living situation. The two have seen each other a lot over the past couple of weeks.
Ali Muhammad, 63, passes a lunch and a water bottle to a homeless man hiding behind his sweater to escape the heat.
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Ali Muhammad, 63, passes a lunch to Duane Pierfax, 62. Pierfax is a homeless man living under a freeway overpass in Pacoima, California.
CITY@CSUN.EDU
SANDWICHES ON THE STREETS Photography and story by Logan Bik
The homeless population in Los Angeles is something that can be seen on nearly any street, and while some are upset about the problem, Amar Billoo and his mosque, Masjid Imam Bukhari, are taking action. “The homelessness crisis has gotten so bad I just had to do something,” said Billoo, a 28-year-old Muslim and a financial consultant. Every week, Billoo takes time out of his schedule to give back to the local community. Billoo and a small group of volunteers prepare 325 lunches weekly in a dimly-lit kitchen inside the North Hills mosque. Each lunch consists of a sandwich with mayonnaise, turkey, lettuce, and American cheese, a bag of chips, fruit snacks, and a bottle of water. The group gets together and prepares the sandwiches every Friday, a sacred day of worship for Muslims where they congregate for prayers. The food preparation takes nearly three hours. The process is similar to an assembly line, where slices of bread are laid across three tables while ingredients are added to each slice one by one. Members of the mosque have been funding the lunches as a way to give back to their community, but at times the mosque did not provide enough money. “We’ve paid for the lunches out of our own pocket at
times when we couldn’t get the funds,” Billoo said, as he was spreading mayonnaise on wheat bread. “We never like to go backwards, so if we made 325 sandwiches this week, we will make at least 325 sandwiches next week.” On Saturday, the group gets together again to pack the lunches into traditional brown lunch bags. This group consists of men, as well as young boys and girls who take a break from learning the Quran to bag lunches.
“The homelessness crisis has gotten so bad I just had to do something.” “I don’t feel good when I see people out on the streets with nothing, especially when I have food,” said Imtiaz Ahmed, a 12-year-old middle school student, explaining his motivation for giving up time on a Saturday. Imtiaz packs the lunches with his brother, Ishtiyaque, 16, and dad, Mushtaque, 54, every Saturday. Once the minivan is loaded full of sandwich bags and cases of bottled water, Billoo and Ali Muhammad, 63,
hit the streets to pass out the lunches. Pulling up to a homeless camp under a freeway overpass in Pacoima, the two get out and yell, “Food and water!” Heads slowly peek out from the tents as Billoo and Muhammad begin handing out the lunches and water. “These guys are great, every little bit from the community helps,” said Duane Pierfax, a 62-year-old homeless man. Once loaded back up in the minivan, Billoo discussed the struggles of going out into the heat week in and week out to serve the community. “It’s a little depressing sometimes trying to help people who don’t want to help themselves, or seeing people who society has just forgotten about,” Billoo said, as he did a U-turn to pass out a lunch to a person he previously missed hiding under a tarp from the hot California sun. “But every week I realize how fortunate I am.” Going to places beyond the streets, Billoo and Muhammad go the distance by finding people camped out under water runoff ditches escaping the heat. Billoo made it clear that he was here to help the community regardless of their situation or religious beliefs. “It does not matter if you’re Muslim or not, all that matters is that you care about humanity,” Billoo said.
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PERIOD POVERTY: THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING TAMPON By Gillian Moran-Perez / Photography by Joshua Pacheco
Laura Rathbone was sitting at a sign-in table at a winter shelter promoting voter registration for Measure H when she noticed a homeless woman asking for another pair of pants because she bled through her only pair. The woman was arguing with the department of mental health, saying, “I used to be a good person, I used to have a house and a job and a life and now I’m trying to get a pair of pants without blood on them.” From then on, Laura noticed the lack of feminine hygiene products available in bathrooms for women. “If toilet paper and paper towels are free why can’t feminine hygiene be free?” became her mentality. Eventually Laura stood outside a Walmart with a cardboard box asking for feminine hygiene donations for homeless women. By the end of the day she had only received a small box, not enough to meet the needs of women on the street. Laura and her twin sister, Alycia, began Sisters on the Streets, a community-based organization that volunteers at homeless shelters, creates outreach programs for the homeless and leads the Hygiene Campaign. The Hygiene Campaign has donated hygiene packs to women on the streets, in motels and other non-stable living situations and garnered support through middle school and high schools, as they started donation drives for feminine hygiene. The Rathbone sisters are an example of how women across the U.S. are tackling
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Laura Rathbone talks with Elizabeth at her encampment in Balboa Park on March 31, 2018. Laura and a small team provided weekend outreach by donating clothes, shoes and food to people living in encampments across the San Fernando Valley.
period poverty. According to Laura, “Period poverty is when feminine hygiene is not accessible to those who cannot afford it or gain access to it.” The average woman experiences 456 periods over 38 years, which equals to 6.25 years of menstruation, according to a report released by the Bringing Resources to Aid Women’s Shelter from the University of the District of Columbia. On average a woman uses four tampons a day, 20 per cycle and 240 per year and a woman will spend up to $1,773.33 in her lifetime on feminine hygiene, the report states. The Rathbone sisters know that menstruation is still seen as a taboo. Shira Brown from the CSUN Women’s Resource Center feels that misogyny is a big reason that people feel so grossed out by menstruation. “People are so grossed out by menstrual blood, but they watch gory films,” said Brown. “If men menstruated, then policies around menstruation
would be different.” Currently, 35 states in the U.S. tax feminine hygiene products, according to an article by The New York Times. Recently, California passed Assembly Bill 31 and Senate Bill 92 to exempt sales tax on menstrual products, however the bills only last for two years, from January 2020 to January 2022, according to the Tax Free Period Organization. “If you can’t afford food how can you afford tampons?” said Brown. The Rathbone sisters and Brown agree that there needs to be an open conversation about menstruation. For Laura and Alycia, the conversation should start in middle school because that is when most girls start their first period. The Women’s Resource Center will be hosting an open conversation on menstruation and sustainability in November, in collaboration with the University Student Union and Associated Students. Their
goal is to create an honest conversation about menstruation and break the stigma. As Brown states, menstruation is an issue that only menstruating people think about. But walking into any girl’s bathroom on CSUN’s campus, there are never any hygiene products available. “Every middle school, high school, even colleges, I’ve never really seen pads and tampons in the facility unless you go to the nurse’s office,” Laura said. “And to me, toilet paper and paper towels are supplied in bathrooms, so should feminine hygiene.” At times Laura and her sister have noticed how certain male-dominated outreach groups feel uncomfortable handing out pads and tampons or don’t understand how long a cycle lasts to supply enough. Through first-hand experience, she notices how that affects the self-confidence of homeless women reaching out for pads at homeless shelters. There are many names that have fought against period poverty. Jennifer Weiss-Wolf recently wrote on Newsweek: “Forcing immigrant girls to bleed through their underwear is cruel, degrading and dangerous,” regarding the lack of feminine hygiene in the detention centers. Alycia puts the period poverty issue through an interesting perspective. “You don’t choose to menstruate, you don’t choose to get your period, it just comes, so if you want to be hygienic, supply the free hygiene,” she said.
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HOMELESSNESS IN LA THROUGH PHOTOJOURNALISM A CSUN journalism professor aims to share the personal stories of LA’s homeless through his project, One of Us. By Deja Magee / Photos courtesy of David Blumenkrantz Aside from the glitz and glamour that Los Angeles is typically associated with, there’s a reality many Angelenos choose to ignore, a side of the city that isn’t thought about because it isn’t perfectly manufactured. The homeless crisis of LA County has worsened in recent years. According to an article from the Los Angeles Times, in 2011, the homeless population was 39,414. That number rose significantly to 52,765 in 2018, and today the homeless population in LA County is 58,936 and still increasing. CSUN’s very own David Blumenkrantz, a professor in the journalism department who focuses on photojournalism, has his eyes set on normalizing and destigmatizing the stereotypes that degrade the homelessness population every day through One of Us, a project that brings awareness to the homeless situation in LA. With a camera lens, Blumenkrantz wants to tell the stories of the impoverished on the streets. “I started the One of Us project here at CSUN in 2016 through a grant,” Blumenkrantz said. “I had a student worker and we went out to four different locations throughout the San Fernando Valley where we knew that there were mobile showers.” He continued to talk about how this project was meant for people to shed light on their own situation as individuals. “We wanted to show them as human beings first, and allow them to speak for themselves. The rationale is that there’s a lot of photographs of people struggling,” Blumenkrantz said. “My concern is that it hasn’t helped. The homeless problem has gotten worse over the years. It has some effect. It sensitizes people, and you can’t stop photographing it. You can’t stop reporting it. It’s like war: you can’t stop looking at it. It’s not like you will stop homelessness. Nevertheless, it is frustrating to see the stereotypes that are put out into the media about homelessness: that they’re all drug addicts, that they’re all mentally ill, that they’re lazy, or that they want to be here.” One of Us was exhibited at the Museum of Social Justice, located in the basement of the Los Angeles Methodist Church. Its run was from May 24, 2018, to Jan. 27, 2019. As the description says on their website: “One of Us recognizes the dignity and individuality of people who are economically, socially, and psychologically disenfranchised. The exhibition presents
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portraits and personal stories of people who wished their faces to be seen and their voices to be heard. The images and stories created collaboratively with their subjects, challenge us to recognize them as more than a faceless societal burden known as the homeless.” In Blumenkrantz’s own words, the project aimed to accurately represent homelessness from the perspective of those experiencing it directly, “Rather than to look at them like bugs under a microscope and take pictures of them that are humiliating and degrading, let them speak for themselves and let them become part of the dialogue.” This year, he is having a series of workshops for One of Us with the participation of homeless people, who will be taking pictures of their surroundings so they can tell their story. “In this case, I’ll be having people photograph things that they miss or can’t have anymore,” Blumenkrantz
said. “Take them on a field trip, for example, to a really rich neighborhood, and ask them, ‘How do you see that world?’ Because, traditionally, most documentary photography of marginalized populations is normally people coming from an upper economic structure into a lower economic structure. It’s normally the media being elitist and going into a lower economic area.” However, he isn’t the only one using the camera lens to depict the homelessness in their gritty reality. The Los Angeles Times has a 12-part video series with a total of an hour and 11 minutes running time on YouTube. They, with a journalist and cameraman in tow, try to get the real-life stories of people living on the streets and what their experiences have been like. The people that they come across in the documentary completely shatter certain stereotypes. One person interviewed was Louis Tse, a Ph.D. student at UCLA, living in his car because he thought it would only be temporary. He doesn’t tell his colleagues because he doesn’t want to be pitied, and he doesn’t tell his parents because they would be too worried about him. They also interviewed a bartender named Rory who said that most of the employees at his job were living in their cars. His reality and theirs was that it was normal to be living in their car because economically they weren’t able to have enough money to pay rent for an apartment and afford to feed themselves. Because the documentary was uploaded in 2016, the homelessness statistics are lower than what they are now, but still at an all-time high. Back then, the homelessness rate in LA County was around 44,000. Homelessness and the arts may seem like they never intersect, but art can be used to shed light on a community that doesn’t get an accurate portrayal. The homeless are constantly exploited on a daily basis because of the stigmas that are put on them by the very society that is supposed to help them. Blumenkrantz has a stake in the fight to end homelessness using photography and art as a medium of activism. “If I was single and had no responsibilities,” Blumenkrantz passionately stated, “I would probably be attending a different (neighborhood council board) meeting every night. I’d be working on a full investigation on what’s going on with the homeless situation because there is a war going on.”
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SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2019
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“Under The Bridge” (2017) Available on Amazon Prime
“God Knows Where I Am” (2016) Available on Netflix Linda Bishop’s story begins with her dead body found inside the abandoned house she had been living in for several years. Viewers will see themselves question society’s treatment of the mentally ill and homeless as family, friends and other professionals unravel Bishop’s story. Actress Lori Singer gives a voice to the thoughts written on the many journals Bishop kept. Through them, viewers get clear insight into the mind of a woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder which led to intermittent incarceration and a tragic fate.
Director Don Sawyer spent a summer in Indianapolis capturing the lives of a community living in a homeless encampment under a bridge. The documentary brings awareness to the criminalization of homelessness across the United States. At the national level, lawmakers are pushing to fine and incarcerate those who are found sleeping in public spaces. However, people like Maurice — who became the unofficial mayor of Davidson Street — find that this cruel enforcing of the law does nothing to solve the issue of homelessness, rather making it more difficult for advocates and organizations to deal with its growth rate.
“On the Streets” (2017) Available on YouTube This film series is made by the LA Times’ Lisa Biagiotti, and explores the larger issues affecting the homeless population in the city. Gathering stories from the streets of areas like Skid Row, Westwood, Mid City and Venice Beach, Biagiotti shows the stories of individuals living in tents and those with unstable housing. Revealing the reportedly 44,000+ homeless population in LA County and the alarming increase of individuals living inside their vehicles, this documentary shows the growing homelessness rate affecting Angelenos from all backgrounds.
6 DOCUMENTARIES ON HOMELESSNESS By Ivan Salinas Whether you choose a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime, these platforms host a variety of documentaries on the issue of homelessness. On the same subject, news outlets such as VICE and the LA Times have uploaded feature-length documentaries to their YouTube channels available to watch for free. The raw footage within each film shares the stories of the people behind tent encampments, abandoned houses, foster homes and the cruel criminalization of an issue affecting individuals from all corners of the United States.
“Shelter” (2018)
“Queen Mimi” (2016)
Available on YouTube VICE’s feature-length documentary follows the life of homeless youth in New Orleans. Filmed over the course of a full year, it shares the stories of individuals in Covenant House, a Christian organization that offers housing protection for youth — most of them being from an African American background between the ages of 16 and 22. Many of them have suffered cases of physical or mental abuse and mental illness. Peabody award-winning filmmakers Brent and Craig Renaud’s documentary shows the heroic staff at Covenant House and the daily struggles they face to help the affected youth seeking their help.
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Available on Netflix
“The Homestretch” (2014) Available on Vudu Following the lives of Kasey, Roque and Anthony, these teenagers find themselves living on the streets of Chicago. Their harsh reality is a result of other issues affecting the homeless population as a whole, including discrimination against LGBTQ folks like Kasey. Roque is forced to make a life on his own after his father is deported, while Anthony bounces from foster home to foster home trying to find stable housing. For the average American teenager, coming of age is a transition from school to college and the workplace, but these three students must overcome one of the most important part of their lives with very little support. Viewers will get a glimpse into three cases out of the 19,000 of homeless students in Chicago Public Schools.
This documentary brings to light the life of Marie Haist, a formerly homeless 80-year-old woman who spent 18 years of her life living in Fox Laundry, a small laundromat located in Santa Monica. Director Yaniv Rokah unravels the mysteries of Mimi’s life, including interviews with her daughters to learn how she ended up sleeping every night in a local business of LA. Luckily, one of the people she befriended was comedy actor Zach Galifianakis. Since they met, the actor has had a friendly relationship with Mimi by supporting her financially and also taking her to movie premieres that have made her somewhat of a celebrity in the Hollywood scene.
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SUNDIAL CLASSIFIEDS EMPLOYMENT General Web Master Excel and Quick Books a plus Excellent computer skills, and be a self starter. In Northridge or willing to commute $ Competitive hourly compensation $ xyzLP@yahoo.com 844-698-3569 Room and board in exchange for childcare for 3 teens. Then after school pickup to activities and home.. Usually 4:00-8:30 For more info, visit https://bit.ly/2kt1ibg
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Film
&
“Down and Out in Beverly Hills” (1986)
IDENTITY
The American Hobo is an archetypal character, but what message does it send to its audience? By Ivan Salinas “There’s a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that that’s all some people have? It isn’t much, but it’s better than nothing in this cockeyed caravan.” This quote was said by main character John Sullivan in the 1941 comedy classic “Sullivan’s Travels.” Sullivan, played by Joel McCrea, is a Hollywood director in the process of making his next blockbuster about the widespread poverty of the time. He sets out across the country as an incognito vagabond for his own research, encountering work in labor camps, waiting in soup lines and hopping from train to train. Eventually, he is incarcerated and it is there he says these words as other inmates laugh hysterically at a screening of Mickey Mouse cartoons. “Film’s the greatest educational medium the world has ever known,” Sullivan says. Thus, the initial quote reveals a deeper message within the film hinting to its viewers the necessity of laughter during rough times. In Hollywood, there has been a long tradition of looking at poverty and homelessness through comedy. However, underneath the laughs, there are societal critiques and awareness to a serious crisis affecting more people every day. The archetypal hobo/homeless/vagabond/vagrant character, like John Sullivan, appears in many comedy films. Here is a list with some of the most recognizable films in American pop culture:
SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2019
“Life Stinks” (1991) This film dives into a bet between two wealthy businessmen fighting for full ownership of land. If Goddard Bolt (Mel Brooks) can survive in the slums of Los Angeles without any access to resources for a month, his rival, Vance Crasswell ( Jeffrey Tambor), will give up his half of the land he currently owns. However, building infrastructure upon the land means displacing the current homeless group inhabiting it. Bolt’s journey sends him to the streets where he earns the name of ‘Pepto’ after sleeping in a Pepto-Bismol box and falls in love with a bag lady. This piece ridicules the apathetic perspective of the wealthy towards the lower class. With its heavily pessimistic title, viewers get a dark-comedic glimpse of the separation between social classes.
Director Paul Mazursky’s classic ’80s flick is a story of a rich dysfunctional couple who save the life of Jerry Baskin (Nick Nolte), a suicidal homeless man who tries to drown himself in the couple’s pool after his dog, Kerouac, deserts him. Based on the 1930s film “Boudu Saved from Drowning” by French director Jean Renoir, this modern Hollywood twist critiques the conservative rich man. Baskin discovers that Mr. Whiteman (Richard Dreyfuss) is having an affair with his live-in maid, his wife Barbara frequents therapy sessions, and his son is
unable to tell his parents comfortably that he is gay. At one point, all these underlying conflicts surround Mr. Whiteman but thanks to Baskin, who offers advice to a family that has it all, the Whitemans confront their reality.
“The Kid “ (1921) One of the most memorable characters from the silent era, Charlie Chaplin’s character debuted in 1915, but its immortalization followed after the release of “The Kid” in 1921. Inspired by Chaplin’s personal experiences as a child, this comedy features his companion Jackie Coogan who was abandoned by his mother and taken under the wing of The Tramp. In this father/child friendship, viewers see them take on petty crimes and being chased by cops out of necessity to survive. Filmed in the early streets of Los Angeles almost a hundred years ago, this timeless piece of cinema is
only one of the many issues The Tramp embodies across 40 years of Chaplin’s career in film. “The Kid” is a dark comedic glimpse into the reality some children experience to this day.
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