This was SOOO one of my projects

Read about what they are doing in COLORADO- thanks tree hugger.


But they for got the part about harvesting the homeless's plasma!Gross i know but It was what I was talking about in 2007.

the wheels on the bike go round and round...

and on his truck as well. a friend of mine, Zach Lihatch is currently trucking around while pedaling his book! (ha ha ha) He is putting together a book that documents bicycle cooperatives and co-ops in the US. If he comes your way, please send him some support. Here is his blog where he's been keeping track of his adventures thus far. Below is his mission statement::

Four the past four years, Zach has been involved with BICAS in Tuscon, AZ. BICAS (Bicycle InterComunity Action and Salvage) is a cooperatively-run non-profit Community Center that through bicycle advocacy and recycling bikes, promotes education, art and a healthy sustainable environment. In conjunction, it provides services and opportunity for those in need.
The emergence of places like BICAS has occurred relatively recently. 10 years ago only one or two such projects existed. For a little history, BICAS itself was created in 1989 with a different mission than bikes. It was to help the homeless and originally called Bootstraps to Share, operating out of someone's garage. In 1994, Bootstraps to Share organizers decided to focus on what the group did best encourage people to ride bicycles. Thus, BICAS was born. BICAS is one of the country's oldest bicycle co-ops, along with Boston's Bikes Not Bombs and New York's Time's Up. It is only appropriate that Zach started his journey there. Now almost every major city some type of collectively run community bike space. Many of these groups have organized a network and meet at a national gathering to discuss their tactics, success stories, and challenges. All across the country, community bike shops have become a powerful resource, impacting all who come in contact with them.
I would even go to say that they have become a staple in our generations society. I almost expect there to be a bike co-op in every city because I grew up with one as well. (shout out to free ride!) It's weird that that's what I assume. Fortunately, every city I've gone to in the US there's been one. Right after I moved to LA (like that week) I found a bike on craigslist and brought it to the Bicycle Kitchen. It just happen to be Bitchen Kitchen, the ladies night. I didn't know any one in LA and it was so welcoming! And re-affirming to be able to be fixing my bike in a strange new place.
Bicycle co-ops/collectives are the actualization of strong ideas. This once viewed as a sub-culture occurrence has blossomed into a current and appreciated amenity of the city and culture of its own. Zach's goal with this book is to bring attention to the bicycle co-ops and collectives and give this new and promising movement the recognition that it deserves. This next part is a direct quote (I've been paraphrasing thus far) but its too beautiful not to say it as it::"Thus far, there are many people who are involved in such endeavors, and countless others whom I believe could benefit from the knowledge that there is a practical and viable alternative out there. As individuals and communities, we can empower each other to reject those forces in the world that hold us down and to replace them with something much better. Through photo documentation, interviews and film [Zach] will be offering a glimpse into an alternative that is flourishing. "
It brings tears! So great! and SO TRUE! When I fix my bike and turned my Motobecane to a single speed all by myself I felt so empowered. This sounds lame. But bicycles truly contribute to bodies in space working in complete freedom. They cross lines of occupantcy and rights. When you are on your bike you become this beautiful hybrid of flesh and metal. With cars, you are still just in a pod, your energy is not recycled in any way and there is abundant waste. Freedom and mobility are extremely important to me and to what I think are everybody's rights (that and the right to information.)
So! Please contact Zach while hes on his journey. This book should be pretty awesome.

Where to go from here?

Here are the diagrams that I presented Oct 5th for a pin up that we had. Each of these four express the individual elements' typology: Homeless: This profiling system is the one from Homeless In Los Angeles:

Glory Holes: Looking at the possibilities for points of connection. Also the hole itself:


Bread Tabs- Looking at the body and the shape of each type, here, the most commonly found:

Fruit: Connecting through shared nutrients, the fruits can then be located in neighborhoods near the observer. The hopes for this is ultimately a website incorporating/collaborating with Fallen Fruit:




And how do these four systems/profiles converge?

element//disconnected from ///reabsorbed though

Homeless=

persons//society///plasma====>can be turned in to plastic for human transplant parts

Glory Holes=

organ//body///the device is now a point of connection, the wall is no longer a point of alienation

Breadtabs=

breadtab//function of closure///could be made by Polylimonene Carbonate, a plastic from orange rinds, or could be implanted with tracking devices like PITtags

Fruit=

fruit//industrial agriculture///neighborhood grown or integration and the awareness of these free floating fruit and excess garden vegetables, food for homeless persons

So where too now...
I am looking at how to communicate these points of intersection, looking specifically at film but also potentially max/msp/jitter.
Yet I really want to start to focus on the Jerusalem competition, pulling mainly from the glory holes. Looking for the wall that gives anonymity yet connection. What does a wall do normally? put ones in or out of exile. Also, just to throw this around, popularity as a form of a wall or exile.

What are the desires of exile?....

An Adventurous Day

I woke up this morning, and read some more Shockwave Rider. Got on my bike with some of the recycling I had been collecting and road off down Alameda Street. While on the bike in traffic, a homeless woman wondered around me and other cars asking for change. She would' t talk to me when I asked here where she was from. Road towards 6th on my way to the recycling center and met a homeless man just siting on the curb. He was from Massachusetts. He asked if I had change and I gave him my bag of cans. I thought it was fair. That would have been the change I gave him if I had turned it in. Right?

I then made my way down old skid row. (DUM DUM DAH) Note: this is all during the day time. even the homeless said don't go there at night.
I first go to the Midnight Mission.

I make some new friends while I walk inside the gate. There are just people spread out everywhere on benches and bags. I brought my bike in and then some woman who had a badge on and white shirt started to yell at me. She asked what I was doing there and why and I can't bring a bike on to the patio. She directed me to talk to a person inside who bounced me to another who bounced me to another. All I got after that was a card of someones who I need their permission to ask the people where they've been since they strive for an anonymous environment. The shelter is a point of sanctuary. I move on.
Alot of people also sleep in the adjacent park. I noticed more families there. The next mission was between 5th and 4th on San Pedro. No court yard. This one seemed more like a hospital. I went in and talked to a guard who told me to wait for one of the directors and then ultimately the director said no questions for these people. Ok.

I then head to the LA Mission. On the way I found a bread tab so I thought everything will probably work out with me asking. I ride up. Park the bike. And go in the gates. This one was the most relaxed than the others. They let me talk to the people but not the ones who were taking classes at that time. I asked the main supervisor if he knew anything about people being bussed in from different cities, specifically New Orleans after Katrina. He said it was news to him.

Here are the results of my efforts, as from what people told me:

• 2Massachuesetts

• 1 Boston

• 1 Iowa
• 1 Rhode Island
• 1 Washington State
• 3 Texas
• 1 Houston
• 1 Beaumont
  
• 1 Guatemala
• 1 Chicago, Illinois
  
• 1 Ohio, Massillion
• 16 Los Angeles,
  
• 1 Compton, LA
• 7 Mexico
• 3 Vera Cruz, Mexico
• 1 New Jersey
• 1 Fort Dixon, New Jersey
• 1 Pittsburgh
• 1 San Diego
• 1 Puerto Rico
• 3 Detroit
• 1 New York City
• 1 Rochester, New York
• 1 Peru
• 1 Washington DC
• 1 Las Vegas
• 1 Honduras
• 1 St. Petersburg, Florida
• 1 Philadelphia
  
• 19 New Orleans, Louisiana, who all got bussed after Katrina
• 1 from outer space

All this information has been mapped on the Homeless map that is on the right side of this blog.

I ended up talking to a guard named Renard for a bit. He has been working security for the mission for the past 15 years. He said he was working on a movie about Skid Row, not a documentary. He said not everyone who is at the shelter is homeless. He said people come down there to hang out, smoke up in the yard, buy crack at the corner, run away from domestic situations, or just stay there if they don't want to go home. He said it is a place where people run away from responsibility. Another Other Space if you will. This is also similar to the paid avoidance places in Shockwave Rider, but these places are free. Free food. Free Clothing. Free Shelter.

I met another man walking around, nicely dressed with a manila folder. He said he was a economist. He thought I was studying sociology. The guard asked me if I was a social worker, when I said architect he asked me to draw something. The manila folder man also confirmed that during the winter months other cities bus there homeless to LA so they don't have to house them. Tons from NYC, Philly and what not. So come November, we will see an influx of the homeless population in Downtown LA.

Better Explained Intentions..

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Service Provision Areas, let's hunt me some homeless...

So they've got tracking homeless down to an equation. Through Service Provision Areas (SPA), the department of statistics of UCLA found that in the County of Los Angeles tracked that there were 64,000 homeless people in 2005.
I have to throw drug use into the mix also for the homeless population. There are a ton of studies so now I need to start narrowing it down from them.



Back to Glory holes(ps that link is pornographic), I've started mapping what I could. Here are some places, feel free to augment. Most of the glory holes that I have been mapping so far have been gay ones, the link I found has led me to interacial heterosexual glory hole-ing.

loss of identiy and edge conditions?

I have stumbled across a preexisting way that homeless are categorized or at least identified.
This is what it means to be Homelesss In Los Angeles:
(notice this is strait off the website...)

Homeless Definitions

Chronic Homelessness - An unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more or has had at least four (4) episodes of homelessness in the past three (3) years.

Homeless - A person is considered homeless only when he/she resides in one of the places described below:

• In places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings (on the street).
  
• In an emergency shelter.
  
• In transitional or supportive housing for homeless persons who originally came from the streets or emergency shelters.
  
• In any of the above places but is spending a short time (up to 30 consecutive days) in a hospital or other institution.
  
• Is being evicted within a week from a private dwelling unit and no subsequent residence has been identified and the person lacks the resources and support networks needed to obtain housing.
  
• Is being discharged within a week from an institution, such as a mental health or substance abuse treatment facility or a jail/prison, in which the person has been a resident for more than 30 consecutive days and no subsequent residence has been identified and the person lacks the resources and support networks needed to obtain housing.
  
• Is fleeing a domestic violence housing situation and no subsequent residence has been identified and the person lacks the resources and support networks needed to obtain housing.

Sub-Population Definitions

General Groups:

Family - Family is defined as any of the following: Minor parents with child(ren); one or more adults with legal custody of minor child(ren); a couple in which one person is pregnant; grandparents or others who are legal guardians with child(ren) present; multi-generational families with grandparents, parents (adult child) and minor child(ren).

Individual - A person over age 18, not accompanied by minor child(ren).

Specific Groups:

Domestic Violence, Families - Families that are homeless due to an abusive partner. The abuse could be physical, mental, or emotional. The cause of the family homelessness or housing instability must be related to domestic violence.

Domestic Violence, Individuals - Individuals who became homeless because of an abusive partner. The abuse could be physical, mental, or emotional.

Dually Diagnosed, Individuals - Individuals who are substantially limited in one or more major life activity by mental illness and alcohol or drug addiction. Persons with other diagnoses qualify under multiple diagnoses.

Elderly Homeless - An elderly homeless individual is 62 years old or older.

Homeless Emancipated Foster Youth - Young adults who have reached majority age (18 years), were in the foster care system and who now have no other home.

Homeless Veterans - An eligible Veteran is defined as one who: (1) served on active duty in the US armed forces for more than 160 days and was discharged with other than a dishonorable discharge; (2) was discharged or released from active duty because of a service connected disability; or (3) served on active duty during a period of war, or in a campaign or expedition to which a campaign badge is authorized.

Individuals with Disabilities - A person has a disability if she or he has at least one of the following: (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.

Individuals with multiple diagnoses - Individuals whose ability to live independently is impaired by two or more of the following conditions: Physical disability (including HIV/AIDS), mental disability, substance abuse. This may include a diagnosis of multiple physical disabilities, multiple mental disabilities, or the combination of the two.

Mentally Ill, Families - Families in which at least one member is substantially limited in one or more major life activity by mental illness, based on confirmed clinical diagnosis, or initially by referral or staff assessment and later confirmed by clinical diagnosis.

Mentally Ill, Individuals - Individuals substantially limited in one or more major life activity by mental illness, based on confirmed clinical diagnosis, or initially by referral or staff assessment and later confirmed by clinical diagnosis.

Substance Abuse, Individuals - Individuals who have acknowledged addiction problems related to alcohol and drug use and who seek services or housing to support their sobriety.

Youth, 12-24 - Unaccompanied persons, age 12 to 24. Youth may have run away or were forced out of their home and are not in the company of a parent or guardian, and who may or may not be legally emancipated.

I am also looking for other ways to profile homeless person but this is quite thorough.




And if any ones knows where to find a glory hole please tell me. Thanks.