Today, in order to help us look for Nancy, Edie Babbe started recruiting -- and in a few cases paying -- some of the homeless local to the area north of LACMA where Nancy first went missing.
In general, we approached those that were articulate/lucid, empathetic to Nancy's plight, and interested/eager to help. In all cases, they were plied with a flyer with Nancy's photo and asked, if she's found, to not lose sight of her and find someone with a phone to call Kirk.
In your own searching, if a homeless person happens to approach you unprompted, they may be one of those genuinely trying to help!
Below are some of our very own Persons on the Street:
ANNIE - a stunning young black woman, maybe mid-20s, who hangs out at night on the west side of Fairfax between 3rd St and 6th St. Early in the morning, she can usually be found in front of Wholefoods (on the south end of the parking lot on the SE corner of 3rd & Fairfax).
JIM - an thin, elderly, tall-but-hunched-over gentleman who has created a "fort" of shopping carts and orderly detritis on the north side of Beverly Blvd a few buildings west of alley west of Fairfax.
RICHARD - a member of the encampment of several homeless currently set up in the alley west of Fairfax just north of Beverly Blvd. He wakes earlier than the others. (Physical description unknown.)
ERNIE - a lone homeless man who may be found in the alley west of Fairfax about 1/2 block south of Melrose Ave. (Physical description unknown.)
LANCE - a genial latino recycling guy in his 30s/40s. Met moving down Fairfax just south of Sunset Blvd with his shopping cart.
PETE (white, but very weathered) & LARRY (tall, black, very bad teeth) - a dicier duo with Larry being the more articulate of the two. They seem to cruise Melrose Ave between Fairfax and La Brea, can probably be found around 7/11 on NW corner of Melrose & Fuller.
STEVE - a very clean (plaid shirt, short-brimmed hat, khaki shorts), weathered recycling guy in his 50s/60s, cigarette smoker -- has at least one shopping cart of recycling. Sleeps behind Chevron station on SE corner of Beverly Blvd & La Brea. Moves through La Brea area during the day.
MAN ON BIKE - we didn't get his name, but he's on the lookout!
Nancy's Remains Found. Nancy's partial skeletal remains have been identified. She passed in difficult terrain prior to March 11, 2017.
In my search of the La Brea Tar Pits this morning I encountered a homeless man on the East side of the park sitting on the bench that surrounds the bathrooms....he was very close to Curson.
ReplyDeleteHe had flyers and you guys have talked to him already.
Said he left one of them at the Mission in Downtown LA and was keeping his eyes open for her.
His thoughts were that it would be very easy for her to get on a bus and take it to a termination point. During the day, it could be Westwood, but after 8pm the buses go out to the beach, so she could have gotten off there. Or even downtown....but if she were on the North side of the street, its likely she would have gotten on a Westbound bus.
He said to check OPCC (Ocean Park Community Center) Its near Olympic and Cloverfield.
St. Joseph Center has an intake center on Lincoln, I believe, still.
I'm not sure if SamoShel is open yet...that's the Santa Monica Shelter, but that's further down from OPCC.
He said she would stick out downtown, but not necessarily at the beach and would have blended in by now.
2 questions/thoughts - is is easy to get on a city bus with no cash or bus card?
ReplyDeleteAlso, do the homeless seem motivated by the reward? Would increasing the reward be a huge incentive?