Without A Home: What Lies Beneath The Stereotypes?

Over the four year period I spent documenting homeless people living in Los Angeles, very few of my subjects actually provoked genuine fear within me. But Joby was different, despite the immediate love and affection I felt for him, there was something about him that I sensed was unstable. It was this duality within him, among other things, that was so compelling to me.

The next time I saw Joby was a week or two after my first two interviews with him.
I was driving around North Hollywood, looking for more homeless people to speak to and spotted him sitting by a dumpster. I pulled my car over and set up my camera. He greeted me with warmth and gave me a big hug.

At this point I already knew Joby. This was our third time meeting and I felt that we had an understanding. There were plenty of things about him that could have and maybe did make me a little skeptical, but for whatever reason I was seeking something else that went beyond the surface. I was searching for a truth that was pure and uncontaminated by certain stereotypes, even if there was some truth to them.

When I reflect back on the initial image I have of Joby and his friends huddled around a shopping cart in a cul de sac with beers in hand, I realize this is the stereotype, but it is not the whole story. From our cars, from the streets, from our personal and isolated spheres that we inhabit daily, this is more or less what we see. In most cases what we see is understandably all we have time for. A passing image that looks conveniently like the stereotypes we already know all too well.

We see schizophrenics flailing their arms about, talking to themselves, when they should be under psychiatric care for a disease that has completely overtaken their minds. We see people who seem lazy and even dangerous; vagrants passing their time idly, while we are hard at work. We see people like Joby.

While sitting with Joby on this particular afternoon he seemed exceptionally angry, not at me but at the world around him. He had been yelling at this guy across the street (as seen in the video below), convinced that he had been staring at Joby for over an hour. Joby had had enough.

I am not really sure who he was screaming at and I was hesitant to further engage in whatever controversy already existed, so I kept my eyes and my camera on Joby.

At one point Joby pulled out a knife and threatened the guy across the street. The whole situation seemed overly dramatic and I gently tried to suggest to Joby that maybe this guy wasn't actually watching him, but was instead just minding his own business. But Joby was convinced otherwise and I wasn't about to get involved.

When I saw Joby pull the knife out of his pocket my heart leapt out of my chest. I stayed calm and tried not to move, for fear of startling him. Moments later, he closed up the knife and threw it to his side. I was enormously relieved.

He sat back down on his cushion by the dumpster and I started asking him questions. I was trying to understand what had happened to him and why he was so angry. I sensed intuitively that at the root of his rage was very profound sadness and grief.

Joby went on to explain how he had lost every single family member he had; his two daughters, his mother and his wife. His palpable pain and suffering, oozing from those puppy dog eyes of his, were beginning to make more sense to me.

But as we began talking more about his sorrow, I saw a side of Joby that I believe most people don't get to see and it wasn't just his pain that was revealed to me. I saw his warmth and sensitivity, his humor and chivalry, his determination to persevere and survive in spite of his odds.

Despite all of his anger and suffering, his addictions and violent impulses, (which I am not defending but merely trying to understand) his behavior that day reminded me that there is always more to the surface than meets the eye.

It's important to get past the stereotypes that limit us and often obstruct the truth. People are always so much more than they appear. When we realize this and take it to heart, we too become so much more; we become better versions of ourselves.

I have been looking for Joby for a long time now, this was one of the last times I saw him. His friends told me that he was probably back in jail, in an endless and revolving cycle of more violence, where Joby will most likely not get the care or rehabilitation that he needs and deserves.

I wish I had a simple solution for this problem. At the very least, we can remind ourselves that there are a lot of homeless people out there like Joby, who mean well but are filled with misplaced rage and sadness. We are living in a society with good intentions but scarce resources.

I felt compelled to share with others the side of Joby I saw that day because I feel that it is one we do not get to see very often and I think there is something hopeful about it. When we go out of our way and take the time listen to people and acknowledge their suffering and hear their stories, we are sure to make progress. It is not the one and only solution but I believe it is a very good beginning.

This clip contains language and content that may be disturbing to some viewers:

What Lies Beneath The Stereotypes? from Rachel Fleischer on Vimeo.

Clip courtesy of Without A Home

For more information about the movie WITHOUT A HOME please find us on facebook.

Comments

[Lorettaq]

It amazes that people think because you are homeless you are not human. I can't believe it took you documenting homelessness to realize the pain. Don't you think being on the streets is painful, not having shelter is painful, not having money to buy food is painful, not having a family is painful.

I taught in some of the worst neighborhoods in Los Angeles and a lot of my students were homeless. Everyday, I saw the pain of children so hungry and irritable from lack of sleep that they couldn't concentrate. So ashamed because they came to school dirty or afraid to be with others because they were never hugged or given love at home.

It doesn't take researching or documenting to realize that homeless people are in pain and are humans in need of human kindness. It takes awareness and just a few minutes of our time to step outside of our selfish and shallow worlds and see that all people (esp. those homeless) long for a place to belong, for a place where they can feel human and at home.

[Rachel Fleischer - Huffpost Blogger]

Feeling compassion for them brought me to documenting. Documenting deepened and enhanced my understanding and filled me with a sense of obligation to share the beautiful and powerful footage and stories with other people.

There's are so many ways to help these people, we must all do our part, we all bring something different to the table. Clearly you share a similar compassion for those living on the streets, so if we all do our part in spreading that around there is sure to be some change.

We as individuals have an enormous capacity to affect change and raise awareness. I have found that even the smallest action can have a profound impact on someone's life. So all I am saying is let's work together. You and I are saying the same thing here, but we all have different ways of expressing ourselves and helping others, and that is something to be celebrated.
with love,
Rachel

[Rachel Fleischer - Huffpost Blogger]

Hi Lorettaq,
I wanted to clarify a few things about your thoughtful response. It didn't take documenting homelessness for me to realize the pain and suffering of those on the streets. It was something that I felt deeply and was aware of since I was a small child.

I used to drive around in the backseat of my parents' cars and cry hysterically when we drove by homeless people. Despite the fact that I couldn't intellectually grasp the myriad of reasons people are homeless. I felt their pain and was saddened and perplexed that they were out there, when I was on the other side, protected by the love of my parents.

I think we as a society, collectively feel their pain and are aware of their suffering. I think you said it best when you said it takes awareness and just a few minutes to step outside of our worlds. My experience documenting homeless people in Los Angeles is an extension of the same idea. I wanted to know more about why they were there. I wanted to understand their situations and their lives.

[WonderingRadical]

You challenge me, Rachel...

thank you.

[Rachel Fleischer - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you WonderingR­adical...
Rachel

[TooTired2Think]

Thanks for such a passionate dialogue..­.and a moment of the "human side" of Homelessness.

[slh0325]

I am so touched by this article and am so happy that it was written. I wish everyone could read this and understand how detrimental stereotypes like the ones we have about the homeless are. My heart aches for Joby and I hope he will someday find love and joy in his life.

[Enid]

Homeless people are just like us. Citizens turn their head afraid of becoming them..
Universal Health Care could change the lives of many of the desperate.
A healthy population is just as important as clean air and nutrias foods for a country to strive for.

[ChelseaC]

Enid,
Well said.

Rachel,
Thank you for this story--well done. I wish Joby and his friends well.
They seem like nice people.

[sbrown80]

Thk you