Eliot

The below interview is with Eliot, one of the unhoused residents of the park and a regular at the table.

Ed-So you were saying that you become unhoused--when?

Eliot-Um, for the second time since I’ve been in Los Angeles--at the end of October, I no longer had a shelter.

Ed-You were originally sheltered?

Eliot-I had transitional housing for a year and a half, but I couldn’t find a place to go. I didn’t want to do the GR thing and give them part of my GR, so I didn’t apply for that specific program and I couldn’t really get any apartments for… section 8 or whatever?

Ed-Section 8 housing, yeah.

Eliot-I’m originally from Tennessee. I came here in a car and decided if I can make it and work… Well it’s better to live out here than where I’m from. It’s livable, you know? Where I’m from if you sleep outside it’s a death sentence. It gets so cold, you won’t wake up. That’s why I just feel like a refugee. I feel like a climate change refugee, but not really. I was just born there.

Ed-That’s a different set of elements and things to deal with than here.

Eliot-There’s better equality in Tennessee, I’d say, but there’s more help in California.

Ed-Interesting. Can you elaborate?

Eliot-Like the pay gap is better in Tennessee, but there’s just so many rich people in LA, that’s how it is. There’s billionaires in LA. From where I’m from in Tennessee there’s not near as many rich rich. And that effects everybody, even if you don’t know about it.

Ed-Like mostly working class families?

Eliot-Well, no, my father was very well off. He supported my mom, my step mom, my step brothers, and sister and plenty of my other family that I don’t even really talk to that much, but ever since 2008 hit.

Ed-The crash.

Eliot-Yeah, ever since then we’ve been slowly… slowly.. I don’t know. I guess--needed help. I lived most of life without ever really needing anybody. My father really provided. I’m thankful for that. It’s not like I can really learn from it. I was so young, and I wish… I wish I would’ve been closer to them, but (sniffs), you know, that’s why people are the way they are. They know how to work. And once you know how to work, it’s hard to stop. Having money is everything. It can make your life like heaven (laughs), as long as you don’t try to help people. Once you start helping people it’s just more and more, and more and more. That’s what I like about LA. The more people help, the more money they get.

Ed-Interesting.

Eliot-I was brought up very capitalistic. Not really buying into the socialism and the community aspect of things and more about the margin, the profit. I’ve changed a lot. That’s kind of why I moved here--not just for the weather--the politics, the democracy, the sanctuary city, ICE detentions… I was talking to Liz about the ice detentions centers. Real people being detained during a pandemic. We talk about not spreading a disease. That’s a disease.

Ed-Yeah, there is a whole set of struggles out here in LA, but like you said, it’s interesting, your analysis before of the situation was a little bit different, but now--

Eliot-Yeah, I was going out like every weekend in my house and when covid started they basically said “If you leave, you can’t come back,” so I was basically locked in the house, except for the last couple months. The last couple months--some of the people were working during the pandemics and I was like “If they can work, then I can leave.”

Ed-Is this your first time coming to the table?

Eliot-No, I’ve been here probably like 3 times. I learned about it from Street Watch. They come by my tent and share supplies.

Ed-So are you living here or are you mobile?

Eliot-I used to be more mobile when I first became homeless, but this time, now I’m just staying by Lafayette park.

Ed-And you’ve just been around the area and you found out about the table through Street Watch and the outreach they do. I’m curious--what is your response to the table. Do they have the aid that you need, or some things you need more…

Eliot-Yeah… I, uh… I don’t really expect much. Anything helps. So, this is more than I could really ask for to be honest. Medicine, water, cutlery, all the extra stuff… It’s kind of humbling. You don’t feel so alone. It’s really easy to feel alone, even with all these people that are also homeless. It’s hard to feel like you need the same things sometimes. But that’s why this helps--everybody comes and they get what they need.

Ed-You think you have a few relationships developing with the members here?

Eliot-Yeah, I like most people that give out free stuff. I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite or anything. They told me about the food pantry at Wilshire and Rampart--so that helps out a lot. I already know about bodega(The People’s Bodega). Anything helps, you know.

Ed-Thanks for sharing some of your story. You said that living here with other unhoused folks it can feel a little alienating, alone--

Eliot-Yes.

Ed-Do you think there’s a way that that can be resolved? Like more material resources? What exactly--

Eliot-I can’t explain it. But I read from people who can. I read this book: The New Human Rights Movement. It’s by Peter Joseph, that Zeitgeist guy. He explains things really well, like the zero marginal cost--like how stuff is basically free. It costs nothing to make candy, soda, costs nothing to make all that toilet paper--

Ed-Surplus value--

Eliot-And it almost went out of stock. There’s all this demand. Public demand, supply and demand isn’t real. If you’re given what you need, there’s not really a public charge. You don’t really… I mean, I don’t want to say that you don’t have freedom, but you don’t have to really worry. Because, why would you want all these people to have all these jobs? It only works if you get something out of it, but if everything could be automated, it’s a waste of time.

Ed-They’re at that point where the table can start considering how to organize labor and focus more on getting what our needs are and focusing on… allowing people to have that freedom. What are your thoughts on that? I’m curious about that analysis. That’s more like a technocracy, where you’re focusing on using the tech to really take on the stress and responsibility of a lot of labor, and a lot of those people get exploited at those jobs.

Eliot-That is true. Like Amazon. Amazon is a really big deal right now. They set up lockers everywhere, and you don’t even have to have a mailing address. As a homeless person, that is huge. You can get stuff sent to a place and go pick it up--even if you have to pay for it, that’s an ideal world.

Ed-Oh, shit. Pretty much like--what I’m curious to learn is: your situation here, how you’ve been dealing with it, and like you were saying… Do you think this table… What are you thinking for future times? Do you think you’re going to stay in Macarthur, or move?

Eliot-I don’t know. I’ll probably move around some. It’s never too good to stay in one spot for too long. But I think right now, given the pandemic, I’ll probably stay put… I don’t know. I might not. I like going up to Malibu a lot. It’s a lot different out there. It’s not so populated.

...

Ed-Definitely. Yeah yeah. Well, thank you so much for talking to me. I’m going to quote you and I’ll be back and show you the articles before I publish it, and you tell me if something’s wrong or if I should add something.

Eliot-We can talk later more if you like. I’m at the library at Lafayette Park.

Ed-Yeah you seem like an interesting guy and I like the way you think.

Eliot-Yeah I could probably tell you a lot about certain things.

Ed-Even though the table, we’re different people, but we come from that anti-capitlist stance. And I guess more subscribed to a revolutionary kind of thing. 

Eliot-Resource based.

Ed-Yeah, getting material needs for people and meeting those needs.

Eliot-You know about Jacques Fresco?

Ed-Jacques?

Eliot-He passed away, but he helped Peter Joseph develop his brain. I think he developed the phrase “resource-based economy.” Basically automation. He wanted to cyber engineer entire cities, entire societies, entire climates. Nikolai Tesla, you know? He wanted that same kind of automation.

Ed-He was working on it.

Eliot-He <Jacques> actually did. He would make models. He actually has the Venus Project where he had… it’s like a town.. In Florida, I forget which town. They bought a bunch of land and designed how they wanted. They’re living in nature basically. They don’t really have ‘nature’... it’s all one, animals.. It’s really interesting.

Ed-What the--

Eliot-If I ever had the time and money I would definitely check that place out. It’s on youtube. And the cyber engineers. He was on Larry King.

Ed-Well, shit that’s cool. I’m going to look into those sources. I’d like to keep talking to you. I’m working for the table too. We’re trying to coordinate stuff to get more services.

Eliot-Yeah, if you guys ever go protest or anything I’ll join if I can. That’s awesome. I’m glad you guys are here.

Ed-Nice to meet you man.

Eliot-(yells bye to the table, who responds)