It was just before the break of dawn and LA traffic was starting to pick up. One of many major boulevards, a thoroughfare that would bring residents from their million-dollar homes down to the various areas of the city to work.
The city of LA is riddled with homeless, and many of them have life issues that the average person would never understand; mental illness, drug addiction, alcoholism, poverty, and some who just don't have enough money to pay for rent. It's a sad situation for the thousands living on the streets in the city.
Tucked away underneath the overhang of a building and about 8 flights up some stairs a homeless man is waking from his short and sleepless night. On this platform, the doors that would enter the building are gated and locked to keep out would-be intruders. This 7-foot by 7-foot platform is a space he calls home, at least for this night.
His makeshift mattress is newspapers he laid out in such minute detail, neatly overlapping every page to cover his sleeping area. He has some blankets that he used for his bedding, his bag with his belongings, and other little items he placed around him. Interestingly he is using plastic shopping bags for his belongings too. He said it's much easier to use the smaller shopping bags than a big duffle bag.
This is a man I know by the name of Ron Johnson. He's 70 years old and has been living on the streets of LA for 10 years. He's a vegetarian and also does not drink coffee or tea. He has often refused to accept any food unless it's fruit or vegetables. I've tried coaxing him to have some hot coffee or tea on cold mornings but he would politely refuse. He would say "remember I don't drink coffee or tea." He is very soft-spoken and probably weighs no more than 110 pounds with his small petite stature.
I once offered him a little money to buy food, he laughed at me. Yes, that's right! This homeless man who's been living on the streets for 10 years refused to take money. I said it was for food... He just gave me a smirk. He said "I don't need money I get money from the government; I just don't have enough money to get a place to live... It's too expensive." Due to his age, he was getting social security and food stamps, or Cal Fresh as they call it in California.
Here was a poor homeless man living on the streets, but would not allow his situation to beat him down. He had a vegetarian diet that he maintained and refused to allow his situation to change it. He was living on the streets but he was very well organized and kept his belongings neatly tucked in his shopping bags. He didn't allow his situation to get the better of him.
I would often think to myself, Ron could probably be a motivational speaker, if he just shared his life story I think many lives could be changed for the good. It wasn't only knowledge he possessed but wisdom. Wisdom that could save lives, that could save cities. He could speak to our young generation and get them to think about the decisions they make. He could speak to politicians and possibly make some positive change in the community.
I would see Ron often, but not every day. Sometimes another homeless person would claim his spot and he would have to search for another place to sleep. Through the many months, I would speak with him, he would share some stories about living on the street, what he ate and places he would go during the day.
One day the owners of the building had a high locked gate built around the small enclosure which Ron would call home. Some of the homeless would make a mess leaving trash, unwanted belongings, and sadly sometimes feces. Understandably the property owners did what they did to avoid not only the mess but possible break-ins.
Because of this new structure that was built, kept all the homeless out, including Ron. Weeks would pass and then months, I would wonder where he had gone. After living 10 years on the streets of LA I'm sure he was fine, I thought, at least for his standards. As months passed by I would forget about him and every now and then when I would see the area he called home, gated and empty I would think about him again.
One day I spoke with Mike, another homeless local man that would sleep in the area and sometimes in the exact same spot where Ron slept. He was a younger man but extremely bright and sharp. He was another one that respected the property of others. He would wake up early, clean up, pack his belongings and leave before the tenants of the building would show up.
He told me something I didn't want to hear. He told me Ron had passed away. Mike had said, once Ron was forced to move out of the area his health became progressively worse. He needed medical attention during the covid shut down and he died on a bus bench across the street from the hospital.
I don't know his actual cause of death. I don't know if his family was notified or if any family came to claim him. I don't know if anyone was with him when he died. I had so many questions. I felt that he was forgotten. I am saddened to write about Ron, and for me to have reduced his life to these short paragraphs.
In the bible we read this:
Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded. Ecclesiastes 9:15-16
Ron was a poor homeless man who had a wealth of wisdom, but he is now forgotten. Thousands passed by him as he slept and walked the streets of our city, but most likely very little noticed him. His wisdom is despised and rejected... Because nobody took the time to listen to him.
I was one of the blessed, one of the fortunate, and one of the privileged. His words of wisdom rang in my ears as if King Solomon was speaking to me. In the end, everything is meaningless. Be content with what you have and give thanks to God.
God's Word today is wisdom. The Bible is the most sold and given book in the world. With a little Google searching, roughly 5 billion copies of the bible have been printed. God's word is the last source of truth and it has been tested by time. Do you want to build a civilization? Read your bible! Do you want to know tomorrow's news? Read your bible!
As for Ron, rest assured he is not forgotten and he is no longer despised. God loved him before he was born. God knew every day of his life. God knew where he would be spending the last 10 years of his life. God had never left him because God would never leave his messenger. This messenger lived his 70 years to tell me... That life is meaningless without God!
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
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