Meet Eleni, 25, mama to son Wiley, Franklin the dog, and Sid Vicious the cat (who happens to be my new kitten’s mama!). Eleni is also a badass artist and mandolin player. We love running into this family here in the Haight. Grateful and so happy to feature them in this edition. Love y’all!
The “American Dream” has become a nightmare. Economic collapse, vacant store fronts and impoverished communities are lining the streets everywhere you turn. The social stigmas against the homeless community have kept most people milling about their lives, spending $7 on a latte while a man asks for food outside and is ignored. The vacant storefronts have become a rotating circus of traveling and local artists, inevitably lining the streets on the weekends instead of open shops. Every one of them can tell you an absolutely fascinating story, that’s why we’re all here. Spreading the idea that you can live outside the boxes of traditional social constructs and live a more fulfilling life that way is not a mission for the faint of heart.
Before coming to SF, I had been traveling the country for a few years after living in Denver and finally finding myself unable to morally condone bagging affluent people’s groceries during a veritable economic and societal collapse. The dystopia got to be too much for me and I decided to travel again, this time mostly by train and hitching. I got my shoulder cat after an unexpected turn of events landed me in Michigan, and took that kitten to 27 states before finally settling here. Everywhere I’ve been while traveling people come to hear our stories, listen to music and buy us beer and food. The support and kindness you see living as a professional free-roamer is something most people can’t imagine. This country is falling apart, there’s a drug crisis everywhere, every city has a homeless problem, and a drug problem, not enough resources, not enough jobs, too many jobs that exist just to make people money. People want to see someone thriving, no one wants to be trapped in a 9 to 5 anymore but there’s still too much stigma against being homeless for everyone to quit their jobs and create real change in the way we all live.
Haight Street has definitely been different, I don’t think I’d be able to live the same life without the support of the community here. We have gotten a lot of dirty looks, we’ve seen a lot of kindness that totally outweighs those rotten glances. Nothing has ever meant more to me than traveling, playing music and creating art to support that lifestyle. You don’t need a house to live a fulfilling life, you don’t need a “job”, and you don’t need to judge people that choose to live according to a different standard. This life is a blessing, we’ve all got to help each other treat it that way.
