Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Happy, homeless, subsidized and stoned

a day in the life Homeless in Eugene
On July 15, Emerald Photo Editor Tim Bobosky spent the day with Greg Sakradse, a 16-year-old, homeless member of the Eugene community.

While attending the Connecticut Friends School, Greg went to anti-war rallies as field trips.

Around this same time, Greg started smoking marijuana.
Coincidence?

When giving reasons for dropping out of high school, Greg said that none of his friends attended high school.

In Ashland, Greg said he partied, stayed up all night and was drunk a lot. His parents would yell at him, prompting Greg to leave for days on end. Both of Greg’s parents are ER doctors.

Greg met his girlfriend Tehlor, 18, while living in Ashland. Tehlor later attended the University to study journalism but dropped out after losing her financial aid.
Why she "lost" her aid must be a superfluos detail. Maybe she lost it in the couch cushions?

Greg’s goal, after getting a place to live, is to start a production company and host electronic music events and parties.

“There is an okay rave scene, but it needs better drum and bass. Too much house and trance.”

The first step, he said, is to have an outdoor party September of this year, “with college students fresh back with their parents’ cash.”
Even his dream job depends on people depending on other people. How ironic.

During the summer, Greg and Tehlor eventually applied for food stamps; they each get $150 for food per month.

At the rest stop just north of Eugene on I-5, Greg said, “Much like a politician, I lie for money.” He then revealed his spanging sign that said: “Stranded! Out of gas and cash, Trying to get back to Ashland any thing helps.”

“We are living in a car, and we are happier than we have ever been,” Greg said. “We can take our money-making abilities anywhere we go, since it’s just holding up a sign.”

The homeless, drug using, liar is happier than ever. Right there is the problem. When our society allows people to choose homelessness as a viable alternative to a responsible and productive life we get this.

This is a 16 year old kid. Why should the taxpayers being helping him out when he chooses not to live at home because his parents won't let him get drunk and high? Why do his fellow citizens give him money that only helps to abdicate him of any responsibility?

But there is a good lesson here: Panhandlers are liars! Happy liars. Don't give them money because it will only make it worse.

5 comments:

The Cheezer said...

This is a child! At the age of 16, he does not have the choice to hang on the streets. What this "reporter" should have done is turn the child in to the police and let his parents know where he is. But the wonderfull city of Eugene, embrace their homeless even more than PDX. And Eugene has more agressive pan handlers I have ever experienced. Send the child home to his parents!

Gunslinger said...

I was going to ask if he was legally emancipated? You know who else lived in his car with his wife? Robert Kiyosaki. Author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. The difference? Kiyosaki and his wife still both worked, and lived in the car to save money to start one of his multi-million dollar franchises. For some reason, I don't see Greg's "rave syndicate" as a viable option to hard work. And the arrogant attitude this numbnut has about it makes me want to kick his ass. Panhandlers are a real plague. They are rampant here in Salem. Last year, a woman went to one of the favored panhandling spots, and held up a sing next to the bums saying "don't give these people money" The local liberal rag, the Statesman Urinal, was predictably biased in their reporting about it.


Keep up the good work Daniel!

Anonymous said...

His 18 yr old friend should be arrested and charged with kidnapping and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Anonymous said...

I live in "Homeless Heaven" Eugene. While we don't have a "Dignity Village" we have no shortage of do-gooders aiding and abeiting these slackers to drift through life. A lot of these poor homeless kids on the street are there because they don't want to follow even the modest of rules. I say put them to work in youth camps. Simply hanging out on the street should not be an option for underage kids.

MAX Redline said...

About what you'd expect from a university "newspaper". Or the Oregroanian, for that matter.

The real story, only obliquely referred to, is that the kid is out on the streets purely because of parental abuse: he wanted to party all day and all night, and his parents - who work in an ER and have doubtless seen many times over what comes of that lifestyle - had the audacity to tell him that what he was doing was wrong.

Imagine how crushing these repeated blows to his self-esteem must have been.