University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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K August 26, 1992 hiMii MAii 1

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Where the Skies Are Not Cloudy All Day b J he corners of his blue eyes crinkled on his weathered face as he smiled congenially al nie. Wearing a red lumberjack shin. 36 year-old Daniel has all the rugged good looks of a well- traveled man behind a horse and a 10-gallon hat or perhaps of one in a Musk cologne ad. Only the bedroll at his feet and the red plastic cup he cradles in his hands give him away. Daniel has been out on the streets of Berkeley for over 10 months since he got laid off by his construction com- pany. A native of Oakland, Daniel is indeed a well-traveled man, hav- ing lived and worked in 40 stales before returning to California from Wisconsin. Right now I ' m trying to file a claim for unem- ployment which my company has failed to recognize, says Daniel. Life has not been easy for him, having been homeless on and off for the past 12 years. Having lost all his possessions and his apart- ment, Daniel now travels lightly with what little belongings re- main. Usually he makes doorways his bed and tries hard to stay in a place where no one can see (him). He fears not police but violence itself. According to Daniel, the hardest thing about living on the streets is staying safe from the vi- olence all around, especially on Telegraph Avenue. Despite this, he doesn ' t go to shelters because they ' re always full, and the max- imum length of stay is only 15 days. Besides keeping safe, Daniel says that keeping clean is also his priority. He smiles, stroking his week-old beard. VJow, Daniel makes frequent trfts to the unemployment agen- c I ' m trying lo find a job, but in lis meantime I can only live off of p handling. However, the cur- rait budget crisis at UC Berkeley lexl, layout and photos by Debbie Yuan has affected not only stu- dents but also the h o m e- less, ob- serve s Daniel . Since the budget cut, students have been tight on money and have given less than before. Crouching beside Daniel for a few more minutes, I silently watch an incessant fiurry of legs swish past us. 1 reflect on the preconceived image of a dangerous, dirty, lazy, drunken bum and that of a homeless per- son, an image that all too often has been interchanged as one and the same. Just like the rest of the bustling passersby, life has to go on for Daniel. But for now, it is also a time of waiting. For help. For hof)e. For a home. 1