Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 2015)
A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2015 FROM PAGE A1 HOMELESS: continued from page A1 a window while waiting at the stoplight and beck- oned him to the vehicle to give him money, and Day quickly hurried over to collect before the light changed. He thanked the driver, returned to his perch, sat down and rested his back against a crosswalk signal pole near his backpack, sleeping bag and a few other belongings, while his little dog lay on the ground at the end of a leash. He began displaying the sign again and watch- ing the cars to see if any of the occupants would respond to the message: “Down, out and hungry. Anything helps.” DECADES OF HOMELESSNESS Day said he is 42 and has been homeless “off and on” for the last 20 years. His life, he said, took a turn for the worse when his wife of five years died last year. “People don’t realize depression can really take it out of you,” he said. “I’m just having a bad time. I’ve been having a real hard time.” Day said he is mental- ly and physically disabled and that a doctor told him he could not work. He said he has degenerative disc disease in his back and hepatitis C, which caused cirrhosis of the liver. He hadn’t used drugs for seven years, he said, until his wife’s death, when he slipped back into the habit. He said he oc- casionally uses drugs now to stay awake because he has night terrors when he sleeps. He said he has para- noid schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress dis- order from being severe- ly abused as a child and spending eight years in the Marines during Op- eration Desert Storm, but the special operations to which he was assigned remain classified, so he “can’t talk about it.” “I don’t get my veteran benefits because of all the red tape,” he said. Day said he does col- lect $721 each month in Social Security benefits, and that money, plus what he collects panhandling, helps him and his dog survive life on the streets. “Sometimes I make close to $100 a day,” he said. “I appreciate every- thing that (passers-by) do.” Most of the people he encounters are very nice, Day said, but he knows some people say bad things about him. He said he worked in demolitions in the military and learned WR UHDG OLSV ZKLOH H[SHUL- encing hearing difficul- ties, so he knows what people are saying behind their vehicle windows. “I’m a human being, too,” he said. “I have feelings. Since my wife died, I’m real sensitive.” HOUSING DIFFICULTIES Day said he lived with his wife in Pendleton after getting married in 2009 in the Tri-Cities, where he grew up. He said he had been living in an apart- ment with a man in Uma- tilla but moved out re- cently after the roommate stole his Social Security payments and tried to overcharge for rent. He said his goal is to start saving money for housing, but it is difficult to find a place that will allow him to live with his 6-year-old Chihua- hua, Baby Girl, whom he has had since she was a puppy. He said she is his therapy dog, though not officially registered, and he couldn’t imagine life without her. Some people give him food for his dog, he said, but he believes more options should be available for people who are homeless. “They need a shelter out here or a place that feeds the homeless,” he said. Although a shelter would likely not accom- modate his dog, Day ad- mitted, he said it might help other people in his situation. He said he knows about 10 other homeless people in Umatilla and estimated there might be as many as 20. “They allow people to camp out by the Umatilla River,” he said. THE PANHANDLING POPULATION Not all of the people who hold signs asking for money in Umatilla are homeless, however. Day said his former roommate who stole from him is one of the regular panhandlers on High- way 730 near Crossroads Truck Stop, and that per- son still has the apart- ment. “Umatilla doesn’t have an ordinance against it,” Day said. Another panhandler, Kathy Wagner, rolled her- self in a wheelchair to where Day was sitting Thursday and asked if he would let her display her sign. She said they take turns at the busy intersection. Wagner said she will get a permanent prosthet- LF OHJ QH[W ZHHN VR VKH will no longer be confined to the wheelchair, but she plans to continue asking for money until she can get her Social Security benefits “back on track, probably in June.” She said she is not homeless but enjoys the company of the other people asking for money at the intersection. “I like coming out here because, if there’s oth- er people out here, we just sit around and shoot the breeze out here,” she said. “It doesn’t give you a chance to be bored.” Day said, if he couldn’t panhandle and collect money, he “wouldn’t be able to do anything” to get money, but he would try to figure something out. “I would find a way to survive,” he said. Get the new Samsung Galaxy S 6. And then some. ® Trade in for the Samsung Galaxy S® 6 or Galaxy S® 6 Edge and get $50 on top of your old device’s value. Plus, we’ll pay off your old contract up to $350 per line. A better value than Verizon and AT&T Lines U.S. Cellular ® Verizon 100 * / 8GB $ 120 * / 8GB $ 2 $ 4 $ AT&T 115 * / 8GB $ 130 * / 10GB 145 * / 8GB $ 160 * / 10GB *Per month. Valid as of 3/24/15. SEAN HART PHOTO Kathy Wagner holds a sign asking for money in her wheelchair Thursday afternoon near the freeway offramp in Umatilla. Wagner said she is not homeless but enjoys the company of other panhan- dlers to prevent boredom. She said she will be getting a permanent prosthetic leg next week but plans to continue panhandling until VKHUHVROYHVLVVXHVZLWKKHU6RFLDO6HFXULW\EHQHÀWV RESIDENTS: XDWLRQ DQG DJUHHG RI¿FLDOV needed to resolve the matter. Councilwoman Mary continued from page A1 Dedrick said the city must “What started getting me proceed methodically to en- angry about it was they would sure the solution was viable. come into the bar and gamble “Whatever we do, we’re and buy drinks and then go going to make sure it’s done back to panhandle,” she said. properly,” she said. “... Unfortunately, we may Dedrick recommended not be able to do anything residents stop giving money about it, but it would be nice to the panhandlers to discour- if it were illegal. In my mind, age the behavior. it’s becoming an epidemic. After the meeting, Umatil- It’s making it easier for those OD 3ROLFH &KLHI 'DUOD +X[HO people to do their drugs and VDLG RI¿FHUV KDYH FLWHG WKH drink their alcohol.” panhandlers for offensive lit- At the City Council meet- tering in the past, but the loca- ing Tuesday, people shared tions they frequent are public similar concerns. Umatilla SURSHUW\VRRI¿FHUVKDYHOLW- Chamber of Commerce and tle recourse. Visitors Center Director Kar- “As far as them actually be- en Hutchinson-Talaski said ing there, they have a right to she knows of people who be there,” she said. “Basical- have even offered the pan- ly, if people don’t want them handlers jobs, but they de- there, then people shouldn’t clined the offers. encourage that activity. ... We In response to the out- can’t go down there and tell cry to resolve the issue and them they can’t be there.” rid Umatilla of panhandlers, +X[HO VDLG KRZHYHU FLW\ Mayor Dave Trott said the RI¿FLDOVDUHH[SORULQJRSWLRQV city cannot simply ban the that may alleviate some of the practice because it is legally problems. SURWHFWHG EXW FLW\ RI¿FLDOV “What we are looking at is are trying to address the issue. the safety aspect of it, and we “We are attempting to dis- can address some things based cuss within the city measures on the safety aspect of it, as we can take to alleviate the well as the state law regarding situation,” he said. “... We’re motor vehicles,” she said. “... trying to do something. It’s We’re vetting it through our QRWDQHDV\¿[´ legal department, and, hope- The City Council mem- fully, we’ll be able to come up bers assured the audience ZLWK VRPHWKLQJ IRU WKH QH[W they were aware of the sit- City Council meeting.” 0 $ DOWN Retail Installment Contract, Shared Connect Plan and $25 act. fee required. 0% APR; 20 mo. payments of $34 for Galaxy S® 6 or $39.50 for Galaxy S® 6 Edge. See more plans at uscellular.com/payoff Things we want you to know: New Retail Installment Contracts, Shared Connect Plan and $25 device act. fees required. Credit approval required. Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee applies (currently $1.82/line/ month); this is not a tax or gvmt. required charge. Add. fees, taxes and terms apply and vary by svc. and eqmt. Offers valid in-store at participating locations only, may be fulfilled through direct fulfillment and cannot be combined. Contract Payoff Promo: Offer valid on up to 6 consumer lines or 25 business lines. Must port in current number to U.S. Cellular and purchase new Smartphone or tablet through a Retail Installment Contract on a Shared Connect Plan with Device Protection+. Enrollment in Device Protection+ required. The monthly charge for Device Protection+ is $8.99 for Smartphones. A deductible per approved claim applies. Federal Warranty Service Corporation is the Provider of the Device Protection+ ESC benefits, except in CA and OK. Submit final bill identifying Early Termination Fee (ETF) charged by carrier within 60 days of activation date to www.uscellular.com/contractpayoff or via mail to U.S. Cellular Contract Payoff Program 5591-61; PO Box 752257; El Paso, TX 88575-2257. Customer will be reimbursed for the ETF reflected on final bill up to $350/line. Reimbursement in form of a U.S. Cellular Prepaid Card is issued by MetaBank, ® Member FDIC; additional offers are not sponsored or endorsed by MetaBank. This card does not have cash access and can be used at any merchant location that accepts MasterCard ® Debit Cards within the U.S. only. Card valid through expiration date shown on front of card. Allow 12–14 weeks for processing. To be eligible, customer must register for My Account. Retail Installment Contract: Retail Installment Contract (Contract) and monthly payments according to the Payment Schedule in the Contract required. If you are in default or terminate your Contract, we may require you to immediately pay the entire unpaid Amount Financed as well as our collection costs, attorneys’ fees and court costs related to enforcing your obligations under the Contract. Trade-In: Requires activation of new line of service with any Smartphone. Requires trade-in of Smartphone in fully functional, working condition without any liquid damage or broken components, including, but not limited to, a cracked display or housing. Smartphone must power on and cannot be pin locked. $50 U.S. Cellular Promotional Card: Enrollment in Device Protection+ required. Kansas Customers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular receives support from the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions concerning services availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 1-800-662-0027. Limited-time offer. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Additional terms apply. See store or uscellular.com for details. ©2015 U.S. Cellular