Take a walk through one of
your local parks where some of the homeless hang out. I’m betting you’ll see a quite a collection
of bicycles. Many aren’t going to be in
very nice condition, quite possibly a lot like their owners. Quite a number of them would probably fall
into the ‘at least once stolen’
category. This is not to say you won’t
encounter a nice bike or two. I speak
from experience on all categories.
Yes, I have been one of those
people sitting in the local park,
watching the world go by, wondering how I lost my place on societies Ferris
wheel, until I got to the point where I realized, homeless doesn’t need to mean down and
out. Yes, one can be homeless, sleeping
in front of old abandoned businesses, and still get up and contribute to
society on a daily basis.
In the time that I’ve been a
member of the homeless community, I have had a couple of bicycles that were in
bad condition, usually right after having had a bicycle stolen. Bicycle theft in many cities is rampant, and
unfortunately, the bike thieves seem to enjoy targeting the homeless
community. It’s easy to steal a bicycle
while someone’s sleeping next to it, I guess.
I do prefer to have a nice bicycle; it’s a taste I acquired many years
ago. I have gone from being a fan of
high end bikes, to a national level competitive cyclist, to the owner of trash
bikes. At one point in my life, while
living in a small studio apartment, I had an even dozen bicycles, mostly high
end Italian hand built bikes. When you
have a DeRosa hanging from your living room wall, with another DeRosa in the
kitchen, when a duo of Colnagos in one place or another, it’s very easy to
become jaded when it comes to bicycle quality.
These days, I’m down to one bike, that I try to tell people its trash
(so as not to give any bike thief ideas).
Stolen bikes in that group of
two wheeled machines in the park? Oh
yes. I’ve even had one of my own bikes
recovered by a friend that found someone sitting next to in a park. The friend told the thief, “I know who that
belongs to, I’m taking it, you can let it go with no harm done, or you can’t
contest the issue, get a beating, and then be without the bike”. Needless to say, I got the bike back later
in the day.
I’ve seen very high end bikes
come past me, usually in the hand of one of the drug addicts. Two instances come to mind…. A strung out junkie rolled up to me on
a Litespeed, asking what I thought of
the bike. I told him, “nice stolen bike,
take it back where you got it from”.
On another occasion, saw a very nice classic Masi roll past. Mentioned it to a friend, and they told me on
one day ‘oh I know who that was, it wasn’t stolen’, then a few days later heard back from the
same guy ‘know that Masi, it had been
stolen’. Yeah, bike thieves are
scum. Bike thieves that prey on
homeless bikes is even more repugnant, at least to me.
This might lead to the
question: Why is the bicycle per capita
with the homeless community so high? Mobility
to put it simply. When you’re regularly
on the go, be it to simply find a bathroom, or to find a meal, rolling on two
wheels is a lot easier than two feet.
Sometimes, having a bicycle is a hindrance. Security is one of the reasons. Is it safe to lock up your bike where you’re going? Beyond
any doubt, the most important accessories for the homeless person with a bicycle
is the bike lock. Again, it’s the bike thieves
that make things difficult.
Next thing that one could
wonder about: What about bicycle
maintenance and repair? In this city,
as long as I’ve been living on the street, there’s always been a shop that’s
very sensitive to the needs of the homeless and their bikes. The past few years, bike co-ops have started
to spring up with more frequency. One
shop that comes to mind tries to supply bikes to homeless persons, once they
have put in some sweat equity. For
maintenance of bicycles, this city also has a fairly new bicycle co-op, where
homeless persons can come in, and for very little, perform repairs on their
bikes, or be taught how to do repairs.
About me, you ask? My name is Walt. I live in San Jose, CA. I’ve obviously got some experience with
bicycles. These days, I pay my bills by
busking. I’m a street musician, playing
in various cities in the area. When I’m
not out making music, or sitting at a computer terminal typing away, I’m one of
the volunteers at the San Jose Bike Clinic.
A bicycle coop shop. We are a
fiscally sponsored project of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, which makes
it possible for us to teach people how to work on their bikes, or to allow them,
with minor donations, use our tools and work stands, which we are very grateful
for the Bicycle Coalitions support. I
have been a member of the homeless community for a bit over eight years, having
come from the tech sector, where I worked as an analytical systems engineer
form some twenty-five years. I don’t
ride much anymore, as my legs don’t allow it, but I will always have a spot in
my brain when it comes to cycling and bicycling related issues.
P.S. I use the term ‘homeless’, but the term that
would suite many much better. ‘Outdoor people’
In San Jose there is a group called “Hope
For Outdoor People”. I believe it was
their founder that coined the phrase ‘Outdoor
people’. I really don’t mind being
referred to as homeless. Many people are
surprised when they find out that I am homeless, as I try to keep myself
presentable. Call me an ‘Outdoor person’ or ‘homeless’.
