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Reportage: Living the American Nightmare

Living the American Nightmare is a collaborative project with residents of what was one of the largest homeless encampments in the US, before it was shut down in February 2018. I invited residents to write captions on the photos I made during the month-long legal battle over the fate of the encampment as a way of guiding the story's narrative. Other images feature text from interviews I did with them; other photos have no text. 

The closure of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment -- which sheltered an estimated 700 to 1,000 people along a a two- to three-mile stretch of river bed -- was the latest battleground in California’s ongoing struggle with homelessness and an unrelenting affordable housing crisis. Some 25 percent of the nation’s homeless – about 118,000 people – live in the Golden State.  

Local government officials announced they would evict everyone from the camp in late January, 2018, as part of a plan to close the area for an “environmental remediation project.” Homeless advocates argued the county and city governments involved were “criminalizing” the homeless and sued to stay the eviction. A US District Court judge criticized local governments for essentially making it illegal to be homeless, and ordered them to work to find housing solutions. Under an agreement reached by the two sides, the cities and county had to offer temporary housing to river bed residents for at least a month through motel vouchers, and also had to create other spaces for the homeless to camp and to expand shelters. The case adds to an evolving body of case law as courts across the United States work to balance the constitutional rights of the homeless with the interests of government agencies in ensuring public health and safety. 

  • Caption by Mike, {quote}The Bearded One,{quote} a resident of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry.
  • Tonya W., 41, has lived in the river bed for eight months. Before coming here, she says, “I was living in an apartment, with a job, and a life. I kind of blew it all up. Well, not kind of. I did. I blew it up.” Tonya had been working as a drug and alcohol counselor and describes herself as “the one who always cares for people.” But life got too stressful, and there was no one to help with her burdens, she says. She was fired from her job, and wound up here. She says she never expected to be homeless, that “I’m living a bad dream and I’m hoping I’ll wake up soon.” But Tonya also says she isn’t ready. “I need to want to be a grown up,” she says. “I am a grown up. I just don’t want to do anything.” If she could be anywhere else, she says she’d be sitting at home playing with her four-year-old grandson. “I think the American Dream is whatever you say it is. No one can define someone else’s dream. We are whoever we decide we want to be. I don’t know [what my dream is]. Somehow I feel like I’m doomed to be stuck here until I figure it out.”
  • Caption by Daniel, a resident of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry
  • In mid-January, David Doan talks with Aubree Cumbo about the upcoming evictions. He has been trying to find housing for himself and several others in the encampment. Aubree has adopted David and his partner Nikki as her {quote}street parents.{quote}
  • In mid-January, Crystal, a well-liked resident of the encampment, hauls water bottles to the public drinking fountain where she will fill the bottles and deliver them to other residents, for a small fee.
  • Caption by Mike C., a resident of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry
  • Ashley Foster, 23, has lived in the Santa Ana River Bed encampment for three years. She had been in foster care since she was 6, living with multiple families. “I went to 11 different high schools,” she says. “That will give you an idea of how many families.” She came to the Santa Ana River Bed to find her biological mother, who lives in the encampment, as do extended family members. “I have epilepsy,” she says. “And trigger is my stress. This whole situation [with the camp being closed down] is not helping me. I had a seizure four days ago.” In fact, a few minutes after we spoke, Ashley went in to a nearby tent to visit friends and had a seizure. She has no medicine; when she has a seizure, her friends stay with her and make sure she doesn’t swallow her tongue. Ashley says a local support group, CityNet, has offered to help her find shelter, but that it’s hard because she has two large dogs she won’t give up. When asked what she thinks of the American Dream, she says, “What’s that? What’s the American Dream? My dream is to have family. I’ve never actually had a home. I don’t know any other lifestyle than this one. It’s all I know, other than the foster system.”
  • Many residents of the homeless encampment need medical attention -- and don't receive it on a regular basis.
  • At the end of January, with the eviction in limbo because of lawsuits filed by advocates of the homeless, many residents of the encampment hadn't begun packing.
  • Caption by Martha, {quote}The Care Taker,{quote} a resident of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry
  • David Doan, who has lived along the river bed for years, has built a compound of several tents for his home, some for use as storage spaces and some as living spaces.
  • Caption by Tonya W, a resident of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry
  • Dominic Slade, 51, has lived along the river bed for four years. “I call this the undercover homeless,” he says. “I tell people don’t feel sorry for me, don’t ever feel sorry for me. I got myself into this mess and I can get myself out of this.” Originally from west Los Angeles, he’s been in Orange County for 18 years, and has no idea where he’ll move when the camp closes. “That’s a good question,” he says. “That will be my one day at a time… If I have to move on the 22nd, I’ll go out with dignity. I’ll go out with my head held high.” People walking by talk about where they’ll go – one says that people should refuse to leave; another says he’ll sleep in front of the police station. “I don’t know why America doesn’t help Americans,” says Dominic. “You know, a friend of mine told me that John Travolta said that homeless people should just kill themselves. Maybe he didn’t say that. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.”
  • Some residents of the encampment preferred to live in single tents, with more space around them, than other residents who shared compounds.
  • A welcome totem that stands in front of Sher Stuckman's living area. In the background are luxury apartments that border the encampment and river bed.
  • In mid-January, Sher Stuckman, 59, prepared breakfast in her living space, which was overlooked by luxury apartments. She'd been living at the encampment since last summer, when she was released from the hospital after being treated for a stroke and had nowhere else to go.
  • Sher Stuckman, 59, called me down from the hill of the river bank, warning me that the area was full of needles and to be careful not to step on any. She wanted me to meet Dingo and Dango, the pair of Chihuahua brothers she rescued. Like her neighbors, she is packing up, unsure of where she’ll be going next. She came to the encampment last June, after having a stroke. “I got out of the hospital and had nowhere to go.” She’d lived here once before, and now lives with her partner JanBear. “I was born in Santa Monica,” she says, “but I was raised in Anaheim. This is my hometown, Anaheim.” With two children incarcerated and a third who won’t let her use his shower, she says she had what she needed at the camp. “We don’t really want for anything here,” she says. “People bring clothes and food and hot meals.” There are people, she says, who “look at us like we’re lower than them. But I know a marine engineer who lived here. He just fell on hard times. We’re not derelicts. We’re human beings who just got down and out.” Shehas worked throughout her life – in banking, electronics, at a medical office; she’s built diesel engines, made donuts and worked as a pin-setter technician at a bowling alley. “I love to work,” she says. “So if there’s anybody out there who’s got a job for me, I can’t wait to get back to work.”
  • Caption by Mario Huerta, a resident of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry
  • Many residents of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment built structures that include doors and walls for privacy. By the end of February, they had all been torn down.
  • Caption by Suzy, a resident of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry
  • Sam (“Little Bit”) Flanigan, 21, has been on the street and in foster homes since she was eight, and has been living in the river bed on and off for two years. “I like adventure,” she says. “It’s very hard for me to stay in one place.” For now, she’s hoping to get a motel voucher for herself, her nine-week-old puppy Monster, and Billy, 54, who she’s been engaged to for four months. “I’ve been trying to stay put with Billy. But I’ve always been a runner.” Sam wants to be a music producer, and has taught herself how to play the drums and keyboards. She’s a Juggalo, but she says her favorite music is probably country. She hates panhandling, and only does it when she’s got no other choice. “People automatically say No, because they think I’m going to use it to buy drugs,” she says. “But when I’m desperate enough to ask for money, I’m at the point where I need food, my dog needs food. I’ve seen people walk out of their way to avoid me when they’re going into a store. And I just want to say to them, I don’t have a disease. You’re not going to catch the homeless.”
  • Caption by Spice, a resident of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry
  • Tammy Shuler, 42, and Erik Eckhart, 23, are a couple. Tammy’s dog, Schmeagal, rides everywhere with her in the basket of her pink bicycle. They’ve both lived in the encampment for seven years, and Tammy is the biological mother of Ashley Foster. Erik says he’s been doing everything right, doing everything he can to get off the street. He says he and his brother are going to move into an apartment together soon. When asked where she’ll move, Tammy answers with a laugh, “Hell if I know!”
  • Tammy Shuler's dog, Schmeagal, waits in the bicycyle basket while Tammy visits a friend.
  • A stretch of embankment, which separates the homeless encampment from the sandy river bed.
  • David Doan, 48, has lived along the Santa Ana River Bed since 2001 – except for a four-year period when he moved to Corona, CA, and had a job and a house. “And then I had a heart attack at 45,” he says. “I pretty much lost it all.” He came back to the River Bed, where he lives with his partner Nikki and befriends others, asking how they’re doing when they walk by on the path, and offering encouragement. He’s a graphic artist who decorated his tent compound with hand-made signs, bearing Christian sentiments about charity. “I also know five different accounting systems,” he says. “I got straight A’s in high school.” When asked about the American Dream, he laughs and says, “I guess it could happen. You got to have hope. For me, the dream is to be truly free. We’ve been losing our freedom since 9/11 when we all bought into that concept of fear. Fear is a crippling emotion…If we could get rid of the labels we use to separate ourselves, if we could all come together as one, that’s my dream. But America has fallen to greed.” The Bible, Doan says, “is always instructing us to take care of the poor. A lot of people see us as eyesores, and that bothers me. Most of us here are good people.” He’s been packing up his belongings, and is planning to get a 30-day motel voucher. “We’re not in the way of business here,” he says. “We’re not living in people’s backyards. Where else would you want us?”
  • Caption by David Doan, a resident of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry
  • Caption by Ewal, a resident of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry
  • Aubree (“spelled with two e’s, don’t ask y”) Cumbo, 26, has only been in the camp for about six months. Originally from Oregon, she left home in February, 2016, after her sister was killed in a car accident. Aubree, who was adopted, says her mother went crazy when her biological daughter was killed. “She kept telling me I should kill myself,” she said. “Rather than get angry or react, I called my best friend and said, Let’s take a road trip.” Eventually, she wound up in Anaheim. In college, she studied social work, but her dream is to have a coffee shop that travels with her, one where she also gives away books. “I learned about the history of books and typography,” she says, “and it made me sad. It was to create a class system – rich people got books and poor people didn’t. I don’t think anyone should have to pay for a book.” She also says that if you can’t afford to pay for a cup of coffee, in her dreamed-of coffee shop, she’ll serve you for free. “You should be able to get coffee, even if you can’t pay for it. I firmly believe that people who can pay will, that those who have more will give a little more and that people who need should still get.” Regarding the American Dream, she says “I believe America likes to think it’s something that exists, but it’s evolved into something else. I love the American Dream, the old-time American Dream, of having a family, and being able to retire, and you worked hard for all your life, but it was okay because it wasn’t killing you. That’s not what I think it is now.”
  • Caption by Sammy ({quote}Little Bit{quote}) Flanigain, a resident of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry
  • Many residents of the encampment have dogs, which makes shelter placement more difficult. Some living places won't accept animals; few homeless people are willing to give up their pets as the price for having a roof over their heads.
  • Heathen, on his chain at Heidi Sanchez' camp. Many of the dogs along the river bed are related -- Heathen has half a dozen siblings in the encampment.
  • Law enforcement and other county officials were a regular presence during the battle over the evictions and closure of the encampment. The US District judge who oversaw the case was sharply critical of local government officials for {quote}criminalizing{quote} the homeless with repeated citations for illegal camping and other nuisance charges. He insisted that city and country officials come up with solutions for housing for the homelelss.
  • Caption by Heidi Sanchez, a resident of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry
  • Many residents of the encampment put up signs in front of their homes to protest the eviction, including Martha ({quote}The Care Taker{quote}): {quote}So many serious issues & crimes are committed on OUR streets, cityies, states, country, nation, world! But yet, trash & not having a house/roof is the major focus & crime?{quote}
  • Captions by Ellen T., and Martha, residents of the Santa Ana River Bed homeless encampment.Photo by Sara Terry
  • In the weeks between the first eviction order and the final resolution of the lawsuit filed on behalf of residents of the encampment, a few hundred residents moved out on their own -- finding temporary housing in shelters or with friends, or moving to another location outdoors.
  • Five days after the encampment's official closure on February 20, 2018, a few residents were still picking up belongings.
  • A pile of blankets is all that remains of one of the encampments that stretched along the path in front of a luxury apartment complex.
  • Within days of the camp's official closure on February 20, 2018, county clean-up crews moved through the encampment, tearing down structures that remained and cleaning up trash. On this particular night, Anaheim Stadium's adjacent parking lot was packed for a Monster Truck rally.
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