Three homeless men come to Malibu to tell their stories about what it is like to live on the streets in “Tales From The Row.”
By Laura Tate / Associate Publisher/Editor
The issue of homelessness has been in local news on a regular basis recently. The latest being a federal appeals court ruling that the Los Angeles Police Department cannot arrest people sitting, lying or sleeping on public sidewalks on skid row because, justices said, it amounts to cruel and unusual punishment as there are not enough shelters with beds to accommodate the homeless. At the same time, the county of Los Angeles is planning to expand services to the homeless.
To give the Malibu public an idea of what it is to be without a home, Tales by the Sea is presenting “Tales From The Row” Saturday at Malibu United Methodist Church.
Three homeless men, Edward Barriner, Romeo Cruz and Frank Hoare, who live in a transitional hotel on skid row, will appear at the church to talk about their experience living on the streets.
Writer and performer Michael Kearns, who is working with the three men to present their stories, met Barriner a year ago at a workshop he conducts for the homeless through LAMP and the Saint George Hotel. He had also worked briefly with Cruz and Hoare.
“I thought the three would provide a tapestry of a certain point of view of what skid row is like,” Kearns said. “By no means is it comprehensive; it is simply one segment of the issue.”
Of Barriner, Kearns said: “He is a very gifted, talented and accomplished writer. I am constantly amazed by the degree of depth and everything he brings to the page.”
Barriner has a background in theater and writing, and, Kearns said, as with many people who “end up in this situation, there’s history.”
But whether because he is “therapeutically denying [to talk about his history], [or] not being able to talk about it, or choosing not to,” Kearn said he does not know what caused Barriner, who is 40, to be homeless.
After working with him, Kearns said, when Barriner presented his work at the workshop, it was the “first time in a long time that anyone took the time and respect to hear what he was saying, and that was transformative, as much as therapy … 12-Step programs is, to be heard.”
“His writing is searing,” Kearns added.
Although he doesn’t know much of Barriner’s background, Kearns said, “He is not, nor has he been a drug user, which is fairly unusual, as a large percentage of [the homeless] is mentally ill or drug addicted, or both. … and he has his issues …. but he really does kind of defy the stereotype.”
Stereotypes are what Kearns and Ann Buxie, Tales’ program director, are hoping to shatter, in part, by bringing the three men to tell their stories in Malibu.
“There’s a tendency to demonize the homeless, the formerly homeless, the drug addicted …” Kearns said. “These guys have run the gamut of a lot of things we tend to demonize.
“People will see that they’re not demons, they’re humans.”
“Tale From The Row” will take place Saturday, 7:30 p.m., at Malibu United Methodist Church, 30128 Morning View Dr. Tickets are $15 general admission; $10 students and seniors. More information and reservations can be obtained by calling 310.457.2385 or emailing ann.buxie1@verizon.net
Kearns is the artistic director of Space at Fountain’s End in Silver Lake. A presentation by Armenian poets and writers on the issue of the Armenian Genocide will take place Sunday at the Space. More information can be obtained by calling 323.856.6168