Academy Awards

The whole country was watching the Academy Awards last night (with the exception of myself, as we don't have cable...) and was able to see the wonderful talent that is brought to the city of Los Angeles. For many actors, directors, producers and writers an Oscar is a life goal and a career goal; it is an honor to have achieved it.

In living here, I was able to see the Oscars from a different angle. First last week, I was able to see them setting up the red curtains at the Hollywood/Highland mall. Little do many people know that the Kodak Theater is actually inside of a very nice shopping center on Hollywood Boulevard.

For me, the Oscars affected me in a unique way. On our way to West Hollywood to do outreach last Thursday, my boss and I noticed police who had pulled some people over about a block away from where the Oscars would take place. We decided to investigate, and saw that they were writing tickets for two homeless people who had been loitering by the Starbucks. We were able to talk to the two individuals, and they actually decided to come in to our shelter and stay with us. As we were driving them to the shelter, one of the homeless individuals remarked, "The police are tightening down on this area this week because of the Academy Awards." Indeed, many of the police were attempting to move homeless persons away from where the Academy Awards were held. And I suppose for good reason; when the press comes in and there is such a high profile event going on in the area, who wouldn't want it to look extra nice?

Yet this moving of a people group out of a certain area, even for a week, does not give the casual observer a clear picture of what Hollywood is really like. For the stars and their guests who pose for cameras on the red carpet, they get to come to the Hollywood/Highland mall after it has been transformed into a red-curtained palace. If they had returned even a day after all of the decor was taken down, they would see Hollywood Boulevard as it truly is: tourists mixing in with persons working on the Boulevard, the occasional famous person (maybe), and many homeless people, some of who have been homeless on the Boulevard for several years. It is these homeless people I hope we will remember and give face to in the coming months. Some will choose to come with us into shelter. Others will stay on the street and continue using their drug/drink of choice. I hope that we will be able to grant them one of the core human rights: dignity. Dignity in noticing them, in saying hello, in making eye contact, in offering them a lunch and a warm bed.