Ray Ray
Ray Ray was sitting in front of the Ralphs on Wilshire, wrapped up in what he told me is his favorite blanket.
His tone sounded rooted in southern hospitality, and asked for baked chicken and a Coke.
I think he was confused when I sat down next to him to speak, but as his politeness kicked in, he aimably chatted about the weather and the area.
He spoke briefly about his mother and her passing, and began to cry as he did so.
Not long after that, he began to repeatedly thank me for the food: I knew it was time to leave him in peace.
“ I’ve been out here for about 14 years…
Yeah, I was born here [in LA]. I’m gonna go and stay out here for a couple hours and I hope it doesn’t rain while I sit here. ”
“ I took a shower earlier today down in Skid Row. It’s open from 8 ‘til 2:00, so I went down there and showered first-thing this morning. So I got that out of the way.
But yeah, you can go on and take my picture I guess, but I look a mess here. ”
“ [Miracle Mile is] quiet, it’s clean, and I don’t never have no problems like Downtown down here. It’s a lot of mess goin’ on down there. It‘s drugs and some of everything, and I don’t do drugs.
I haven’t for quite some time. As far as any drugs, I don’t do them. I retired. ”
“ As you see me now I’m not in good shape. I’m in a terrible fix right now myself.… I pray and have faith in the Lord to help me, and to get me by through all that I’m going through right now within in my life, and that to help me out.
I ask him, I pray to help me get out of the predicament that I’m in right now, ‘cause it’s really not a good feeling living like this.
It really isn’t at all.
It’s a terrible feeling to live this way. ”
“ Yeah, I went to the welfare to try to get some help for myself, and they told me that I could not apply ‘cause of the fact that I had a penalty. And when they give you a penalty they won’t
help you within 60 days...
So I said, ‘Oh my goodness.’
They said I wont be able to apply again until ‘round about the middle of the summer. Yes, that’s quite a bit a ways from here, I’ll tell you. ”
