Article Response by Adamis

Life is the most fragile entity I can think of. Anything can happen to anyone at anytime. These events have an impact on regular people that in turn have to deal with it. One thing leads to another, from the loss of a job to an injury and then, where do you go? Family if you have any but if not, then what? The article I read was titled, “Cities Deal with a Surge in Shantytowns” by Jesse McKinley. The article talks about the rise in make shift homes popping up under bridges and such. Issues like the economy and job market are discussed as are initiatives the state of California is implementing to curb the growth of homelessness. What brought warmth to the article were the parts on the individuals and their lives, and the fact that they continue to live as best of lives as they can, regardless of their living conditions.

            The article interviewed a man that had been living in what the media had dubbed Taco Flats. His name was Guillermo Flores and he had been living there for eight months in a three room shack he built himself. He collected cans during the day which brought him five to ten dollars a day. What got me the most was that he took pride in his little home and that all in all, he enjoyed his life. It wasn’t about having the finest of things but rather having something to call his own. Another woman was telling the reporter about her roof and the fact that it didn’t leak. Towards the end of the article I was starting to feel jealousy for the simple lives they have and how fine things can be when you work with what you have.

            Another aspect I really respected about the way of life for the people of the shantytowns was the neighborly atmosphere which was being created throughout. Neighbors got together and shared and traded there goods. They looked out for one another which is really admirable. There was even a division of class as one recalled. There was a “good” part and a “bad” part warning of the drugs and other harms that the bad part was embedded with. What I find most interesting is that people will generally survive with the proper attitude and if they stick together. The shantytown in many ways resembles the beginnings of society, crude resources but a will to live. Slowly but surely the little town gained momentum and began to do well. Just like the lives that filled the towns.