Transcribed by: JJ
WORDS: 1850
Mary Jean
Ferry’s story about helping the homeless.
Jim: Greetings
it is 10 o’clock in the morning.
It’s December 15th 2013. I’m at the Marriott in Burbank having breakfast with my
sister, Mary Jean and she’s telling me about some charity type works that she
does about twice a month. Her and
maybe 40 other people get together and they make like 900 sandwiches and take
them out and pass them out to different conclaves of homeless people like in
the washes and under bridges near downtown LA. And in parks where the homess
live. I am going to ask her to talk about it.
Mary Jean: This
last weekend, our group went down to the area called Under the Bridges. The
first place that we went to, with 3 men and 4 of us women, was like a cave
under the freeway. In this cave it
was cold and damp. But there were
about maybe 7 different groups of people who made their little home in
there. So they each had their
little private area with a bed and their little carts that they have.
They were mostly men. However, only 2 were at their home. All the others were out recycling
because it was like 10 o’clock in the morning. So we stayed there awhile and then we left them sandwiches,
fruit, cookies and iced tea. The 2nd
place after that cave was near the railroad tracks. Again under a freeway and in this place there was a lady
named Connie. She lived there for
20 years in an old trailer. But
all the police know her and she kind of runs the area. The people I talked to were a man and a
lady who were both in wheel chairs.
I asked the lady is she ever went to County Hospital where had I worked
and she said, oh yes, She remembers a priest blessed her. So all of her family was in Mexico- all
of her children. So she’s up here
kind of alone. She’d been in this
little place where about maybe 6 people were living in their little area, but
they kind of take care of each other.
This place was by the railroad tracks under the freeway. Right
down town at the end of 4th street close to the L.A. River. The third place we went to was by the
L.A. River and it began with a huge long tunnel. It must have been like 3 blocks long. So we drove down to the end of that
tunnel under freeways until we came right to the L.A. River at the edge of
it. The L.A. River was flowing
rather rapidly and all kinds of birds, ducks and sandpipers and egrets- it was
like a bird sanctuary. To get down
that long tunnel was interesting.
Now we got to the end of it.
The men had an idea. They
said if you sing down there, it’s like they could hear the echoes resounds and resounds. He said the 7 of us stood down there in
that dark tunnel and they sang Kireeayalaiason Lord Have Mercy. It was beautiful. It was a grace moment. Then all of a sudden way at the other
end, this little guy comes running down with his shopping cart- just running
down towards us so happy. Finally
after a while, he met us, and he was so happy. We gave him the sandwiches and the drink and the
cookies. So, that was the first
man we met. His name was
Michael. Then we went out under
the river where the river is. We
met this other man named Slim. He
was about 6 foot tall. He’s taken
upon himself to keep that tunnel perfectly clean. Not a scrap of paper around or anything-because if it gets
dirty the police will come. So he
has everything in order. He had
his little place right there on the river. I said, “Are you cold at night, Slim?” He said, No because he has a tent and
he has blankets and that works for him.
And another man down there had a little cat and he last his batteries. They all came rolling down the side of
the river as we were talking to him- the batteries of something he had. Anyway so that was being at the
river. To get out, the cars
couldn’t turn around because we were at the very edge. So sister Vicky drove us- she had
to back out all that way backwards.
She did a great job. The
next place we went to. It’s
strange down their people go to film pictures because it’s very very private. It’s just a lot of photography down
there. It’s good for sunlight or
something. Or it’s good for
privacy because we saw this lady she didn’t have very much clothes on. So they were taking her shots with her
lover down there because it’s so private.
And then down there, it’s kind of sad. There was a big shrine with beautiful graffiti on it because
somebody was in a car accident- gone over the freeway there and there car
crashed down in to there and the man died and then 2 other people had committed
suicide. So it’s a place- it’s a
shrine for those who have died down there. There was one other place we did go to was just men along
the side walks that we talked to and gave them the sandwiches. All in all, we were there about 2
hours. It took about 4 hours to do
the whole things which includes making sandwiches.
Jim: You do all
these five places?
Mary Jean:
Yes. We just stay awhile
and chat with the people and go to the next place. Maybe 20 minutes each spot. We do that a
couple of Saturdays a month. But
we usually go to the Persian Square right in the middle of Las Angeles- just
walk around the big park and walk down the streets of Broadway and stop and
hand out sandwiches. We make
the sandwiches and then we walk the streets and pass them out. It’s a good ministry.
Jim: Are you
ever worried about your safety?
Mary Jean: No,
because they go in a group and there’s plenty of men. Like in our group every Saturday, there are at least 4 men. we
feel secure.
Jim: Okay. Are there drug dealers down there?
Mary Jean: Yes,
you smell a lot of marijuana. You
can smell it. Mostly alcohol. It’s fairly safe. There are policemen on bicycles going
around. They patrol the area
pretty well.
Mary Jean:
Yes. On Christmas next
week, we’ll do Christmas so we’ll give out potato salad, pop and fruit and
blankets. So it will be a big one
next week.
Jim: Where do
you get the money to buy the food?
Mary Jean:
People donate it to the Brothers of Charity. Yes, it’s Mother Theresa’s-
they have sisters but they also have brothers. So these men are Mother Theresa’s brothers of her
community. So they live down there
and they feed the homeless. So we
just help out the Brothers of Charity.
Mary Jean: It’s
a whole different culture down there.
It’s a way of life for those people. It’s there everyday in and out.
Jim: They go
out and they salvage everyday?
Mary Jean:
There’s this one man we met.
All he collects is plastic bags like you get at the grocery store. I don’t know what he’s going to do now
when we don’t have plastic bags.
That’s all he collects
and he had about 10 huge bags just full of plastic bags ready for
recycling. He also had some
cardboard. Yeah, they know how to
collect or where to go. Then right
there where we parked, there was an old factory so we looked inside and they
were just taking out all these sewing machines but it was a Saturday so know
one was in there working.
Jim: Do you go
to the same places every time or do you switch around?
Mary Jean: We
usually go in to Pershing Square.
This is the first time we went under the bridges but we had so many
volunteers down town. We went to
different places just to learn of different places. They have a place at McArthur Park. Now that one, they just set up a table
and the people all line up and come to them. On ours, we walk and hand out the sandwich. Usually I say, “I’m Mary. What is your name?” I just introduce myself as Mary because
it’s an easy name. Then they’ll
say your name and they’ll start talking to you. Of course the majority are men, but even at Pershing Square, there’s always about 6 women. And about 50+ men.
Jim: Any idea
how many people are down in L.A. living that lifestyle?
Mary Jean: I
don’t know, it must be hundreds and hundreds. Well the City keeps pushing them to other places because
they are trying to making down town new and nice with apartments. The street people
keep having to go and find a new place to go to.
Jim: In Sacramento they ask the homeless, “Do you know
anybody in Roseville,” or some place out of town. And they’ll drive or bus them
up to Roseville just to get them out of the city.
Mary Jean:
Hopefully Roseville has somebody that makes sandwiches.
Mary Jean: One
time I was in San Francisco and I met this homeless lady in the airport sitting
next to me. She lost her
purse. So I went to the restroom
and we found it. Then I was with
her in the plane and I asked her where she was going. Well, her son was paying for her to go back to Glendale. So she’s going to Glendale. So I said,
I’ll see what I can do about helping you with transportation but I was scared
because mom and dad were picking me up and I had this lady name Gladys with me
and I didn’t think Mom and Dad wouldn’t too much like a homeless person being picked
up on the street. So we went out
on the curb with Gladys and sure enough, Mom and Dad- I asked them if they go
take Gladys to the Glendale Hotel- well not a word out of Mom and Dad. They didn’t say welcome or
anything. So I said, “Gladys get
in”. So I said, “Daddy could we go
to the Glendale Hotel?” So they
took us there but they didn’t talk.
They didn’t say a word. They
weren’t very comfortable. So I
went and checked out if she could stay there and they came and got her and we left
her off. Then we went home. Then the next day, at lunch dad says to
me, Oh Mary Jean, I saw your friend down town. So he wasn’t so mad that day. He just didn’t like the idea.
That’s my story for the day. It’s a good experience.
