The HOT Cops are Coming or Has Anyone Seen My Shoes?

We are always open to taking donations for the Free Night Stay Campaign on Tuesday evenings. $33.00 for a 1 bedroom and $43.00 for a 2 bedroom. Currently 2 people are drawn on Tuesday. When you see that the need is actually greater than 2 people, I always want to contribute more myself and frequently have. If you would like to split the cost with me for an additional person, let me know, or if a few contribute a little bit, then it doesnt seem like so much. Of the 33 people in attendance, 26 of them are homeless. We had 7 volunteers/prayer partners.

Blessings to everyone!
Shalom

Pastor Patricia Rhame



Mary got out of jail in early May and not a minute too soon. Her birthday is May 25th and when I asked her if she planned to celebrate on her birthday, she said she planned to celebrate all month! Why am I not surprised? She will be 32 on her birthday and has been homeless and on the streets for 16 years. She truly is a master at homelessness and has no desire to change. Mary has a knack for picking up new men and one of the newer ones is Hippy.

He has been hitchhiking around the country since he was 13 and fit right in with Mary's lifestyle. One day he was sitting under the bridge with Joe and when I got there, he proudly announced that he had found a job...a two hour shift working at Subway...if he can keep the drinking under control. He said he desperately needed shoes (the ones he was wearing were about two sizes too small). I said my son had left a pair at the house that would fit him and I'd bring them down before he had to go to work. His first shift was that evening at 7 and it was already 3 so I suggested that he stop drinking now so he'd be ready to go to work. He kept insisting "just a little bit more". I gave up with the reasoning and when I brought the shoes back later, he was passed out along the trail. We haven't seen him since. I seriously doubt that his new career at Subway has taken off and they moved him into management... but I may be wrong.


















May 1, I was driving past the SRM and saw Sam and Joe walking up to get a sack dinner. I stopped to talk to them and Sam was so groggy he couldn't stay standing while we talked. He said he had found some prescription sleeping pills along the trail and took one. I don't even bother to ask what he was thinking anymore.

The next day at Dorchester it was rainy and cold. Grover was there... we hadn't seen him for a month or so. He was passed out right by the picnic table where everyone was eating and people didn't seem to notice him. They just stepped over him and sat down. Sam was drunk also and seemed to think it was his duty to be Grover's caretaker. He was yelling at everybody to watch out and when we all left, the two of them were passed out on the concrete pad under the pavilion.

I was driving up I-25 on May 6 when I noticed the HOT cops and the clean up team down along the creek. They were very close to Sam's camp so I pulled over and debated if I should go down. Sam saw me and came up to the car to tell me they were tearing down the camps and giving tickets. I went down and talked to the cops and they said if Sam went to the Resource Advocacy Program, he could stay in his camp until June 1. It took a lot of convincing to get him to go because "I ain't going in no program". He got a letter from RAP which he could show to the HOT cops to guarantee his camping priviledges until June 1. He didn't believe it but we didn't have time to debate it. I had sent him to the VA to try to access some of their programs so our new mission was to get his birth certificate. We called his mom and made arrangements to pick it up on Sunday, May 9...Mother's Day. His whole family was there. They hadn't seen him for 4 years. Sam was surprised to hear that it was Mother's Day.

When I found Sam under the bridge two days later, he was drinking a few Cammo beers and was extremely mad. Word on the tramp trail is that the letter from RAP "don't mean nothin". There was no reasoning with him so I left.

At prayer meeting on May 11, R.J.'s name was drawn for a free night's stay. He and Joe wanted to use the room the next day as the HOT cops had told R.J. he had to tear down his tent and clean up his camp. Joe called the next day after they checked into their room and asked me if I could store some of R.J.'s things. When I got there R.J. put two duffel bags in my car. All his personal belongings including pictures of his children, and his wife's death certificate. Amazing that his whole life could be stored in two duffel bags.

The next day was cold and rainy so we called Patricia and told her we would pay for Joe and R.J. to stay one more night. The next night, someone who had paid for a whole week was picked up and taken to jail so Patricia gave Joe and R.J. his remaining nights. Now they were set until May 18. This was great because the job that was supposed to start on May 10. just might start on May 17 and if these guys aren't in a room with a phone, they can't get a call to go to work. On Monday, May 17, Joe was just leaving the room to go fly his sign when he got the call to go to work. A painting job. He was thrilled.

Lisa went back to detox on the 12th. I called to visit with her and she told me she was going to a program in Del Norte, CO. It's called Onesimus, is a 6 month program and you can work for your tuition and fees. She sounded positive and upbeat about it. They're picking her up on Wednesday and she's staying at detox until they pick her up. Just to be safe...and sober. This is the first time we've heard her agree to any kind of treatment. On Sunday, May 16, we went to detox and attended an AA meeting with Lisa. She was sitting next to a guy named Reno who was giving her very negative information about Onesimus. We told her we'd check it out. I talked to both Pastors at Onesimus on Tuesday, May 18 and they both told me the program was designed for people just like Lisa and they were looking forward to having her there. On Wednesday, the day she was to be picked up, Joe called when he got home from work and said that Lisa's backpack was in his room. Apparently, the program went through some administration changes from the time I talked to Pastor Mark at 1:00 and the time they called Lisa that evening at 7:00 and told her they were not picking her up. Guess Reno knew more than we gave him credit for.

Even though Joe says that tramps don't steal from other tramps, we've learned that not all tramps adhere to that code of ethics. At the Sunday feed at Dorchester, we noticed a new guy there with no shoes.


He said someone stole his shoes when he was sleeping under the bridge. Susie ran home and got a pair of her husband's boots for Roger. When he put them on it was like Cinderella. They fit perfectly and he was so thankful. Sam was at the park also and was drunk again. We hadn't seen him for a few days...he had gone to Oklahoma. Apparently he was walking to the Marion House and a guy in a truck stopped and asked him if he wanted a job...ride hot shot with him on an overnight delivery to Oklahoma. Sam took him up on the offer and made $200. We won't expect to see him sober for a quite awhile.

On Thursday,May 20th, when I was coming home from driving Joe and Z to work, I stopped to leave food for the cat and saw Judy and Mary sitting on the log down by the bridge

I ran down to say good morning (it was 8:30 a.m.) and noticed they were enjoying a big Cammo beer. Mary had no shoes on and wondered if I had an extra pair of shoes. Hers were stolen last night. Judy wanted to know the time...she has a meeting with her parole officer at 9 and she can't be late again. "I don't want no warrant out on me." Her PO has scheduled her to go to Crossroads in Pueblo on the 24th so she'll miss Mary's birthday on the 25th. I suggested that Judy not drink any more beer before her meeting but she pulled a pack of gum out of her pocket and smiled. Scott showed up a few minutes later with three more big beers for the girls and a big bottle of Crazy Stallion stashed in his sleeve. I hadn't met Scott before but Judy said she's known him for years. He used to be best friends with her ex, Gary. "Gary is the guy I had all my babies with and he's the one who knocked out my teeth". Wow! More information than I needed. The more they drank, the sadder Judy got about missing Mary's birthday and the closer to 9 it became. Finally, Judy looked at me and said she would be late if she walked. I dropped her off at the courthouse at 2 minutes to nine. She got out, popped a piece of gum in her mouth, leaned in the window and said "Thanks baby girl. I love you."

That afternoon, we went to the motel to give Patricia some donations we had secured. (Jay had read our blog and donated $ for our guys to stay in their room. David had heard many of our stories and wanted to help with expenses also.) While we were at the motel we went to Joe's room to see Lisa (she left detox when the program fell through and didn't have any place else to go.) She was there with a friend she had worked with years ago and reconnected with while in detox. Her friend was noticably drunk and wanted to take Lisa to her house to play Scrabble. We haven't seen either of them since so that Scrabble game must have turned into a tournament.

Sunday, May 23, I stopped to feed the cat and saw two policeman down by the bridge talking to Tex. Tex had called them to report that R.J. had pulled a knife on him and had threatened him with a long stick with razor blades taped to the end. (Joe had made this for Lisa to protect herself when he left to get food.) Apparently, Tex had made some inappropriate advances toward Judy and R.J. stepped in to stop it. They all carry knifes and are very protective of the women so it's not surprising that there is a stabbing down there every few months.

I left there and went to Dorchester because it was just about 1...time for the feed. Taz was there and looked great. We hadn't seen him for about two weeks. He proudly annoounced that he has had no alcohol for 7 days.


There were two new guys there, Larry and Robert, sitting with Joe, Ted, Jeff and Mary. Jeff was the one who was stabbed under the bridge in February. He just got out of jail...45 days for panhandling. New guys, Larry and Robert were on their way to Pueblo when their truck broke down on I-25 and Fillmore last night. (They got a ride down to Nevada and found themselves under the bridge for the night.) Larry was still drunk and kept asking me if I'd do them a favor and drive them to Pueblo. No, but they could use my phone to call family members for a ride. Larry was pretty sad. He'd been sober for 14 months and then fell off the wagon last night.(Amazing what an evening under the bridge can do). He broke up with his fiance and showed me the tattoo of her name on his ring finger. What's a guy to do? Robert was sober and kept talking about his truck and the part he needed to get it running. He then mentioned that they had left a puppy in the truck and could I go get it. Yes, get in the car. I took Joe along as a body guard in case Robert was an axe murderer and we went to get the dog. When we got there, the truck and dog were gone. I was sick.

Tuesday, May 25th....Mary's birthday. We planned to celebrate it at prayer meeting.


Joe told her "don't be all drunked up or nothing because Barb's getting you a birthday cake and a lot of people there care about you." Mary was not "drunked up"


and seemed to be happy that so many people cared about her. When we cut the cake, she wanted the piece of cake with her name on it. Taz looked at the size of the piece and said, "It's a good thing your name is not Elizabeth".

The Nothin' Comin" List

Joe tried hard to do what the Lord had told him to do--take care of Lisa--but every man has his limits. He won the drawing at the prayer meeting for a free night's stay so he got Lisa out from under the bridge and tried to get her cleaned up. He called his sister in California and she agreed to pay for a few more nights at the motel. He kept telling us he'd get Lisa off alcohol while she was with him. "Just give me two weeks and I'll have her straightened out." During that week, Lisa was in and out of detox but Joe continued to pray for her and wait. When she got out, we went to visit them and she looked great. We discussed that MAYBE this could be the turning point in her life. She agreed..........MAYBE. While she was sober, she was able to get her last pay check from her previous job. She called to tell us that she had put $100 on their motel bill and bought a few necessities. She also said she had called her mom. She was very proud of all these accomplishments. I said I'd be down to see them in the afternoon but by the time I got there, Lisa was parallel on the bed with a half empty bottle of vodka beside her. Vodka must have been one of those necessities. Joe looked sad and defeated.


Three days later, we found Joe back under the bridge. He said he couldn't continue to sit there and watch Lisa get drunk and sick. We couldn't blame him. He sadly told us, "I asked the Lord to send me a good woman. But I didn't want another drunk."

Lisa's paid room was up the next day so the next time Joe saw her she was with Marvin, a known woman beater. We could see the pain in his eyes when he said "there wasn't nothin I could do to stop her."

Two days later, I stopped to feed the cat and found a note in the cat food bowl....I got Lesa. Come down under. Joe

Lisa had just returned from the hospital and detox with another black eye. Marvin had hit her repeatedly in the head so she was taken to the hospital. She said she got the black eye while in the hospital...she fell. I questioned that but she was wearing a wrist band that said "fall precautions." Nothing surprises us now.

Joe was glad to have Lisa back. We picked him up to go to Walmart to get work boots and Lisa asked if we could get her a hair brush. After Joe picked out his boots, we went to find Lisa a brush. Joe picked out one he thought she'd like and then told me, "I could sit and brush Lisa's hair all day." Unfortunately, as much as Joe tried, it was just a matter of days before Lisa went back to detox. This time, Joe said he was moving out from under the bridge. He heard the HOT cops were going to start writing $750. tickets or six months in jail. Joe was going to go stay with R.J. "He's a real good tramp."


Joe always came back to the bridge around 3 so he could see us when we stopped to feed the cat. One day when I stopped he called for me to come down the trail...he had something for me. When he was "flying his sign" that afternoon someone stopped and gave him a gift card to Chilis. It had $12.53 left on it and he wanted us to have it. He was as happy to give it as we were to receive it.

During one of the Tuesday prayer meetings, Patricia was saying that Jesus is a friend. Joe was sitting next to Susie and he whispered to her, "Jesus is my friend. Everybody else is just acquaintances. Except you, Barb and Karen. You're my friends." And Joe is our friend.

During one of our conversations, while sitting under the bridge, Joe looked at me and said in a real serious tone........."I feel like I'm at the bottom of the nothin' comin' list." I think I knew what he meant.

Notable Notes in March and April

By March, we had settled into a routine. We had trapped all but one of the cats so Susie, Karen and I took turns leaving food for the last cat and if there were at least two of us, we would go down under the bridge to check on the welfare of our peeps. (After the stabbing and arrests, we were a little more cautious). We were constantly watching the weather report and made sure we had room vouchers to pass out if extremely cold weather was predicted. On Friday, March 19, we stopped by to make sure everyone had enough room vouchers to stay the week end (there was a storm predicted) when Brenda walked up. We hadn't seen her for a few weeks and didn't recognize her. Her lip was cut up and swollen, her eye was black and she had dried blood caked on the side of her face and up into her ear. She said someone named Marvin had hit her last night when she was looking for a warm place to sleep. Since we had already given Sam the room vouchers and didn't have any more, Sam gave one to Brenda so she could go clean up and have a warm place to stay for the night. (Sam's generosity never ceases to amaze us.) Since Brenda was drunk, Karen helped her to find her room and get settled in. We reminded Brenda repeatedly that she was not to leave her room (Brenda has a habit of wandering around and knocking on doors) but, of course, as we were leaving we saw Brenda stumbling through the parking lot, headed to McDonalds with her last dollar. Sometimes we just have to give up.

On March 18th, I went to the City Auditorium for Project Connect. Thirty agencies were there with all kinds of information to help the homeless. I found a business called Men with a Mission, a construction company who was hiring. The guys turned in applications and were scheduled for an interview on April 8. Karen and I told them we would pick them up at 1:30 for their 2:00 interview but when we got there, Kevin was too drunk to stand and Taz was just drunk enough to think he was the only man for the job. They thought it was April 7. Sam was sober and had a great interview.

Since we're only hoping for 10% success we were happy. Our expectations aren't too high


We hadn't seen Kevin for a few weeks so started asking about him. We heard from more than one source that "word on the street is that Kevin died." We were very sad especially since we had just learned that he is an epileptic and suffers gran mal seizures. We assumed that the epilepsy combined with the drinking finally became too much. A few days later we ran into a group of our guys and there was Kevin. We were thrilled that he was alive and well.



A week later I found Kevin at Dorchester Park (where a church group provides a lunch for the homeless every Sunday). He had just walked back from detox (4 miles) and was trying to eat


His forhead was all scraped up and he was shakey and sick. He told me he was drinking with Taz the night before and had a seizure and fell on his face. The police gave him a ticket for public drinking but he tore up the ticket. We worry about him.

We lost track of Lisa towards the end of March. We heard that she was in the mountains. Since her mom lives in Divide we hoped that she had gone home to get sober. Not the case. On April 7, while looking for the cat, we found Lisa. Passed out under the bridge with her face dangerously close to the fire. A new guy, Randy, was asleep in a sleeping bag nearby and Jeff was passed out on the mattress. When we started talking to Lisa, Jeff popped up and said "can't a guy get any peace and quiet down here?" Randy eventually crawled out and told us he was just waiting for April 9, his 50th birthday. Told us the girls in San Diego say "rock out with your cock out on your birthday".
We didn't want to be around to witness that. (We heard later that while 'running her sign' on April 9, someone gave Lisa a cake and $10. Yum...cake and vodka)

The week before Easter, Susie made an Easter basket for the guys. They were at the motel so we delivered it complete with a chocolate bunny, jelly beans,trail mix and a card. They loved it. Sam said it was hard for him to eat anything but the jelly beans. "I ain't got no teeth."

On April 11, we met Joe. He just got out of prison in Wyoming on March 15 and hitchhiked to Denver. He walked away from a $35,000 drug deal. Said he had a feeling that that deal would put him away for life. He ended up in Colorado Springs and started walking until he found a place to toss his backpack and get some rest...under the Nevada Ave bridge. He was planning to leave after a few days but "The good Lord told me to get back down under that bridge and take care of that woman" (Lisa).
On April 13, I stopped to feed the cat and ran into Joe...'running his sign' on the corner.

He told me Lisa was in detox and could we go see her. After prayer meeting that evening,we went to see Lisa. When the three of us marched across the parking lot and got buzzed in, we imagined we were Charlie's Angels (OK...maybe elderly Charlie's Angels) Lisa seemed very surprised but happy that we were there. We talked to her about New Hope and Harbor House and she said she'd think about it. She's familiar with all the programs...she used to be the manager at the Alano House, s recovery home.
As we were leaving, we inquired about Kevin and were told that he was there on the men's side. He was surprised and shocked to see us walk in. We talked with him awhile and he shared that he doesn't know how he got there and he can't find his coat,and pack which has his seizure meds and food stamps. He thinks Billy might have it and if we see Billy can we get it? Sadly, Kevin was released the next day before we could find Billy. We haven't seen Kevin since that night at detox.

On April 15th, we took Joe, Zennison and Doyle to Men with a Mission for their interview. Joe and Zennison were told they would be hired. The job is to start on May 10. Not soon enough.

On March 22, Sam, Taz and others were walking down Nevada when a car pulled up and a man said, "Dad?" Sam said ,"Son?" Yes it was Sam's son whom he had not seen for years. Sam spent the night with his son. When I saw him that Friday, he proudly told me he was a grandpa. A week later I ask Sam if he'd talked to his son or seen his granddaughter again and he said, "No, I lost the number. I'll just have to wait until I run into him again."

Shortly after we met Lisa, we were feeding the cats and saw her sitting on a rock under the bridge. When she turned to look at us, we were shocked. Her face was black and blue, one eye was swollen shut and the other had stitches across the eyebrow. she was covered with blood. She said she had tripped and fallen on a rock. She had no idea how she got to the hospital and from there to detox but we've learned since then that detox is a revolving door for Lisa. She goes in about every 4 days and stays for 2 to 3 days. At least for those 2 to 3 days, we know she is safe. During one of her more sober moments, she asked me to call her mom. I asked her what she wanted me to say and she said, "Tell her I love her." Her mom said she loves her, too.

Prayer Meetings and More

In early March, we started attending the Tuesday evening prayer meetings at Sun Springs Motel. Nam and her family open a room off the lobby of the motel for a place for homeless people and volunteers to gather for praise, worship, fellowship and prayer. The Springs of Life Ministry and Outreach, led by Pastor Patricia is a warm and welcoming refuge for all. The service begins with songs of praise, followed by a message, and concludes with a nourishing meal. This may be the only meal of the day for many of the homeless attending. During the meal, anyone in need is encouraged to put their name in a drawing for the possibility of winning a free night's stay at the motel. On an average Tuesday, we can expect anywhere from 10 to 20 homeless people so there are many who could use the warm bed and shower.

Hopefully everyone who shows up for bible study is sober but that's not always the case. If anyone arrives drunk and is disruptive, Patricia calmly and gently quiets them. On one occasion, I arrived during the singing and sat down next to Sam. The smell of alcohol was quite strong and Sam leaned over and shouted in my ear, "Can you hear me, Barb? I'm singin' my ass off." On another Tuesday, the message was about asking Jesus for what you need and he will answer your prayers. As I was drawing the name out for the free night's room, Taz said out loud, "I ask that my name be drawn out, in Jesus's name". I reached in the bowl and drew out his name (out of 12 names that night). The second name drawn out was Sam. Sam and Taz decided to share a room and give a room to Larry, an out of work landscaper sitting next to Sam. They had just met him that night. One thing we've learned, or one of the many things we've learned, is that these guys look out for each other.


On Tuesday, March 16th, Sam and Taz were 55 minutes late to prayer meeting. They thought they were 5 minutes early. When Patricia was already in the middle of her message, Sam kept looking at his watch and back at Patricia in disbelief. When I told him daylight savings time had started on Sunday, his comment was, "The sun came up at the same time on Sunday and went down at the same time on Sunday." And he was exactly right!


We started going to prayer meetings because we knew it was a way to find "our guys" during the week. We now consider it an important part of our week.....not only to check on the well being of everyone but for the singing and fellowship.

Not fit for man nor beast

On one particularly frigid day in February, Karen and I were feeding and setting traps when I commented to one of the homeless people, Lisa, about how cold it was. She replied, "Yea, it's not fit for man nor beast out here." We didn't catch any cats that day, and we returned to the warmth and comfort of our homes. The next day, I contacted my friend Jenny, who had organized a fundraiser with her co-worker, Jess, to benefit the homeless. The money was given to Westside Cares to distribute as needed. When I contacted Steve at Westside Cares he graciously agreed to negotiate with Sun Springs Motel so "our guys" would have a place to stay on extremely cold nights. (Sun Springs is a short walk from the Nevada Ave bridge and a friendly oasis for the homeless.) Steve printed room vouchers and we headed under the bridge with hamburgers, hot chocolate, room vouchers and cat food.
When we got there, there was a flurry of activity. Someone had been particularly successful at panhandling that day and returned to the camp with enough vodka and beer for all.

I had a prepared speech, to go along with the room vouchers, but I soon realized it would be like 'spitting in the wind'. As Karen fed the cats and passed out hamburgers, I waded through the tall grass, tripping over drunk bodies, trying to find someone coherent enough to understand the room voucher. We passed out 5 vouchers and a bus pass that day. We also learned about 'bridge etiquette' that day.

In the beginning....

For the past year, I had repeatedly seen three different cats, living dangerously close to the Nevada Ave. off ramp on I-25. One time, one of the cats darted across the off ramp in front of me. Other times I would see the cats sitting close to the highway under a tree. I was concerned about their safety and decided to see what I could do. In January of 2010 I went under the bridge where I had assumed the cats lived. While under the bridge, I noticed signs that read "NOTICE" this area will be cleaned up, get your personal belongings out of here. I realized that this area under the bridge was home to not only homeless cats but to homeless people as well.

I started leaving food for the cats daily and planned to return on February 6, the scheduled day of the cleanup. I went under the bridge on February 6 and met the people in charge of "Keep Colorado Springs Beautiful" and 2 of the 3 HOT Cops (Homeless Outreach Team). I explained about the bowls of cat food, why I was there and my concern for the homeless cats. They shared information about the homeless people that were living under the bridge and explained that the area was being cleaned up and the homeless were being evacuated and encouraged to move on.

The next day I went back under the bridge to feed the cats and saw 2 adult cats and 1kitten sitting on the rocks.Two of the cats I had seen before but it was the first time I had seen the kitten. So now I know that there are at least 4 cats, a Siamese, a gray and white, a black white, and a black kitten.I left food for the cats, went home and decided that it was time to assemble a "cat trapping" team.



Between February 6th and the 18th,some of the homeless people returned to set up their camps. We (the team and I) continued to feed daily. During this time we started to meet and develop relationships with some of the homeless people. We explained to these people our mission to feed and eventually trap the cats. They shared that they had been feeding the cats whatever scraps they could spare. It took awhile to convince them that it was in the best interests of the cats to trap them and move them, as they had become fond of the cats and considered them "their cats".

Mike, one of the first people we met under the bridge slept on a child's mattress under a pile of sleeping bags. His first comment, when we explained our mission was,"you ain't trappin my cats". Soon after that we met Sam and Taz, whose camp was further south along Fountain Creek. They usually arrived under the bridge with Kevin, Lisa, Grover, Brenda and Mary to spend the day with Mike, and drink if any of them had been successful at "applying their sign" (panhandling), the drink of choice was vodka and Cammo beer, or mouthwash when they couldn't get vodka or beer. (one of them told us that mouthwash was easier to steal) We began to bring hamburgers and hot chocolate for the people we had met when we would go leave food for the cats.

On February 18th, their day started and continued with constant drinking,the drink of choice that day was mouthwash. Later that day there was a stabbing under the bridge resulting in one person taken to the hospital, police questioning and an arrest.

We decided it was time to start trapping and get the cats out and relocated to a safe environment. The first cat was trapped on Feb 19, we named him Kevin.



The next two cats trapped on February 22; the black and white, named Mike, and the little kitten, named Lisa. March 2nd, the fourth cat, Brenda was trapped. March 3rd the fifth cat, Mary was trapped. We know of at least one more cat that is still living under the bridge. We continue to leave food and hopefully we'll be trapping that one soon.





"I particularly appreciated the partnership with Barb, who went looking for cats and found people. She has functioned as an informal case manager with a number of folks, forming genuinely caring relationships with people that many consider to be outcasts." Steve Brown