Remembering Arrous Lambert: Loving partner, brother, and friend to all
By Alastair Boone on 'Arrous always walked with his head up, and his body followed.'
Street Spirits
Remembering Selena Williams: beloved community member and former San Quentin guard
By Cole Haddock and Maria Toldi on Selana Williams standing in front of her tent as she prepares to bring what she’s collected to the recycling center.
Samel Leparan Ntiwuas: seeking greener pastures
By Samel Leparan Ntiwuas on Samel grew up in the Bay Area, and wants to find a better life here. But the cycle of homelessness is hard to escape.
Star: on the loneliness of living unsheltered
By Martha Cast on Star reflects on the reason why it is so difficult to become housed. Plus, an update about Street Spirit vendor Vernon Dailey.
Josh: Sailor, diver, ‘decent human being’
By Martha Cast on Josh, who is 47, maintains simple, attainable goals: to be happy, and to be a decent human being.
Shawn Moses: Recently housed and full of hope
By Sabrina Kharrazi on Street Spirit vendor Shawn Moses just moved into housing after spending more than ten years on the street.
Tyrone Jones: Husband, landscaper, adventurer
By Noah Baustin on Street Spirit vendor Tyrone Jones selling papers by the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Vine Street. But Berkeley feels like a far cry from Jones’s childhood in a small community north of St. Louis, Missouri.
Olantis Livingston: the Big Man of Downtown Berkeley
By Katherine Blesie on Meet longtime Street Spirit vendor Olantis Livingston. “I’ve been through the good, the bad, and the ugly, and this right here is my therapy.”
Alando Williams: friend, father, South Berkeley staple
By Katherine Blesie on Around 12 years ago, Alando began selling Street Spirit. “I’m out here every other day,” he explains. “Some days I come out here and don’t make nothing. I just like conversating with people.”
Ken Jones: Cat owner, Street Spirit vendor, Berkeley staple
By Alastair Boone on Ken Jones stands on the corner of Addison and Shattuck, waiting for people to exit a concert at the Freight and Salvage, or a play at the Berkeley Rep. In the cool evening light, he catches the eye of patrons spilling out of the theaters, flashing a broad smile at each person who looks up as he broadcasts his patter over the crowd.
Jojo: singer, writer, free spirit
By Emma Arnesty-Good on JoJo doesn’t always consider herself homeless. The twenty-nine-year-old prefers to live outside of that label. “I consider myself a part
Danny McMullan: Advocate, agitator, longtime contributor
By Julia Irwin on in 1984, Danny McMullan was zipping down the highway on his motorcycle —eager to join his friends by the bay—when he hit a power box. The force of the impact tore his right leg clean off and left Danny, then 21, with broken bones in his pelvis, ribs, arms, clavicle, and back.