Darrell Ford is a three-time ‘People We See’ subject. Here’s an update:
| In this feature, the Club introduces you to people you see every day, but you might not know who they are. The Club reminds you that we all have names and stories to tell. |
Name: Darrell Ford
Born: Jan. 14, 1952 (67)
Catching up with Darrell:
We profiled Darrell in December 2016 and April 2018, and we ran into him again this month. (Quick recap: Darrell was born in Chicago and came to California when he was 53.)
The streets today: “It’s kind of worse down here (downtown) now to a certain degree because I see more people on the streets, walking around aimlessly. They just throw fits and turn over garbage cans and tear down signs.”
Meals: “I concentrated most at Fifth and Hill Streets. That’s where I made money – there’s a food truck that comes there, and I hung around because people came. They’d give me money or little snacks. Not a lot of money, but every now and then I’ll get a bonus tip.”
Do differently: “After high school I might have gone to college. But I was in the frame of mind to go to work and make my own money. I left home at an early age – 16. If I’d gone to college I’d probably be a chemist.”
If he were mayor: “If I had any money – I know it sounds crazy – but I [would build] something like those castles in England. Those are big, but I don’t think they’d house all the homeless here in California. I would find some funding from somewhere and build a whole complex, everything brand new, to put all these people in. I’d have stringent rules so it would be fair. I wouldn’t have drug dealers coming in and smoking and selling stuff. There would be doctors – everything would be there to get a good jump-start for the homeless people.”
What he would call his shelters: “Darrell’s Emporium.”
Advice for everyday people (from the last interview): “If your parents don’t teach you, the streets will.”
The Club gave Darrell water and money for food. The interview, conducted by John Hawkins, took place April 10, 2019 on Spring Street downtown.
