Sunday September 27, 2020:
No work today.
Saturday September 26, 2020:
A tough grind of a day with increasingly-dysfunctional cases, because all the easy cases have already been taken care of.
Got yelled at by a mental case up in Natomas. "You are making the dogs bark and causing me so much trouble! You bring the 'rona! Can't you read the sign?" (There were various signs blaming visitors for the coronavirus.) "Get off my land!" (I moved very slowly) "Go! Shoo! Get out!"
Met a number of large, aggressive dogs. I was trying to make friends with some and a teenager spoke to me like I was retarded. "Read the sign!" (The sign said 'Beware of Dogs'.) These dogs will jump the fence!" (I don't think so, but whatever.)
Friday September 25, 2020: Southeast Corner of Natomas
Just two hours in Natomas. I went into a kind of mixed housing area - some trailers, some RVs, and some small houses. Interviewed a lady who looked quite old, but she was actually younger than me, but suffering cancer. "There have been other census takers around here, but I didn't answer their questions," she said. Maybe a good thing too. According to her the interviewers were asking all kinds of personal questions: SSNs, driver's license numbers, etc. If so, that conduct is illegal.
I was in someone's back yard investigating an old apartment when the people arrived at the main residence. They were upset and tense. Answer the damned questions, and maybe you won't find me in your back yard!
Thursday September 24, 2020: Homeless Night
Early morning hours of Homeless Night. Many homeless camps that had been scouted in advance had been moved out by the county authorities. Our count was quite low. (Maybe the authorities did this on purpose to manipulate our count????)
At one point we realized we were next to the homeless camp we had first scouted a few hours before, just on the other side of the creek. We were looking back at where we had been. Now we were in danger of double-counting as well as overcounting. "The count is 19!" proclaimed the boss. (I thought maybe nine, but some of the homeless who had been here yesterday must be somewhere, or other - just not here.)
I talked with one guy about our shared experiences. I told him that I thought I did well because I'm older. He said he thought he did well because he was younger. I'm sure we are both right. I told him the story about the Salvadoran woman who misunderstood the race question and used Spanish Siri to explain she was brunette. He told me a story about a Neo-Nazi in his neighborhood who was trying to get past the disappointment of World War II. Hoo boy!
The team was still in a counting mood, but I decided to bail at 4 a.m. and finally got to bed at 5:30 a.m.
Wednesday September 23, 2020: Homeless Night
Late evening hours for Homeless Night. It was apparently our job to inverstigate the various parts of Morrison Creek running through South Sacramento. Morrison Creek isn't really a creek - more like a slough, or a ditch, festooned with trash brought by the homeless.
On our first foray into a camp we were a bunch of frightened bunnies - 14 of us hustling through a camp strung out on the bank of the creek, and back again. I heard a voice from inside a tent: "If you are single - and female - and would like to mingle..." I thought maybe there were 16 people in the camp; possibly as few as eight. "The count is 30!" proclaimed our leader. Always possible, of course. We were counting tents and shelters, not really people, since they were inside them. Oh well! An overcount here accounts for some of the homeless people we were skipping in other places.
Tuesday September 22, 2020: Southeast Corner of Natomas
Quite a few Spanish-speaking folks in large households. Talked to a woman with suspicions about my job who had recently evicted a roommate. A large pile of furniture was sitting in the street. "Worst roommate ever!' she asserted.
Another fellow was an in-mover. He held up mail, all addressed to different people at the address. "See all these different people who were here before I arrived? Credit card fraud is what I think!"
Monday September 21, 2020: Del Paso
Crazed kids on bicycles. War whoops and agressive moves, and parents trying to corral their activities.
Sunday September 20, 2020:
Saturday September 19, 2020:
Friday September 18, 2020:
Thursday September 17, 2020:
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