A Mix of Hip and Poor (On Gentrification)

Many years ago the Los Feliz area, particularly the area of Vermont directly south of Franklin was the meeting place and hang our for my friends and I. Among the more frequented places was a coffee shop called Psychobabble nestled in between my former work place, Video Hut, and the now closed Indian restaurant Electric Lotus.

The coffee shop proved to be successful, becoming a hub of sorts for the neighborhood and replacing a long vacant niche left by the Onyx, a once twenty four hour cafe/gallery that was frequented by night owls and art enthusiasts before closing permanently at the end of the century.

Psychobabble had none of the lofty aspirations and purpose that made the Onyx unique; instead it had tables, chairs, coffee, snacks, outdoor seating and an open invitation for vagrancy.

I was playing chess and drinking my coffee when Zulu, one of the local vagrants, came by. Dressed in his camouflage vest and walking with his usual swagger began to threaten me. "I'm going to kill you" he said with a wide grin. In response I stood up and said "Excuse me?" Zulu looked me up and down then said "Not today, you're too young to die," then walked away.

Zulu was not the only person to provide their unique color to the neighborhood.

There was a woman who kept a shopping cart with her at all times, on top of which was a a stuffed cat, dirty and old. On occasion she would enter the coffee shop, sit on the couch, and lay on the table her found food stuffs, which more often than not carried the odor of rot, much to the chagrin of actual patrons.

The cat woman's nemesis was a crazy eyed woman with a thin mustache, who would usually fall asleep at one of the upper seats. In an attempt at reconciliation cat woman once offered a rancid muffin from her stockpile of foodstuffs.

The resulting assault and shrieks resulting in the two giving each other a wide berth in future encounters.

There was Marcus who sold incense at different spots along the block, including the wall along the 7-11, the doorway of the cell phone store after closing, the coffee shop, and others. And the mullet man who wandered up and down the street, often briefly entering the different stores on the block scanning their floors for loose change.

Mullet man lived in a van he parked in the post office parking lot, sharing the space with his ex-wife.

This little area was a mix of hip and poor, a cultural oasis established by the spirit of the Onyx. The homeless vagrants had also declared this area their home, and they provided color to the area, even if their presence was undesirable to most.

Whatever the magic was that made people feel invited to that area disappeared some time ago.

Many of the stores are empty now. The coffee shop changed its identity to the uninviting Bru. Even the caliber of patrons has become less enjoyable.

When I think of these changes, Paul, an elderly homeless man who occupied the front of the 7-11 comes to mind. I would give him a dollar or two whenever I saw him and in turn he would make sure my car would not be towed.

Paul was born in New Orleans, to a frail mother and abusive father. He lost his sister young, and went out on his own as soon as he could. He was married twice, and had children somewhere. He lived difficult life and found himself struggling near the end. He had trouble speaking, at times his stutter overwhelming his speech and turning into a violent cough. \

But Paul was a nice man, a man I enjoyed talking to.

The last time I saw Paul was shortly before moving to Armenia. I told him I was leaving, and would not be back for a long time. He shook my hand and told me good luck; and that he always liked me. I made a joke about it, saying it was because I always gave him money. Paul looked at me seriously, his eyes open wide, his grip tightening; "no," he said "its because you gave me your time."

When I came back for my first visit, the first place I went to was that block of Vermont just south of Franklin only to discover how much it had changed, the feeling was gone, having taken the vagrants with it.