By Luis Roca
October 11, 2010
Miami Beach - Lutrell Davis wakes up at the crack of dawn every morning and walks on the boardwalk. He goes to sleep at 9 p.m. every night after securing his Bank of America 40-year-old debit card. He is a resident of Miami Beach, but he does not own or rent. He is homeless.
“ I get $700 dollars a month and that is not enough to pay for rent.” For Davis, who is 62, the direct deposit he receives from disability seems to be less than what he needs for basic necessities. Rents on South Beach rarely go below $500 a month, and the only location Davis considers on moving is Los Angeles. He says that a place to sleep other than the street or shelters is a necessity to get back in the system. A system of paying bills, taking showers everyday and working, but he is not sure if he wants to be back.
Today, Davis, who is known in the beach by the nickname Pablo, gets by with $4 dollars a day. When he doesn’t have anything to eat, he begs. When he has food stamps he does groceries on Washington St. and gets his food cooked by friends at Yogo Café. Like other homeless folks on the beach, Davis hangs out at Lummus Park: walking, resting, talking and being part of the environment from 14th down to 6th St. while along Ocean Dive, tourists, residents, workers and officials complete the everyday picture.
Davis says that after moving from the Midwest, living in Hawaii for almost 20 years and spending another 20 in prison, he can only think of getting rich quick or live homeless trying. For Davis, to obtain a job is difficult because of age, health problems, and alcoholism, but even more difficult because of his homeless status.
“They discriminate more because you are homeless than because you are black.” Davis said. “If you are homeless you are going to be push down.”
Institutions other than occasional shelters are not in Davis plans. According to him they reflect on the government, and if you feel bad about the government you cannot trust the institutions.
“I love Obama and I think he is a good thing for this country but the government is the one…. [Wrong] I don’t think he [Obama] can fix it because it’s going to take a lot of work.” Davis said.
Davis shakes his head when he says he knows nothing about politics, and then he remembers working on some campaigns. He is not sure, but he thinks the last time he worked was passing flyers for Matti Herrera on 2007. Today, the Miami Beach Mayor Herrera is on her second term after re-election on 2009.
“I didn’t hear anything bad about her,” Davis said referring to the mayor.
Davis regrets his lack of education, and in part he blames his current situation on his parents.
“If they [my parents] would’ve taught me some kind of music, any kind, I probably could be a good star like Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder, someone like them, but they never taught me nothing.”
According to several witnesses, Davis was arrested last Saturday night on South Beach after attempting to sell narcotics to an undercover cop. Some friends of Davis such as “J”a bottle-water salesman said that Davis will spend at least three years locked up.
“Is not the first time,” said J. “That old man [is] stubborn. He didn’t want to change his spot, so he got screw.”
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