Not at all a pleasant post today, but a necessary one:
Police believe there is a dangerous serial killer on the loose in Orange County, CA targeting homeless people. Three homeless men have already been murdered between Dec. 20 and Dec. 30.
Attacks on the homeless have been on the rise for the past few years and it’s one of the major reasons I was so keen on keeping my identity and location secret while I was initially blogging. (FYI, all three murders took place extremely close to the area I was staying. Like, within a mile or two close. One in a public shopping center. This is my home turf, people.)
If you’re homeless anywhere, but particularly in Orange County right now, WATCH YOUR BACK. Be aware of your surroundings. Try not to be anywhere isolated, especially at night. Look over this list of safety/survival tips that I posted a couple of years back. Be prepared. This sick, twisted monster fuck is out there and has not yet been caught and will probably be looking to strike again. Even if they do catch him, there’s always more out there like him, and homeless people are easy prey – they’re vulnerable and often it’s erroneously assumed that nobody will miss them. Take care of yourself.
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Ugh. Palate cleanser:
The Girl’s Guide to Homelessness just came out in Australia and New Zealand, and I’ve already received some encouraging emails from very awesome locals. Australia Associated Press put out a super-lovely article yesterday, also. Gonna be doing several upcoming interviews there, so I’ll post when I know the dates/times (for radio and TV) or when print interviews are released. Thank you to everybody Down Under for your support and kind words :)
Oh my, this is so sad. Why do people come up with these crazy actions? Killing homeless people? Killing people at all! This is insane…!
I am from Australia and I finished reading your book yesterday
I was homeless when I was 16 (I am 20 now) and I was in a similar situation to you, I had a full time job, a phone a laptop an ipod and all that goes with it, I just lacked somewhere to live. And for me being 16 and homeless it was either stay on a 3-5 year waiting list for government funded youth housing or try and find a place of my own. It was pretty hard to be taken seriously when I was 16. Also the fact that I am gay really added an extra weight on my shoulders for a number of different reasons.
Your book shed a lot of light for what it is like for homeless people in America. It sounds a bit different than here, but fundamentally it is the same.
Anyway, thanks for a good read, I am definitely going to keep this blog in my favourites now
The more I read stories like this, the more terrified for my family and our situation. So sad. Better to be aware I suppose.