The Tenderloin Of San Francisco Analysis

Addiction. Poverty. Homelessness. This is the Tenderloin of San Francisco. As far as the eye can see are people who have made these very streets their home; people, who at some point in their lives, have gotten brushed aside and forgotten by the rest of the world. The diverse population living here has accepted the dirty streets, the never ending stench, the abundance of drug use, and the constant state of being without a home. Walking down the streets of the Tenderloin in San Francisco is like being in a different world. It’s a place where the norms of society no longer apply. It’s a place that forced me to get outside of myself and see the people around me.
From an outsider’s perspective, the Tenderloin appears to merely be a place where …show more content…
One boy, barely nineteen years old, was now calling the streets his home. His name was Joker. He didn’t have the look of a stereotypical homeless person. He was young and still looked as if he had greatness within him. As he described his old life to me, his eyes came alive. Joker said he joined the military at age eighteen. His brief career made him feel as if he mattered in the world. He mentioned that the military gave him purpose and allowed him to do something good, even if it were just for a year. The excitement in his voice started to dwindle as he talked about the end of his career and his early childhood. Joker began drinking at age nine when his parents first introduced him to alcohol. From there, he just proceeded to do more intense and harmful things to his body. Heroin became his drug of choice and it eventually took over his life even while being in the military. Joker’s passion and love for the military became just a shadow in the midst of his drug addiction. As hard as his heart fought to do what he loved, his body became a slave to …show more content…
One striking personality was that of Angel; he was quite a character. He was disabled and in a wheelchair. He had tan, leathery skin, and hair that was as white as snow. He was homeless and he couldn’t walk, but yet he had this unexplainable joy about him that drew me in. Angel liked to sing, and he spent many of his days just singing to the streets themselves. He owned a guitar, which was his most prized possession. Angel and that guitar were changing the streets of the Tenderloin. His music, singing, and overall joy were contagious. The pure joy he possessed had consumed his life while also spreading to anyone he came in contact with. Angel didn’t let his current state define who he was. He decided to be overflowing with joy, and that is exactly who he