Sidewalk Stories - by Evan Gackstetter

Diving Deep with Del Seymour, Founder and Director of Tenderloin Walking Tours

This final conversation in the Sidewalk Stories series is certainly one worth the listen. Del remains his true authentic self over the course of this conversation and it speaks volumes for his passion and experience within the sphere of the drug and homelessness crisis which is has been occurring on the streets of San Francisco for the entirety of the fifty years that Del has spent in the city. His expertise on the condition, humanity, and needs of the homeless community based on his own experiences embody his passion for helping people which comes up very frequently over the course of this conversation. "Del Seymour has spent many years on the very streets where he now conducts the tours. An Army Veteran, Del went back to his home in Chicago in 1969 and immediately left for California. In his time in San Francisco, he has seen the area from all angles: as an addict living on the streets, as a taxi driver, as a husband (for only fifteen minutes--his self-described "Hollywood marriage"), as a volunteer at one of the many service organizations. His idea for Tenderloin Walking Tours stems from his love of the neighborhood. He works in conjunction with many of the social agencies in the Tenderloin (he serves on the Board of The Gubbio Project among others) and also the companies that have moved into the Market Street corridor and has received the respect of everyone he involves. His knowledge and communication skills make him an ideal ‘docent’ for the area." - Tenderloin Walking Tours

Connecting with Tom Wolf, Nationally Recognized Drug Abuse Advocate

In this second installment, I got the opportunity to sit down with Tom Wolf. A widely outspoken and nationally recognized drug abuse advocate as a formerly homeless recovering drug addict himself. Through speaking with Tom, I gained a great insight into what the daily life of an addict may look like and how making the choice everyday to remain sober is one that might be challenging for some but rewarding in one's overall trajectory of life. "Tom Wolf is a formerly homeless recovering heroin addict from San Francisco. In 2018, Tom spent 6 months homeless on the streets of the Tenderloin neighborhood struggling with heroin and fentanyl addiction. He was arrested 6 times for holding drugs for street-level drug dealers and other offenses and eventually went to jail for 3 months before going to a 6-month inpatient treatment program where he found recovery.  Tom has become a strong voice for a new approach to the homeless and drug crises in San Francisco and beyond. His story and solutions have been featured in local, national, and international news including CNN, FOX News, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Tom is a Co-Founder of the California Peace Coalition and is the founder of the Recovery Education Coalition." - RescueSF.org

A Conversation with Kevin Fagan - Homelessness Reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle

This first installment of the conversation series for my GESC capstone was a quite compelling conversation. My biggest takeaways from this conversation with Kevin was the grim realities of the intersection of drug abuse and homelessness as well as the insight that the Point in Time (PIT) count can give us about the true trends of homelessness on the streets of San Francisco. "Kevin Fagan is a longtime, award-winning reporter at The San Francisco Chronicle, specializing in homelessness, enterprise news-feature writing, breaking news and crime. He has ridden with the rails with modern-day hobos, witnessed seven prison executions, written extensively about serial killers including the Unabomber, Doodler and Zodiac, and covered disasters ranging from the Sept. 11 terror attacks at Ground Zero to California’s devastating wildfires. Homelessness remains a core focus of his, close to his heart as a journalist who cares passionately about the human condition." - San Francisco Chronicle Biography

Welcome to Sidewalk Stories - By Evan Gackstetter

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