Sunday In The Park With 'Uncle'

Chad Blair/Civil Beat

He looks about 70 years of age, but it's hard to tell. The only clues are his long silvery hair and his weathered brown face.

Even in the tropical climate he wears long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, a jacket, shoes and a baseball hat — like a 19th-century plantation worker protecting himself from the elements.

On Friday I saw him in the convenience store on Kalakaua Avenue, the one just mauka of the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel. I was buying The New York Times and he was looking for food.

"Do-ree-toes!" the man said to no one, selecting a bag of chips and placing it on the counter. The clerk ignored him as the man fumbled for pocket change. "Two dollars please," the clerk chirped to me.

On Saturday I saw the man raking the ground outside of Gold Coast Real Estate, pulling the dirt and leaves into a neat little pile. Is that where he got the change for the Doritos?

And, on Sunday, Mother's Day 2010, with the park full of barbecues and volleyballs, kids in inflatable bounce houses and dogs, there he was again, carrying the rake over his shoulder, walking in no hurry to the shade of a banyan tree.

Has the homelessness situation improved since city officials in April cracked down on tents and shopping carts? The short answer is "yes."

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