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# Julia Reeves Santa Monica One of the city’s elite homeless?
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/julia-reeves-santa-monica-one-of-the-citys-elite-homeless-editor/
- Published: 2003-01-07T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T01:16:46.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless

*By Tony Street Santa Monica*

Well, I managed to ignore the writings of Santa Monica’s favorite homeless son, Charles Springer, for my entire holiday vacation. However, as life would have it, he’s the first thing I see in the SMDP upon my return!

Now let me see if I have this correct, Charles. You’re still homeless in Santa Monica after, what is it now, six years? You attend SMC. You write for the SMDP. And now, your friend who has “seen the type of person” you are has booked you on an all-expense paid gig helping a business in China with its American clients?

Wow! There is so much here, I almost don’t know where to start. How interesting to me that a business (in a Communist country no less) would solicit a self-described homeless person to help them with their business (I’m assuming of course that you told them that which you never let us forget — namely that you are homeless). What could you possibly know about business that would help them? I know, they must be thinking about relocating to Southern California and you are going to show them where they can rent space so that their business won’t suffer due to the homeless problem here. Or, maybe you are going to show them where to locate so that their business won’t be negatively impacted by the inevitable passage of a “living wage” law. Or, maybe you are going to show them how their workers can live forever homeless in Santa Monica.

You said in your article that you have not seen any homeless in China yet. Hey Charles, you don’t know “jack” about Communist China if you think that it’s because a “Communist country takes care of its own.” You see Charles, Communism only works when the people under its governance have no choice in the matter. The average person from China wouldn’t be allowed to come to America for “10 days, all expenses paid,” because unlike you, Charles, they are NOT free. Maybe you should take a few political science classes at SMC before you start implying that America should look to China for answers to our social issues.

Your piece in SMDP is called “From The Street.” Admit it, Charles, you like being homeless. You view yourself as the elite of the homeless population (I attend SMC. I write for the SMDP. I am a voice for the downtrodden. I still live on the streets. I am the real deal!) We had a saying for people like you in college — “Better to be the King of losers than just a regular guy.”

Oh, by the way, your friend who knows you so well and booked this gig for you — is he homeless too? If not, then why aren’t you living with him until you have saved enough money to rent a room somewhere?

Get a damned job and off the streets!

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 7, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/010703.pdf?ref=smdp.com)