HOME, 2019

Video 

San Mateo, California

Interviewee & Collaborator: Daniel Geriki

Special thank you to Daniel Geriki, Red Geriki, Nicolas Lucirsi, Nichole Lucirsi, Gary C, and Dee.

​

​

Artist: What is it about that location that made it, you know.

Daniel: “To be honest with you, a friend I wanted to be more closer to them… Just making sure she is fine… you know, because she is my friend, I wanna make sure she is ok. And as I was there, I made more friends, which I wanna make sure they are ok too.”

 

Artist: Do you think itʼs, hum, there is more concern for women being homeless?

Daniel: “Hum, kids, and women for sure, not so much men. I can see that cause I am the same way. I have more concern towards the women and children than I do the male. The male should be doing something to make it better for sure, you know. Donʼt count women out. You women are strong.”

 

Artist: Well, they give birth.

Daniel: “Iʼve actually help give birth before too, so I, it’s not easy.  It wasnʼt easy for me! After I pulled out the placenta out of her, and she wasn’t pushing no more, I was in shock! Sat there and held the placenta until the ambulance came, trying to pull it out of my hand put it into a bag. Then they ask me if I wanted to cut the umbilical cord; I was like, I am ok, go ahead, I am fine. I just wanna get washed up and get her to the hospital, make sure she is ok, and the baby is ok, you know. The baby is ok; everything turned out good. That was scary, that was scary! Baby, coming into this world, and I am helping the baby come out! Wow! Anything can go wrong, but it didnʼt; it went well, thank God.”

 

Artist: The human body is resilient.

Daniel: “Right, it was something else, though it made me look at life a little different, watch a baby be born into the world. I mean, I donʼt know about everybody else, but my take on it is it was scary, beautiful, it was everything, every feeling you could feel, I felt that day.”

 

Artist: What would you want people to know about your experience of being unhoused?  

Daniel: “Donʼt sell us short. You know, just get to know us, you know, and not and not, cause most people donʼt even want to get to know us. They, they, just see we have dirty shoes! We’re homeless. You know, they stick their nose up towards us. I mean, I would say, just give us, give us a chance, to, to get to know a person before you judge, you know, cuz we’re straight off to judged by the way… because we’re homeless, period. Yeah, but we must be pieces of shit, you know, no-good people…and I feel it, you know, I feel it from people too, but you know, I don’t, I don’t say…I just let it go, really. The ignorance, it’s theirignorance not mine.” (chuckles).

 

Artist: “You can’t take ownership of their ignorance.”

Daniel:“Right. And ‘ignorant’ is not a bad word either, it’s actually quite a nice word. I’m familiar with whatever’s going on in their head,” (short laugh) “I wouldn’t, you know, cuz my head, I comprehend quite a bit.”