L. Bain and Frances Matthew

00:00 David

00:03 Play my name is Larry David Bain. I go by my middle name David by age of 64. Today's date is February 5th 2014 and we are in the bookmobile outside the Eureka Valley branch library of San Francisco, California. My name is Fran Matthew. I'm 43. Today's date is February 5th 2014 and we are in the bookmobile outside the Eureka Valley branch library in San Francisco, California Who David you came in on this rainy evening to talk about a friend that you had recently lost. Tell me about him.

00:47 Gentle and I wanted to record the story because I think Barry story is very unique. My friend was very Gerard LeBlanc and he was born in Louisiana in 1957.

01:06 But he's live the last 30 years on the Streets of San Francisco specifically on the street to the Castro. Do you know what brought him out to San Francisco from Louisiana? That's unclear

01:22 Barry was gay. We know that she traveled to Europe use in Amsterdam for a brief period and another place in Europe. So I suspect it was his sexual orientation. But we've since he passed on January 19th of 2014. We become aware of the fact that his parents were also here in the city. So it's unclear as to whether he came here with them he or whether he came by himself. We know that he left High School.

02:03 After or during his sophomore year because he was being harassed because of being gay. It was at here in San Francisco that he was in school. I can't answer that. I would suspect it was in Louisiana, but I don't really know don't really know.

02:21 But the reason I think Barry story is unique and the reason I think it's truly a San Francisco story was buried with loved.

02:35 By many by very many. How did you meet him?

02:43 I'm actually through kind of a historical figure of San Francisco. I was friends with brownie Mary.

02:51 Which anybody that knows much about San Francisco History knows who she was a little bit for those who don't okay brownie. Mary was actually a pot at advocate in her early years. She was here in the sixties and we all know kind of the history of San Francisco in the sixties and the flower child and she very definitely lived in that world and she sold pot and became an advocate for it to be legalized and specifically for it to be medically legalized and she was known as Brown married because she sold pot brownies.

03:42 And was arrested the number of times people gathered around her to pay her bail and get her out of jail. She was very much loved another unique individual and how did you meet her?

03:59 I was a customer and in her later years, once the AIDS epidemic hit the city one of the things that married did wood.

04:13 Was to make her brownies take them to the AIDS Ward at SF General and give them to actually her former clients. They were their hospitalized with AIDS and she I'm not sure how she came to know Barry but

04:32 At one point when we were walking down the street together, we passed him and she introduced us in that was some 25 years ago and Barry and I've been friends ever since what was your first impression at that first meeting?

04:50 I had observed Barry any number of times prior to that because he was typically in front of businesses along Market Street and

05:07 It varied some days. He was clearly having a bad day and you kind of avoided him because of that. What did a bad day look like?

05:24 She may have appeared angry frustrated.

05:30 Seem to be having a conversation with himself.

05:34 On good days.

05:36 She would be sweeping the street always had a broom with him no matter where he was. He took care of keeping that area of the neighborhood clean. Our he was drawing. She was a absolutely fabulous artist and I'm lucky enough as well as others to have a number of his piece of artwork.

06:02 What sort of drawing did he do where they people are Landscapes or?

06:08 Do you know that I would have answered that question one way up to 3 weeks ago and totally differently today because my

06:22 Observation of his work was what he gave me and yet looking at the work he did for other people. It was very very different. He was always people with snot Landscapes even there was even though there was always an environment behind the individual 1 year for my birthday. He asked me what I wanted.

06:49 And I said Do me a joker?

06:53 And so I did it's full color. It's like 10 by 14 in and it is of a joker in front of a painted lady. So he made a pure San Francisco. There's a garden in it. It's absolutely gorgeous gorgeous drawing and that's what he gave me for. My birthday kids drawings were a way for him to pay back the people that contributed to him gave him money gave him food, but now seeing artwork that she could done for others.

07:33 It always appeared to be very specific to the individual the work he did for me. That wasn't a specific really Quest like the Joker and a clown he did for me was always very masculine very muscular. Maybe a Roman warrior.

07:54 I've seen some beautiful drawings that he did for women one is a warrior princess. That's absolutely gorgeous. There was one that was described as a self portrait.

08:12 That I don't really see but it was of a Buddha.

08:16 And then there was another piece that I've seen that was a Buddha and another individual and then another one of the beautiful pieces that he did that was in a lot of gold and brown and oranges. What's up a gentleman that is of Latino descent and is a Dancer. I'm assuming in one of the dance City dance groups and was in a carnival-like costume and very dear to picture of him in the costume now that the image

08:53 Is

08:55 Glamorized in that he makes the individual he has drawn is

09:02 Much younger and much more physically fit from the individual himself got a lot of Photoshopped in the setting is there in the colors are there? It's absolutely gorgeous piece of work. So now that I've seen other work that he's done it seem to be very much fitted to the individual. Do you remember the first piece that he did for you or how did you begin your friendship after that first introduction?

09:37 Mary told me a little about him.

09:40 And I knew that she bought him cigarettes.

09:43 And so I would buy him cigarettes. I'll give him money or maybe buy him coffee and it was.

09:55 One of the stories that I've heard now over and over and over again about Barry every time I gave him money, he asked me if I could afford it.

10:06 Any Factory?

10:10 The artwork was his way of thanking people that's reason so many people have pieces of his artwork was those that

10:20 Gave him money that knew him that he was comfortable with would receive a drawing. Maybe it's a thanks. Maybe it's their birthday. Maybe it's Christmas. I gave him a Christmas present.

10:38 This last Christmas and he apologized because he didn't have anything.

10:48 To give

10:52 And I reminded him all the artwork that I had.

10:56 And

10:58 We

11:01 He died on the street alone very early in the morning on the 19th.

11:07 People had seen him on the 18th and talk to him about getting medical help Prime.

11:15 In fact at one point

11:19 Assistance with called

11:21 And keeps him away.

11:24 She very much.

11:27 Wanted

11:29 2

11:31 Go in peace and go the way he wanted to he had been hospitalized once for a period of weeks and he just did not want to go back to the hospital. So he went exactly the way he wanted to.

11:50 How how old was he? Do? You know she was?

11:59 50 cent no. 57 Gibson born in 57 died in 14 and we believe he was born on August 28th. We were not certain about that. So it sounds like you found out quite a bit about him after his death will it was that was another interesting thing that that

12:23 Happened after he passed I had wondered for years.

12:33 If I would know when he passed because he was on the street then, you know, once he goes and someone picks.

12:45 Him up and removes his grocery cart them to know the very luckily one of the people that knew him posted a notice.

12:58 Immediately and just as quickly other artwork went up one of the wonderful things to see in one of the reasons. I wanted to tell this story and one of the reasons I feel it's a unique San Francisco story.

13:15 Very very quickly other copies of his artwork went up the wall here across from the library actually was plastered with different pieces of his artwork. There were notes written to him stories of people's relationships with him. And as I stood there at various times in the next two weeks of people would walk by and we would have a conversation about him and it was very interesting to discover that each of us had

13:53 Different pieces of his story but no one had the entire picture. No one seems to know how he ended up on the street the most he ever told me was we know that he worked at Macy's as a perfume spritzer for lack of a better word and as a graphic artist for some unknown company at this point.

14:22 But the most he ever told me about how he ended up with the street. Was that something happened to work?

14:30 And the next thing he knew he was out of a job and out of a home.

14:39 But he truly made it home on the street. I joked with him any number of times that

14:46 When I ended up on the street, he needed to save me a space next to him and I was counting on him to teach me how to survive.

14:55 How did he survive?

15:01 There are a lot of things that we don't know how he dealt with every bodily functions, but

15:20 Clearly we had a memorial for him on the

15:26 19th No 2 weeks after he passed date Escapes Me we had a memorial for him and 42 people showed up.

15:39 And

15:42 During the

15:44 Memorial people tell different stories about him and about their relationship and how long they had known him and most of the people in the group had known him in excess of 10 years.

15:59 Many of us had known him 20 to 25 years.

16:04 And so there were number of people that supported him.

16:09 Either by giving him money or bring him food one of the wonderful things about the memorial that was put on the street was

16:19 The drawings that showed up

16:21 Flowers that showed up

16:24 A cups of coffee cigarettes

16:28 Upper Room

16:32 Little things that said that the people doing this new Barry they truly

16:41 Not only did they care about him. They knew him.

16:45 And he survived.

16:51 Because of his attitude

16:53 And because they were began because of his attitude. There were many many people that helped him.

16:59 How would you describe his attitude?

17:06 At the memorial there two words that were used.

17:13 Person after person after person friend

17:17 Kind love

17:21 And the love was very clearly a two-way street.

17:25 I did not go see Barry.

17:29 That he did not ask me how I was that he didn't start say no. I haven't seen you in several days. Are you okay? I was worried about you.

17:39 You did not give him money that he did not say. Thank you.

17:51 The only time you ever saw Berry in a in a bad mood.

17:56 Was when the place with her ask him and make him move from one spot to another that's the only thing in years and years and years that I ever saw bothered him and part of that was out of frustration part of it was

18:12 I sense of helplessness. I'm not doing anything.

18:19 I'm not bothering anyone. So why and they were clearly?

18:27 Very limited number people in the neighborhood that we call the police about him and come and complain don't know who they are. Don't want to know who they are. But do you think that signals a change in the neighborhood or changing the attitude towards people who don't have housing or

18:47 What's up of more recent development or do you think that there was a certain percentage through the last few decades that didn't make that connection?

18:58 Well it is.

19:01 I think it's in some part of reflection of a time once the

19:09 No sitting and lying log hit San Francisco that really increased but the other thing about it was the police knew him.

19:22 And those of us that happened be present at a time that they were talking to him.

19:30 Very strongly defended eating

19:34 And I never saw him.

19:38 Treated with disrespect disrespect by the police and often I would hear them say we have to do our job. We've had a complaint we have to act on it.

19:49 And so I think it was just, you know, just very specific very small.

19:56 Minded thank you people that.

20:01 Just didn't like the idea of that they needed something to complain about.

20:10 But that's also why I think this is a very unique San Francisco story. I just told you that we had a memorial service.

20:22 For man that had lived on the street for 30 years.

20:27 And 42 people showed up.

20:30 I know of at least probably another dozen of people that either had contributed the piece of artwork car had brought flowers art, you know had done something.

20:48 We created a Facebook page.

20:51 And his name to display his artwork because now we're going to make an effort to collect digital copies of artwork the various people have to put on Facebook basically to share among the people that cared about him.

21:09 And as a memorial to Kim

21:14 So I think

21:16 The people that created problems for him were very few and very far between I mean multiple businesses in the neighborhood would give him food.

21:28 Before the sit and lie law multiple businesses told him that he could sleep in their doorway at night because they knew when he got up in the morning when they got there in the morning that he would be gone and be that the area would be clean. I mean he appreciated what people did for him and in return she up.

21:55 Respected their property and their rights and they was very very very clear and his behavior all the time.

22:06 Do you think it was a choice in some way for him to remain on the street? So that the support wasn't there to get him housing or other?

22:19 Assistance when he needed it.

22:23 I know over the years that there were social workers that had talked to him.

22:29 I know that at

22:33 One point

22:35 There'd been attempt to

22:40 Get Social Security for him.

22:43 And that there had been a measure to find him housing and that fell through I mean, we've all seen the television ads the first time you apply for Social Security disability. It's going to be denied that's kind of an assumption that's made and he is was

23:06 At the time that that happened he was in a

23:14 Not a hospice with a medical facility in a wheelchair.

23:20 And that kind of demoralized him that he was declined. He did not understand.

23:28 Why how?

23:32 Sick do I have to be to work to qualify and as a result, he refused any attempts to make another application.

23:45 And to try to get him assistance and

23:52 I worked in the

23:55 Tenderloin mental health clinic at one point

23:59 And many people on the street have no desire to go into the housing that's available here in the city because they don't consider it safe.

24:11 And I think I

24:14 Seeing some of his symptoms over the years and I'm not going to speculate but seeing some of his symptoms over the years I think safety.

24:29 Was a real concern and knowing some of the things that happened to him over the years cuz he was

24:38 Robbed a few times by other Street people. He was attacked a few times by other Street people there was at least one fire. And so I think it was just it was an environment. He knew he was an environment he knew how to deal with and how to survive in and so that's where he was comfortable.

25:01 Of the people that came to the memorial would you say that most of them had housing or did he have a community on the streets as well?

25:13 There was only one person at the memorial that was on the street.

25:18 Absolutely everyone else.

25:21 Was

25:24 The professional I mean they were people there that had businesses in the neighborhood.

25:31 There was a gentleman there that was an ex parole officer. There were artists that word. I mean it ran the gamut is Forest as careers because they Newberry because of their connection with him on the street. I mean

25:51 If you walked by Kim.

25:55 She was likely to greet you and it was an a do you have spare change? Do you have any money? It was Hi. How are you doing today?

26:05 And he really worked to build relationships and listening to the comments at the memorial looking at the artwork he drew.

26:18 Clearly Chic both developed a relationship with each individual but also got to know them would.

26:31 Ask about their partner and how they were doing. I mean my ex left here in 2002 that he also Newberry and every time I saw Barry Barry would ask about him and he lives in Missouri and when he comes out he we would go see Barry and he knew his name he knew you know, everything I had told him about him and that seemed to be the case with every individual. I mean one of the ladies had her dogs with her and she knew the dogs by name the dogs loved him.

27:08 Peoples

27:11 Friends neighbors if someone was in the hospital ER and they had told Barry about it the next time they sell berry berry would inquire

27:21 We would laugh we would joke.

27:28 We would give people give each other grief over whatever I said something stupid to him. He would call me on it and we would laugh and do you know, it was very seldom that I walked away from very that both of us weren't laughing very seldom. Did I hear him?

27:50 Complain about

27:53 His teeth what little he had left about any pain he was in.

28:02 It is it just didn't happen. If I asked he would tell me how he felt and how has his day was but it wasn't cold in a or maybe manner. It was just a recording of a fact. In fact, I think most of us that knew him worried about him more than he did. I mean like

28:33 What's the day like today?

28:36 It's raining it is cold.

28:40 And I stepped outside this morning.

28:45 And

28:47 My immediate thought was all I had to go get him a cup of coffee.

28:52 Can't do that anymore, but that's the kind of effect he had on people. That's the kind of relationship you had on people. That's a bit again. That's another reason. I consider this a unique San Francisco story because that can happen in San Francisco my exes told stories of Barry to people he knows in St. Louis and

29:25 Pretty consistently their initial reaction is the look on his face their face of

29:33 Why would you be friends with someone on the street that there was kind of a shock response than a zoo?

29:45 And then there's a very simple answer to that.

29:50 Is she don't know Barry?

29:54 You could not ask for more polite.

29:57 Nicer individual he was clearly a southern gentleman and it showed it showed me his behavior. It showed in how he respected other people.

30:11 It showed in his graciousness and thanking for what thanking you for what he did what you did for him?

30:18 United States started earlier gave him a Christmas present. He apologized because he didn't have something to give me in return and in the gift where 3 lottery scratchers.

30:33 And two of them were winners.

30:36 Soul Kia I gave him the gift and the next day I came back can I sit still have at the scratchers go out to have more winners?

30:46 So good. Did you collect them? Well, no, I didn't know where you bought them. He thought you had to go back to the store for they were purchased. So do you collect them anywhere where they're so big give them to me? I'll go collect them for you and bring it back to you. One of them was Cash on the other Melissa free ticket.

31:03 He couldn't find them.

31:07 And he always very always wore layers and layers and layers of clothes. I don't care how hot it was outside. He would have a coat and a jerk shirt on and it may be a long sleeve shirt and a jacket over it most the time. He had a hat on and so he was digging through Pockets. So couple days later. I came back he found them and he's handsome to me.

31:38 And he says why don't you keep that money is a Christmas present from me to you.

31:50 No, but I'll take the scratcher. There's a free ticket there. I'll take the ticket with do you know it was a way of?

32:02 Giving him respect

32:04 Without you know, totally saying no, but you know, there was no way I was going to take money from you. But one of the one of the other guys that guy that was a parole officer told the story at the Memorial Day.

32:22 He was talking to Barry and he was having some back trouble and lives in some pain and he was a blocking is Comfortably as he could.

32:31 Very sensible call cab. I'll give you a 10 and pay for the cab take you home. I live like 3 blocks away, but and he wasn't joking had the guy called a cab. Barry would have given him the money for the cab or he would have never made the offer.

32:53 That's why it was important to me to tell the story.

33:00 Partly because clearly it's a person I care about it's a person I'm going to miss.

33:08 But

33:14 Tell some people believe that people are in your life for a reason.

33:21 Some people believe in angels on Earth

33:28 And if there are angels on Earth Berry which one of them

33:33 Kiwi say

33:36 Gift

33:38 To every person that got to know him.

33:41 She taught.

33:45 All of us

33:48 About

33:52 Living life to the fullest and making the most of the life we have.

33:59 And that's all I need.

34:05 That's a wonderful gift.

34:07 She didn't.

34:12 She didn't realize that he didn't I could have told him that a hundred times and he wouldn't have seen it.

34:19 But it truly truly was a a gift to every person that doing absolutely every person that doing.

34:38 I'm very sorry. You lost your friends.

34:43 Barry spin been telling us

34:49 Telling me for a number of years that you know if he was going to go any time.

34:56 And

35:01 You know, you really hit if he had survived for so long for over 30 years on the street. It was coming and his health was staying pretty.

35:13 Consistent not great, but consistent.

35:17 And so you didn't put a lot of weight into that and I probably didn't seem for we can have two year two weeks. Sorry week and a half two weeks before he passed so I didn't really see him towards the end. But when was the last time you saw him be honest with you? I don't know. I think it was probably about two weeks before he went and he was drawing again. He had not been able to draw for maybe over a year because his hands were just getting some bad and he was drawing again.

35:57 And other people

35:59 Cold stories that he was clearly giving things away and was kid clearly made comments to various people that time was really short. It wasn't going to be piano much longer and we were fairly certain that the death certificate will say congestive heart failure.

36:23 So he seemed to be very aware that it was his time the ironic since he seems to have had such a huge strong Hearts job and

36:40 You know, he's in a better place.

36:43 She was ready to go. He was willing to go. In fact, he very adamantly resisted any assistance to get him to a hospital. He went the way he wanted to the hardest thing about losing him other than missing him.

37:02 Is the fact that I wasn't there I hate.

37:07 That he was alone when he passed.

37:10 It would have been very hard to have been there.

37:14 But tub

37:16 I would have liked to have been there for him.

37:22 Where do you think he is now?

37:25 Call Siri. Any question your mind having hard, but I just told you if anybody should have it he is and we didn't that's funny. We never really discussed religion.

37:40 I don't think I ever asked him if he believed in God.

37:45 But

37:47 She certainly personified.

37:53 Everything that God would one of you

37:57 I mean he was this almost sounds healthy, but you know, he was almost a modern-day job.

38:06 He she was on the street.

38:10 He had lost almost every tooth in his head.

38:15 He had to stand up all day long because of the laws in San Francisco and yet he was in pain doing so.

38:27 She had almost certainly nerve damage.

38:34 Of some sort there were times that he had no feeling in his feet that he had trouble walking because of that which very much sounds like neuropathy and yet he made the he made the best of itself.

38:51 God help me. I make it to Heaven. I certainly expect him to be one of the ones they're greeting me when I get there cuz I I I have no doubt if if he's not in heaven and reincarnation is accurate.

39:09 I look forward to meeting him again. Absolutely cuz I mean I'd I'm a better person for having known him. I could only wish to be

39:20 As

39:23 Good.

39:25 And to deal with my challenges as well as he did it just died.

39:30 It

39:33 He was a gift that I'm very thankful for that. That's the reason I'm telling the story. This is part of the way of

39:43 Saying thank you to him while memorializing with just thank you for sharing the story. I really appreciate you coming in this evening, bro. Thank you for the opportunity to to do so, I I really like the idea that

40:02 Gears Kent's total strangers will care of his love of his artwork.

40:08 And

40:11 Hopefully maybe it'll encourage someone if they can hear a story of a person that's made the best of living on the street for 30 years. Maybe it'll help them in a bad spot that says well if he can do that I can deal with what I'm doing with its that's that was very