The Mole People of Las Vegas
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Although much of the more sensational claims Jennifer Toth makes in
The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City have been
challenged by the likes of Joseph Brennan, her book nevertheless brought subterranean dwelling to the surface and initiated mainstream and academic interest in a phenomenon previously dismissed as urban legend. In a
recent article published in
The Sun, Pete Samson ventures away from the New York City subway tunnels at the heart of Toth's book and provides the tabloid's readers with a glimpse into the lives of several Las Vegas mole people.
Save for a few peculiarities that suggest a degree of editorial tampering (the Americans quoted in the article rather dubiously use the British word "skip" in lieu of the American "dumpster," for instance), Samson's piece seems to be a fairly reliable, if relatively unoriginal, addition to the discussion of underground dwellers. It's an interesting read.
Labels: homelessness, Las Vegas, Sobriquet 60, the Sun
Two Percent of Detroit is Homeless
Friday, January 30, 2009
In an excellent
essay published this past Wednesday in the
Detroit News, Charlie LeDuff paints a a bleak picture of urban life, one in which human beings play ice hockey in the presence of a frozen corpse and one out of every fifty people in an industrial hub of a wealthy nation lives on the streets or, when lucky enough to find a chair, in one of the city's overcrowded and dehumanizing shelters. A taste:
Convinced that [a pair of legs sticking out of a frozen pool of water in a warehouse] was indeed a body, this reporter made a discreet call to a police officer.
"Aw, just give 911 a call," the cop said. "We'll be called eventually."
A call was placed to 911. A woman answered. She was told it was a reporter calling. The operator tried to follow, but seemed confused. "Where is this building?"
She promised to contact the appropriate authorities.
Twenty minutes or so went by when 911 called the newsroom. This time it was a man.
"Where's this building?"
It was explained to him, as was the elevator shaft and the tomb of ice.
"Bring a jack-hammer," this reporter suggested.
"That's what we do," he said.
Nearly 24 hours went by. The elevator shaft was still a gaping wound. There was no crime scene tape. The homeless continued to burn their fires. City schoolchildren still do not have the necessary books to learn. The train station continues to crumble. Too many homicides still go unsolved.
After another two calls to 911 on Wednesday afternoon (one of which was disconnected), the Detroit Fire Department called and agreed to meet nearby.
Labels: death, Detroit, Detroit Press, homelessness, Sobriquet 50
