SEPT. 10-MOVING IN

After the tent was installed I went to pick up a UHAUL truck for the move. I also hired help. I found two helpers among a group of day laborers that were "waiting for work" on San Fernando Road, a few miles from my project's site. Newhall, a community neighboring Valencia, is home to many Latin American immigrants and many of them look for work, everyday, on specific spots throughout the city. There they gather in large but scathered groups waiting for somebody driving by to solicit them. Most of the time they are hired for a day or a few hours to work on the fields or do construction work for amounts well below the minimum wage. These two men I hired had been day laborers for a few years and expected to continue doing this as long as they could avoid deportation. They work every day of the week. One of them is father to a little boy. Both have families in their countries of origin and send them money regurlarly.

We loaded the truck with many pieces of furniture (bed, chest of drawers, an armoire, chairs, etc) and boxes of books, food, water and clothing. The entire process took about 4 hours.

The same men help me move out of the tent on September 14.