A homeless man wandered in one day, and this Arizona town adopted him
In an era when American cities struggle with their homeless populations, Santa James is celebrated, embraced like a long-lost friend.
People offer him gift certificates to Starbucks and McDonald’s, hand him a cup of coffee or bottle of water, buy him new Santa-themed clothing, including a stylish red hat with sparkly sequins. After residents learned he’s legally blind, they keep watch when he negotiates four-lane roads by sound and memory, the vehicles whizzing past merely a blur.
Now, when someone spots him considering an ill-advised crossing, they shout: “No James! Not yet!”
His Facebook page, which he updates on his iPad and fills with recollections and fiction, has more than 4,000 followers, many from Kingman, who cheerfully call out when they spot him around town.
“Who’s there?” he’ll ask, raising his bushy eyebrows. “Do I know you?”
“It’s me, Santa James,” they’ll say. And once they give their names, he always places them. His mind will wander a bit as he recites poems or recounts — for long stretches, non sequiturs galore — stories from the road. But tell him your name once, and he will remember you.
https://www.latimes.com/la-na-col1-arizona-homeless-20190404-htmlstory.html
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