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Dynamo

Laz Rojas - an old Doomer in trouble.

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8 minutes ago, Reinchard said:

@Laz Rojas
I'm wondering if the best solution would be to record this guy on your phone. Let him know that everything he does will be secured online.

 

 

I doubt that would deter him. Definitely gives off the vibe of someone who thinks there's nothing left to lose, or is so paranoid that he's beyond reason.

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Just wanted to continue to voice support for Laz and make it clear this isn't being forgotten. @Laz Rojas I sent you a message a few weeks back and I'm sure I'm not the only one, I'd recommend checking those in case someone can offer more than just condolences. Unfortunately my network only extends into Orange County and not LA County, but one of my activist friends recommended a few resources and maybe one of them would be helpful? There's also a lead of a small handful of people who've gone through the same horrible thing you have-- it's a long shot that might help but I feel like it's worth considering.

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This kind of thing has probably happened to quite a few people actually, the California DoJ and major urban police departments really are not honest folks.

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12 minutes ago, ChopBlock223 said:

This kind of thing has probably happened to quite a few people actually, the California DoJ and major urban police departments really are not honest folks.

 

And frankly they deserve whatever is coming for them, be it themselves or their own loved ones. Karma is a bitch.

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On 10/3/2023 at 7:31 AM, ChopBlock223 said:

This kind of thing has probably happened to quite a few people actually, the California DoJ and major urban police departments really are not honest folks.

 

I didn't mean to imply gross police misconduct isn't widespread in LA county or all over, to be clear-- it's just that I happen to believe that what Laz specifically went through fits the profile of a string of similar police-driven instances of life-ruining imprisonment under false pretenses that are traceable back to a particular kind of junk science based on imprisoning people based on their 911 calls. The main reason I feel it is relevant is that, as he's someone with contacts to journalists from happier days, I was hopeful that maybe Laz would be in a position to get help by connecting with other people who this has happened to and maybe raise awareness of his story.

 

EDIT: While that's not the full story from what my activist friends told me, I believe that the proliferation of call analysis could also help explain why attorneys are hesitant to take on the case.

Edited by Deffers

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@Laz Rojas can you relocate? Nothing wrong with avoiding conflict, in fact it's usually the best solution imo... why are you hanging around this particular station? Give the nutjob his worthless turf, if it means your survival.

 

I'm not a religious person so I'll leave the prayers to people who are. It doesn't seem likely to me that you'll be able to get any compensation for what was done to you, especially if you are already on the street. My heart breaks for you man, but I know you can take action other than waiting for a miracle in LA.

 

The shelter system is a nightmare as I'm sure you know but if you can pass drug tests then that could give you an advantage. Can you look for places that offer housing and/or job placement if sober?

 

If you could make it farther south, the coming winter will be more bearable. Maybe you should focus on being able to camp discreetly in less populated places. A half decent backpacking setup could allow you to carry a tent, bedroll, and cooking equipment properly on your back, instead of duffel bag which will just turn you into a hunchback over time. Maybe we can help you get better supplies? Or transportation to an easier place for living on the road??

 

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@Laz Rojas not sure if you already tried this place in LA but my partner told me about it and they apparently have a really good track record of helping people reestablish their life after being in prison etc:

 

Homeboy industries

130 West Bruno St

 

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First, the good news. I've finally retained a law firm to represent me in this fiasco. They are highly motivated, not only because of the enormity of what I've been put through and am still suffering, but because the son of one of their clients was shot and killed by El Monte police. They are filing my lawsuit in federal court next month. Federal, not state, court, which should make the case more significant and powerful.

 

The bad news is that, while I'm finally over this hurdle, I have to survive until the suit is resolved, and life on the street is getting worse all the time. Things have gone steadily downhill in the time since my stuff was stolen on the train. They're rapidly getting worse and worse and I feel like I'm sinking into quicksand without a lifeline. It's just one thing after another, one thing after another. Would you believe I was robbed again? Yes, again, for the second time. On the same train line as before, a line I am never, ever going to travel on again, not for any reason whatsoever.

 

The first time, it happened because I had dozed off. This time, I was wide awake. I was sitting in my seat next to a window, and my new duffel bag and new drawstring bag were on the seat next to me. The drawstring bag was atop the duffel bag, and my arm was over both, protecting them. As the train pulled out of the Little Tokyo station (which seems to be where the thieves attack), I was looking out the window. Suddenly, I felt the drawstring bag get yanked out from under my arm. I immediately looked and saw it was gone. I never saw the thief come or go, not even with my peripheral vision, nor did I hear a sound.

 

I immediately grabbed my duffel bag and got up and searched the car I was in. There were five or six other people, and I looked at their belongings and under their seats. None of them had my bag. Then I went into the next car. My bag was there, left on a seat. I grabbed it and opened it and found that nothing was missing. I don't keep anything of value in it anyway, only a water bottle, a small pillow for sleeping, and various snacks. Everything else is in the duffel bag. The thief must have searched it quickly and then left it behind. From the moment he yanked the bag out from under my arm, to the moment I found the bag, no more than a minute elapsed. The guy struck like lightning, and I never saw him.

 

I got off at the next stop and found security and told them what had happened, then also told Metro police. They both told me the same thing, that such incidents were on the rise and there wasn't much they could do about it except file reports. I got on another train and went back to Little Tokyo and got off when I saw a Metro ambassador there. I told him about the incident and he remarked that someone had stolen his backpack the week before. We both agreed that the action seemed to be centered around that station, and he said he'd file a report and recommend increased security there.

 

While riding the trains has become so risky, sleeping in the park isn't much better. I've been sleeping there for three months now, and for the first half of that period, things were rather calm. It sucked, and it was cold, but it was relatively stable. Not very many homeless people around, and the area where I sleep was deserted overnight. Not anymore. Over the past several weeks, more and more people have been showing up at the park, unsavory people, drug users, nutjobs howling and screaming in the night, including one guy who howls like a wolf. And they all gravitate to the area where I sleep. There isn't a single night when I have any sort of privacy at all like I did before. They don't seem to sleep and they spend the night wandering around and prowling like lost souls. I wake up in the middle of the night to urinate and often find one or two of them no more than 20 feet away from me, just hanging around, and I wonder what they're up to while I sleep. I feel like I'm risking my life every time I close my eyes and curl up on that bench, but what can I do? I just pray to God to protect me while I'm asleep and completely vulnerable.

 

Over and over, I get approached by people who ask me for drugs, or ask me if I want drugs. I tell them I don't do drugs, sorry. They walk away. I can't help but worry if one of these days my answer will piss one of them off. And I ask God, "Why, why have You put me here? You know the kind of person I am, the way my parents raised me, the way You have fashioned me. You know this isn't my environment, any more than jail was, that I'm not compatible with it at all, and that I don't belong here one single iota. Why am I here? Why am I being forced to endure and suffer all of this? What is the point? What is being accomplished?" What is being accomplished is the slow, gradual destruction of my psyche, and both my mental and physical health.

 

I've lost all the weight I had regained during the months I was at the motel, and I'm thinner now than I was before. When I first left the motel in early July, I could hardly put on my pants, that's how tight they were. Now I could fit twice in them. Same goes for my pullover. The sleeves hang on me to the point the cuffs cover half my hands. The stress is killing me. Until recently, I was able to handle all of this. My mind and my faith were both strong enough to roll with the punches and keep functioning. But now it's become just too much. It's too much, everything that's happened since March 6 of last year, one thing piled on top of another with no respite, no mercy. I feel like someone continues to force my head under water and won't stop until I drown.

 

A couple of weeks ago, as I sat on that park bench playing solitaire on my phone before going to sleep, a guy wandered over and said hello. So I said hi. Then he asked me if I was friendly. I didn't know what he meant by that, so I said, "What?" He asked again if I was friendly. I shrugged and replied, "I guess I am." He turned and walked off. About fifteen minutes later, he came back, sat down on the ground right next to the bench, and asked me if I was there looking for a sexual encounter with another guy.

 

I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. I said, "Look, I'm not gay in the slightest. Not at all. That's NOT why I'm here." I didn't bother to tell him why I was there, the whole story of how I'd ended up on a bench in the park.

 

He was surprised at my reaction, and embarrassed. He said, "Oh, I'm sorry" and got up and quickly walked off. I never saw him again. But over the past week, I keep seeing guys wandering around and hovering nearby and occasionally watching me, and it seems this area has become, or was all along, a place where guys cruise looking for other guys.

 

Last week, I started to develop urinary problems. Normally, I'd get up once or twice during the overnight to urinate, but over the past month the number of times started to increase. I didn't give it much thought because I know being in cold weather makes you urinate more, and I reasoned it wasn't any prostrate problem because I have a strong, steady urine flow and don't feel any restriction. But last week, my urination rapidly increased to the point where I had to go nine times in just one night, NINE times. On top of that, I developed flu-like symptoms and general body aches, forcing me to buy some Advil and take it. Two a day were enough to keep me going, but it was obvious to me that the toll all of this has been taking on me has reached crisis levels.

 

This past weekend, Saturday and yesterday, were the worst. I woke up Saturday morning to find that I'd wet myself while sleeping the night before. It wasn't much, just enough to moisten my underwear and my pants. The last time I wet myself was before I started first grade, so we're talking 1967 or '68. And yet I wet myself now at the age of 60. I had to wait until I got to the Target in Azusa to duck into the bathroom and change my underwear and clean myself and my pants as thoroughly as possible with baby wipes.

 

After that, I tried to take it easy for the rest of the day and stayed in a park next to the train station in Azusa which is always empty and very serene. But I had no peace, because every so often I got the urge to urinate and had to keep ducking behind bushes to go. Each time, only a little bit dribbled out. I considered the possibility I had cystitis, which would account for the urinary symptoms and the flu-like symptoms, and I've had cystitis in the past, but this time it was different. With cystitis, you have a burning or stinging sensation when you pass urine, but I had no such sensation. In fact, I barely had any sensation at all, as if my penis were under anesthesia, and it reached the point where I no longer felt the need to urinate. I could feel a few drops leak out every now and then with no prior warning, and even if I tried to hold them in and constrict my muscles, they leaked out anyway. This went on all weekend.

 

Yesterday, I stayed in Azusa again, and at midday I went to a 99 cents store that's a 15 minute walk from the park. While shopping there, I got the urge to urinate, so I asked an employee if I could use the restroom. She said it was not in service. This was a lie, since they have restrooms for the employees, but they don't want people coming in off the street and using the facilities, so this is what they say. It's not fair to customers and it's an insult to the intelligence. Why not just say, "It's our policy that restrooms are for employees only"? Lots of other business WILL allow customers to use the restrooms but not anyone off the street.

 

By yesterday, I wasn't in a good mood at all. After everything that's happened since March 6 of last year, and everything that's been going on recently, seemingly ramping up, I was about to take someone's head off, anyone. I asked the employee for the manager, and she said he was up front. So I went to see the man and asked to use the restroom. He started hemming and hawing, so I told him, "Look, I usually don't do this, but I have cystitis right now and I need to go. Do you know what cystitis is?" He said no. I said, "It's when you have an infection in your urinary tract. You get sudden strong urges to go that you can barely hold in. I need to use the restroom." He continued to dilly-dally, so I said flat out, "Look, I'm shopping here right now, and I shopped here last weekend and the weekend before that. I don't want to wet my pants in front of your other customers, and I don't think you want that either. I need to use the restroom. Now." He paused, then called over another employee and told him to take me back to the restroom.

 

The rest of the day continued to decline, with my urinary symptoms getting no better. By evening, I left Azusa to return to the park in Pasadena where I sleep. When I got off the train, I did what I always do -- stop at the nearest bench, put my duffel bag on it, then put the drawstring bag on my back before picking up the duffel bag again and  heading out. This time, as I put the drawstring bag on, someone came up behind me suddenly and yelled "Hey!" right in my ear.

 

I I had a heart condition, I could have had a heart attack or a stroke. As it was, I jumped in alarm, and instinctively, without even thinking, grabbed my duffel bag so whoever it was couldn't grab and steal it. The guy who'd yelled came around in front of me, laughing like an idiot, as if he'd just played a practical joke on a friend instead of scaring a total stranger half to death, and asked me, "Do you smoke weed?"

 

The guy's lucky I didn't pummel him to the platform or whip out my stun gun and put him down. I said, "NO, I don't use drugs!" He kept laughing and wandered off. I just stood there for a while, recovering and trying to calm down, and realized just how angry I was. After the illness and everything else this weekend, I felt half-delirious and wasn't thinking straight. I thought, "I'm in one of the levels of hell, surrounded by demons. Why am I here???"

 

If I'd had a gun when that punk did that, I can't guarantee I wouldn't have pulled it out and either shot him or threatened to shoot him if he didn't get the hell out of my face. I left the station thinking, "I'm gonna end up like Charles Bronson in "Death Wish" or Robert DeNiro in "Taxi Driver" if these people keep getting in my face.

 

By the time I reached the bench in the park, I had decided that I had to book a night at the motel again and get the hell off the street if only for 24 hours, so I could relax, take a bath, wash my hair, wash my clothes, and clean all my stuff, especially after having wet myself. It has been a whole month since the last time I was there for a one night pit stop and I desperately needed another pit stop. There's simply no way I could carry on without getting a break. So I checked my finances, and what with having to replace everything that was stolen a month ago, I barely had enough to book one night. If I did it, that would bring my bank account to only $50 and leave me nothing to pay my monthly Earthlink bill or my B of A monthly service fee after November. Then I remembered that my EBT card can be used to pay for food OR to withdraw EBT cash, and since there's enough accumulated in my EBT account to give me an extra month every month, I reasoned that I'd withdraw $50 in EBT cash and deposit it in my bank account. So I went ahead and made the reservation.

 

When I went to the Azusa Target this morning, as I do every morning to use the restroom and buy my food for the day, I attempted to withdraw the $50. It wouldn't let me do it. I tried several times, but it simply wouldn't let me withdraw cash. I couldn't even call my social worker because all ,my EBT information, all the correspondence and paperwork I had from DPSS, was in my original duffel bag and was stolen along with everything else in it. So now I'm screwed, because I can't cancel the reservation, and even if I could, I wouldn't, because I simply cannot go beyond this week without a rest. I guess when I check into the motel tomorrow, I'll have to beg them not to take their usual security deposit, otherwise my bank account will get wiped out and I have no idea how I'm going to get anything else done past this week anyway.

 

 

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Hope you get the justice you deserve through the Federal court, and once you do, I suggest you get the fuck as far away from L.A as possible if you can so you can start fresh. L.A's an irredeemable cesspit with crooked cops, corrupt politicians, vapid and superficial people, dumbfuck celebrities, and home to a pedophile/sex pest nest called Hollywood. The city itself is also a monument to inequality (just look at the stark differences between the rich and poor areas).

 

I'm with Bill Hicks and Maynard James Keenan in thinking the place deserves to sink into the ocean and form a little place called Arizona Bay.

 

I wish you the best, hope things get better, and hope you can still find meaning in your life despite all you went through. I grew up playing your creations, and I hope you don't stop creating and pursuing things you are passionate about, in spite of it all.

Edited by StrikerMan780

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On 10/17/2023 at 6:42 AM, Laz Rojas said:

First, the good news. I've finally retained a law firm to represent me in this fiasco. They are highly motivated, not only because of the enormity of what I've been put through and am still suffering, but because the son of one of their clients was shot and killed by El Monte police. They are filing my lawsuit in federal court next month. Federal, not state, court, which should make the case more significant and powerful.

 

Really happy to hear you've found someone willing to represent you, Laz. The process will likely be long from everything I've heard about court cases big or small, but whenever you think you have something interesting to tell us, do let us know. As for your day-to-day struggles, I can only suggest that perhaps you avoid those train stations where you keep getting accosted by weirdos and find a different park to sleep in. Incidentally, have you tried any of the homeless shelters in your area? I know they're not always ideal and some people wind up preferring the streets instead, but I haven't read you mentioning trying one yet in any of your posts, so it might worth a try if you can find one.

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L.A. aside California is a failed state, I don't understand the pride a number of its residents have for it still. Stay safe and stay strong, and from the bottom of our hearts, we love you.

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If I wasn't in such a financially tight situation I would've donated in without any hesitation. But for fuck's sake, how's that detective not fucking fired from his fucking job? This was fucking blood curdling Jesus fucking Christ.

Sorry for the excessive swearing, but man this brings nothing but fucking rage out of me reading through every word. 

 

I wish for the absolute best for Laz. This is some bullshit I wouldn't curse upon my worst enemy. Nobody deserves this.

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3 hours ago, Lila Feuer said:

L.A. aside California is a failed state, I don't understand the pride a number of its residents have for it still. Stay safe and stay strong, and from the bottom of our hearts, we love you.

 

A lot of people possibly never even see the problems or if they do, they're able to tune it out because hey at least it's not happening to them. It simply becomes environmental background noise. That, or they simply don't care.

 

Glad to hear you finally found some representation Laz. I hope it goes well and reasonably quickly so you can build a new life.

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13 hours ago, StrikerMan780 said:

I suggest you get the fuck as far away from L.A as possible if you can so you can start fresh.

 

Well, the rest of the US doesn't seem to be that much better off either, if you look at the live map below (from the past days) it's like a fucking warzone.

 

livemap-usa.jpg

 

For comparison, this is (eastern) Ukraine at the moment:

 

ukraine.jpg

 

Anyway like I said before, please stay safe out there. Hope you get the help you need.

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So the gofundme is still in operation... I have no idea how this works, does that mean that @Laz Rojas doesn't actually have access to the money yet? I could donate now but if it wouldn't help until later then I'd rather find a more direct way? I sent a message to Laz but no reply yet, anyone have another contact method? (if so please only send in PM, obviously do not post any private contact info!)

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Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

 

@Laz Rojas I suggest finding a local church. I'm quite sure that you have professed your faith in Christ, and I'm more than certain that a strong church would be willing to help you. At least that's how my church handles anyone who comes by. If you have the means, I suggest stopping by my church, Grace Community Church. This is quite a big church, with tons of people to help out a fellow believer.

 

Praying for you, brother.

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I intend to make a modest donation to his Go Fund Me...... I just need some level of confirmation that the $ is still going to him.......

 

I feel for this guy, I do.

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1 hour ago, Chipper35 said:

I intend to make a modest donation to his Go Fund Me...... I just need some level of confirmation that the $ is still going to him.......

 

I feel for this guy, I do.

 

It is, he said that the donations get deposited straight to his bank account within a few days. Quite a few people have donated in the past few weeks, which is great. But I know he's still had to sleep outside for most of the nights since we last heard from him :( so anyway we won't know anything more until he posts again.

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OK. That's cool. I'll go ahead and make it happen. I know he's in a rough spot, but I wish we could hear something from him....... There has GOT TO BE some way for this dude to connect with a group of stable people, at least. The cost of living in California is insane. But if he just had a cluster of people...........

I feel for the guy. I mean, heck: A Salvation Army would put a roof over his head 7 hours a day.

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Yeah I initially suggested getting out of such an expensive place, but it sounds like a lawyer is actually going to take up his case and so I can see why he would need to stick around (especially if he can't always be easily reachable by phone/internet/etc). 

 

Cali has a ridiculous amount of people without homes and so I imagine all shelters are stressed to the max. Also, they unfortunately have to kick people out constantly, which sucks but also makes some amount of sense. They can't just let people stay forever, if someone else is out on the street then it isn't quite fair to let you sit comfortably while they get no help at all. So basically they will let you stay for a bit but then you get rotated out in favor of someone who is in worse shape than you. This is why shelters alone aren't enough to really combat homelessness. They are by necessity a temporary band-aid. True rehabilitation can only happen with more long-term programs where people can actually get into permanent housing and employment, which obviously requires more resources than our states are willing to allocate.

 

Since Laz is not on drugs or suffering from other debilitating conditions, they probably give him very low priority at most places. The squeaky wheel gets the oil, y'know?

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I won't mention much, but I got a thank you note from Laz on one of the donations I did, it was sent to me Tuesday this week (quite a while after donating).

 

3BXZSN0.png

 

This hopefully points towards him being alive (not sure if well, but hopefully so).

 

Spoiler

Strange that I got a message though, it was anonymous donations, not to worry though.

 

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Damn. I realize I've made myself very unpopular here because all this previously posted religious nonsense is getting on my nerves. But let's cut to the chase: isn't there any fellow doomer in his

area who can give him a place to stay? At least for one or two weeks to catch some breath?

This is not about christianity, it's about humanity.

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I received a thanks (on GoFundMe) from Laz a couple of weeks ago. I'd made 2 modest donations. It was good to hear from him. I wish he would check in here.

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21 minutes ago, Chipper35 said:

I received a thanks (on GoFundMe) from Laz a couple of weeks ago. I'd made 2 modest donations. It was good to hear from him. I wish he would check in here.

 

Thanks chipper, good to hear he's ok.

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