John David Ross, affectionately known to downtown homeless people and their advocates as “Water Man Dave” for his years of helping the poor to quench their thirst, has died. He was 83.

Living on Social Security and at times facing physical threats, Ross devoted the past two decades to helping the homeless, often bringing them food and bottles of water.

His legacy is greater than his nickname implies. His lawsuit involving the police practice of discarding homeless possessions led to a change in the procedure and the creation of the city’s first storage center for homeless people’s belongings.

Known as gregarious and quick with a joke, the retired car salesman told The San Diego Union-Tribune last year that he got his nickname about 18 years earlier, when he was a volunteer at the St. Vincent de Paul’s homeless assistance complex. One cold and rainy day after leaving his volunteer job, he said he noticed a woman shivering under a bridge. He pulled over to offer her a blanket, and she asked for water instead.


“Then it dawned on me,” he said. “These people are thirsty. Can you imagine a need any more basic than water? There’s no water fountains down here. My God, they need water.”

He went to a store and returned with a case of water, then was mobbed by homeless people. He had found a new calling, and became a frequent sight downtown.

He called his mission the Isaiah Project, and his work included lobbying the city for more downtown bathrooms for homeless people to use and advocating for other changes to improve the lives of people on the street.

“I was always very impressed with the way he looked on others,” said Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO of Father Joe’s Village. “He just worked tirelessly for those who were less fortunate than he was because he believed in them. He couldn’t understand or accept a world that treated people poorly.”


Vargas said Ross was somebody who wanted to have a positive impact on other people’s lives.

“But it wasn’t just water,” he said. “It was the interaction he had with each individual. He was recognizing their existence and even recognizing their potential. He showed them that he cared. If it seemed like the rest of the world didn’t care, he wanted them to know he cared.”

John Brady, who spent a year on the streets in downtown San Diego before getting a home in December 2016, was saddened to hear of Ross’s passing and remembered getting water and snacks from him.

“It was such a relief, and he was such a wonderful guy,” Brady said. “And he was so loved. He was empathetic to people on the street. There was nothing but love and respect, and he did everything possible to make lives better.”


Brady, production manager for the homeless vocal group Voices of Our City Choir, said Ross often had sharp words for city officials and predicted last year’s deadly hepatitis A outbreak because of unsanitary conditions downtown.

For most people, however, he said Ross always had a kind word.

“He always listened,” Brady said. “It was clear that he had long-term relationships with lots of people. It always impressed me that he remembered people’s names. He was on the side of people who were unsheltered.”

Fellow homeless advocate Michael McConnell also remembered Ross as a tireless worker and constant presence downtown.


“I’d see him driving around all the time with his dog, a one-eyed little white doggy, and he was in his beat-up car,” McConnell said. “People loved him. They’d just come up to him. He put himself out there. It was inspiring to watch.”

McConnell recalled Ross’s lawsuit against the city when police officers were throwing away tents and other belongings of homeless people, while they were inside God’s Extended Hand, a downtown church that offers food and shelter.

About seven years ago, attorney Scott Dreher negotiated an agreement with the city known as the Isaiah Settlement, which requires a three-day notice before items are cleared from sidewalks. That settlement also led to the creation of a storage facility on Broadway and 9th Avenue in 2011.

“He was so proud of the storage facility,” McConnell said. “It gave people some basic dignity and let them store their belongings and be treated like human beings.”


McConnell said he helped Ross set up the facility “in an old rickety city storage facility,” where the Isaiah Project operated it for a year.

The facility since has moved to 252 16th St. and is run by Think Dignity under the named the Transitional Storage Facility.

McConnell remembered Ross for his appearances before the City Council and flinty advocacy for the homeless, but he also remembered a lighter side.

“He loved telling jokes,” McConnell said. “He loved throwing a football.”


Ross’s advocacy came with some risks. In a 2017 interview with the Union-Tribune, Ross said he had been hospitalized several times because of injuries suffered on the street. He lost teeth from a punch to the face, was stabbed in the neck with a screwdriver, shot in the leg by a ricocheting bullet and stabbed in the abdominal with a box cutter.

In 2009, Ross filed a claim against the city because, he said, a San Diego police officer had assaulted him while he handed out water. Ross was taken to a hospital with a concussion and a torn rotator cuff.

In 2011, a jury found the officer used unreasonable force and was negligent during the altercation, and Ross was awarded about $3,000 for medical costs and $1,000 for physical pain and emotional suffering.

1 / 21 Dave Ross, also know as Water Man, comforts Jia Lawton, a homeless woman who gets emotional after receiving bottled water from Ross on 17th Street in San Diego. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 21 Tears flow as Jia Lawton, who is homeless, talks about what it’s like to be living on the streets while on 17th Street in San Diego. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 21 Mary Mason, who is homeless, sits next to her cart filled with her belongings on 17th Street. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 21 Homeless people live in tents on 17th Street in San Diego. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 21 Homeless people live in tents on 17th Street in San Diego. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 21 Dave Ross loads up on bottled water, which he’ll hand out to homeless people, at the East Village Grocery Outlet. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 21 Dave Ross loads up on bottled water, chips, and other snacks, which he’ll hand out to homeless people, at the East Village Grocery Outlet. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 21 Store owner Ryan Parrish places items in a cart loaded bottled water, chips, and other snacks, as Dave Ross pays for it all with checker Cindy Stephan at the East Village Grocery Outlet. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 21 Dave Ross shakes hands with store owner Ryan Parrish while he buys bottled water, chips, and other snacks, which he’ll hand out to homeless people, from checker Cindy Stephan at the East Village Grocery Outlet. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 21 Dave Ross loads his car with bottled water he just bought, which he’ll hand out to homeless people, at the East Village Grocery Outlet. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 21 Dave Ross says hello to homeless people as he arrives to hand them bottled water on 17th Street. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 21 Dave Ross hands out bottled water to homeless people from the back of his car on 17th Street. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 21 Mary Ellen Paredez, right, helps distribute bottled water to other homeless people from the back of Dave Ross’s car on 17th Street. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 21 Dave Ross, left, gives candy to Gary Arnold and Katarina Boudreau, who are new to being homeless. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 21 Dave Ross, center talks to Katarina Boudreau and Gary Arnold, who are new to being homeless, after giving them bottled water and chips. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 21 Dave Ross hugs Katarina Boudreau after giving her and her boyfriend, who are both homeless, bottled water and chips. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 21 Dave Ross, right says goodbye to Katarina Boudreau and Gary Arnold, who are new to being homeless, after Ross gave them water and snacks. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 21 After getting bottled water, chips, and guidance from Dave Ross, Katarina Boudreau and Gary Arnold, who are new to being homeless, hug each other. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 19 / 21 The side of Dave Ross’s car has “Water Man” on it. | Photo by Hayne Palmour IV/San Diego Union-Tribune/Mandatory Credit: HAYNE PALMOUR IV/SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE/ZUMA PRESS San Diego Union-Tribune Photo by Hayne Palmour IV copyright 2017 (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 20 / 21 Beverly Tanner, a San Diego City College student that is homeless, stands next to a storage locker she can use at a locker facility for homeless people, operated by Think Dignity, in San Diego. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 21 / 21 Beverly Tanner, a San Diego City College student that is homeless, hugs Dave Ross, also know as Water Man, at a locker facility for homeless people, operated by Think Dignity, in San Diego. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)


gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

760-529-4939


UPDATES:

8:15 p.m. This story was updated with recollections and commentary from advocates and others who knew Ross.