Tyrone Evans Clark Interview with NRN’s Bryna Makowka

RIGHT NOW at NRN w/Tyrone Evans: Most of Us Will Never Even Have to Imagine Being Homeless

As I travelled East this past winter to visit my family, I didn’t see one homeless person on my trip. It may have been the colder conditions, but I suspect it must be more. For most it’s out of sight and out of mind. It creates a bubble where we don’t have to think about it much. Yet, this isn’t the case in California.

I wonder if the Hollywood elite choke on their hypocrisy when they drive down from their hilltop ivory thrones. It’s impossible to avoid now. Homelessness is everywhere in Los Angeles and throughout California. Tolerating it isn’t humane.

The lax laws and warm weather conditions make it a perfect storm to be a homeless person in California. Lately, it has gotten so terrible it’s a homeless apocalypse. You see drugged-out, mentally ill zombies running all over the streets. I hate to deascribe it like this, but it’s the God honest truth.

They don’t follow the cross walk signs. They masturbate in public, they shoot up, smoke and snort all kinds of illegal drugs, break into cars, homes, pouring of sewage, defecating in public. There was a case of a mentally ill homeless man who poured two months of his feces on top of a woman sitting at a light in her convertible. This poor woman needs to be tested for diseases for the rest of her life. The stories are endless and raising a family in this environment is unacceptable and extremely difficult if you have no choice.

If one is homeless and wants to rise above it, there are many resources if you look, or places to ask for help. The bible says in Matthew 21:22, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask in prayer.” But what does it take to look deep inside in order to rise above and get out? Faith, perseverance, grit, intelligence, family, government resources?

Putting Yourself In Their Shoes

I can’t imagine what it must be like to sleep just one night on the cold scary streets at night. The harsh desert conditions make it very cold and windy during the winter, with lots of cold rain. Just one night spent alone on the streets would make me so sad. To think that no-one in my family was there for me or that I got into that situation to begin with. That alone is torture.

The cost of living in LA is so high. I know I’m not the only Angeleno thinking how scary it could be to be homeless. It makes you say, “please God keep me safe, healthy and secure in my warm bed and home.” Its literally one step away.

Not everyone is a millionaire living here in Los Angeles. Knowing and seeing what extreme homelessness looks like, in such a wealthy state makes me think. There is more to this disaster than just perfect cesspool conditions. Who is getting paid from this disaster, I wonder.

The liberal state of mind is no state of mind I want. It is clear what 30 years of corrupt liberal laws will do to a state. We see it now. To bring me back to my initial question, how does a homeless person make it out of sleeping on the streets?

Getting Real Stories From the Real People

To help answer my question, I happened to meet a man named Tyrone Evans Clark, who shared his story with me. I appreciated his candor and that he shared such an intimate story. To better understand his story and how he was able to rise above and get off the streets, we met and had an interview. It is very remarkable when someone uses his intellect and grit, combined with hard work, to get off the streets, and here is his story.

Clark is an aspiring actor living here in Hollywood, originally from Chicago. He always had a passion for video games. As we all know, just having aspirations won’t get a person to getting what they want, they must work for it. Especially when there are so many people that flood the streets with the same aspirations of being famous.

Clark could have been just a number, but he decided he would refuse to be a statistic. As a young child, Clark had a strong mother who showed him this grit by overcoming pain and domestic abuse. Clark, his sisters and brothers all felt the hands of his father. After the death of Clark’s brother in a house fire, the pain and loss turned his father abusive.

Clark was finally able to get out of the house. When in high school, a husband and wife teacher team saw that this very intelligent high honor student was suffering somehow. They questioned him privately what was going on. Asking for help is very hard.

It takes such strength to ask someone for help. Feeling shameful is a very real emotion. Clark was able to find strength and ask for help. These two teacher angels gave him the idea of grant-assistance and helped show him how to access the resources to write these school grants.

On the Hard Road Up the Hill

Clark showed initiative and wrote for many grants, explaining his situation. He won many awards such as: the Push Excel Scholar, Horatio Alger Scholar, National A.C. E. 2005 Award, Rosa Parks Scholar, Burger King Scholar, Gates Millennium Scholar, and being a National Honor Society Member. All of these awards and grants propelled him to move from Chicago to Los Angeles to follow his dreams. He took charge of his life and was even written about and showcased in magazines as a young creative and scholar.

Still, all these highs came with more lows and trials of life. He became homeless again after breaking away from the home abuse and moving to LA, but he never gave up, he still hasn’t. Even while having no place to call home and living in a shelter, he started volunteering for the United Way of Los Angeles. He was even homeless at times living at homeless shelters or under the school steps while attending. He received a Bachelor Degree of Science in Game Art & Design from the Art Institute of California- Los Angeles.

Remarkable! His art and tech skills as a 3D programmer for games is vital in demonstrating his understanding for development, algorithms and data structures. He has talent but he didn’t just waste it like so many do. What a story of success, strength, faith and love of oneself.

Learning the Lesson

My belief is that in life we may get opportunities opened up by our family better known sometimes as nepotism. One may be super intelligent and their intellect opens the door, or perhaps our own beauty or talents spring that door open. The only thing that will make us great and make that open door stay open is our individual perseverance.

We can all get our foot in the door by nepotism, intellect, beauty or talents. It’s our grit, like Mr. Tyrone Evan Clark has, that will make us reach deep inside, and push us to rise to the occasion. No matter who is in our corner, we must first be our greatest cheerleaders and original love. How are you going to rise above today? Will you reach deep and find the grit? Lets come together and rise above and do the work, even if our local leaders refuse to. Be a leader and get involved!