In the Name of Jordan Alexander Mackenzie –Allen Lindstrom Nicknamed “Minko”
On Mother’s Day 2019, May 12th, Jordan Alexander Mackenzie –Allen Lindstrom, 23, who came from a broken family, was fleeing police when he jumped into the Truckee River at the 2nd street bridge and drowned. He had lost his mother, who like him lived in outdoor encampments in the Reno area, a year before, of an apparent heart attack.
Media headlines called him a “thief”, but Sasha, who was homeless herself as a kid and teenager, and who had “taken him under her wing” for parts of his youth, when she befriended him when her life was going well, disputes this labelling.
“He was stealing from Walmart, but it wasn't because he was a robber or a thief. It was because he was most likely trying to get something for someone, clothes or food or tampons. I mean he was always looking out for somebody else,” she said of Minko, who helped others in the encampments which regularly get swept up in police operations. He had been living without stable shelter since he was 12.
“They were accepted by a community, you know, they don't turn people away because of their race, or their background, or what they've done in their life wrong. They found a community that accepts them for who they are. And they enjoy that, that makes them feel wanted and loved,” Sasha said of people like Minko who live in tent cities. She decided to name her new initiative in Minko’s honor and says “he would be proud.”
Advocating for a Safe Camp Ground
Like others such as the local group RISE, Sasha is advocating for a future local safe campground, where it’s legal to sleep. She says she understands the challenges of setting it up but remains optimistic.
“I've done some research and urbanized camping is something that's coming, it's slowly coming into acceptance across the country,” she said during our phone interview last week. “I think the reason that people are so standoffish with it is because society doesn’t really seem to know how to take care of people that have gotten to that point in their life. You know, they look, they have judgements, they form certain opinions that aren't necessarily correct.”
She says since it doesn’t exist yet, you can’t just go to City Hall and ask for a permit “to do a campground in the middle of the city for homeless,” even if it would make sense to many like her.
“It's a crying shame because most of the time, these are really good people,” she said of trying to help those like Minko before it’s too late. “They usually end up on the streets from really sad circumstances, things that are either out of their control or that they don't realize are going to put them in that circumstance until they already get there. And it's not that easy getting out,” she said. “It might be the only lifestyle that they have found that they are comfortable with.”
A recent encampment under the Wells Ave. bridge as it was being disbanded.
A Lack of Understanding
To those who say the homeless should just get a job, get in line for resources, get off drugs, get medication for mental health issues, Sasha says it’s rarely that simple. She prefers a more gentle, caring approach, which empowers people, rather than making them feel as a problem to society.
“I don't think that these people are getting connected with the resources that are available to them because people expect them to come looking for them,” she explained. “You know, people are like, okay, well, there's food stamps and there's programs and there's housing and there’s rehab and all this. But once you've reached that point in your life, I mean, how many do you really expect are going to come looking for that? You know what I mean? So with Minko’s Project, we have a different approach. We want to bring what's available to these people. So instead of waiting for them to come knock on our door, we go through the encampments and we hand out water, we ask people if they need help, you know, if they might be available for certain resources. We ask if they need help, like getting online to print out applications or to try and connect them with those.”
Another often heard complaint is trash, even if trash containers are taken away when there are encampments, rather than placed conviently.
“Every time I've ever gone walking through those encampments, they've all got their trash bags, and it's sitting next to their tents or whatever the case may be, but there's nowhere to take it, you know? So we go through the trash bags and try and help alleviate that problem,” she said.
Whatever the season, there are tents in Reno, with people living in them trying to be as discrete as possible. “The homeless are not a different class of people,” Sasha said. “They're not someone that is there there to mooch off of people. They're not trying to use anyone. They're just in a circumstance that that's where they found themselves in life.”
Logistics of a Safe Campground and of the Non-Profit
Sasha says people could have belongings, “but not a ridiculous amount,” and register with the campsite, and put up their own tents themselves.
“They would get checked into their spot and we'd have showers so that they could take showers. I'd like to have like a rec hall, a kitchen so that we could do free meals. And, it would be a place where other organizations could come and offer their services as well.”
Eventually, Sasha would also like to help those on the river with yoga and meditation. “Those are the things that I'd like to be able to start promoting to these people to promote self wellness. I think that's the only way to get these people to change their mindset is to promote something like that. You know, you tell somebody that they're crazy and they need crazy people pills. They're going to look at you like you're dumb and walk away. You tell them that, you know, maybe meditation and yoga and a couple of extra bottles of water in your day. it really does go a long way,” she said.
As for the non-profit, Sasha said she is looking for a space close to the river to base herself out of, as she says her home office is starting to crumble under supplies. She says she’s open to any suggestions or help to continue with her momentum.
“I think it takes the compassion of another individual to show love, to showcase that they care enough, to help that person,” she says of people living in tents who others will criticize, and see as a problem, she sees as a worthy, beautiful life, just like Minko before his tragic death a little over a year ago.