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KPBS Midday Edition

San Diego Cartoonist Steve Breen Aims To Humanize The Homeless Through Artwork

A sketch of Jerry M., a homeless man who sleeps near Balboa Park.
Steve Breen, The San Diego Union-Tribune
A sketch of Jerry M., a homeless man who sleeps near Balboa Park.
San Diego Cartoonist Steve Breen Aims To Memorialize The Homeless Through Art
San Diego Cartoonist Steve Breen Aims To Memorialize The Homeless Through Art GUEST: Steve Breen, editorial cartoonist, The San Diego Union-Tribune

TRIBUNE READERS HAVE LONG ENJOYED STEVE BREEN AND WE TALKED TO HIM ABOUT HIS NEW PROJECT BRINGING HIS SKETCHES OF SAN DIEGO PEOPLE ON THE STREET AND HE HAS SURPRISING STORIES. THE TIME IS 12:47 AND YOU ARE LISTENING TO "KPBS MIDDAY EDITION". STEVE IS JOINING US TODAY AND WE ALL KNOW HOMELESSNESS HAS BECOME A BIG ISSUE AND THE NUMBERS HAVE GROWN TO MORE THAN 9000 PEOPLE AND THE NUMBER OF ON SHELTERED HAS INCREASED MORE THAN THE ONES WHO ARE SHELTERED. WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO GET INVOLVED? THE UNION TRIBUNE MOVED OUR OPERATIONS DOWNTOWN ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND IN THAT TIME WE HAD NOTICED PEOPLE WHO WORK AT THE NEWSPAPER WOULD NOTICED THAT THIS INCREASE IN HOMELESSNESS AND IT'S SHOCKING. WE ARE IT 600 B STREET AND AT THE SHELTER ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR NEWSPAPER AND EVEN IF YOU TAKE OF LOCKDOWN TO THE LOCAL CVS 711 THERE ARE HOMELESS EVERYWHERE AND THAT GOT US THINKING HOW COULD WE DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO SHINE SOME LIGHT ON THE PROBLEM. TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PEOPLE YOU MET. IT MUST'VE BEEN INTERESTING. YOU ARE GOING OUT ON THE STREETS. I AM LEAVING MY COZY DRAWING TABLE AND ART STUDIO AT THE NEWSPAPER AND WALKING INTO THE GRITTY CITY WE ARE FINDING ANYONE WHO IS WILLING TO TALK TO US. I AM WALKING UP TO PEOPLE ON THE STREET WHO APPEARED TO BE HOMELESS AND ASKING THEM IF WE CAN TALK TO THEM AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR LIFE. ARE YOU DOING THE SKETCHES RIGHT THERE ON THE STREET? SOMETIMES I DO IT ON THE SPOT. SOMETIMES I TAKE A PICTURE AND DRAW BACK IN MY STUDIO DEPENDING ON HOW SAFE I FEEL. THE INTERESTING THING IS A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LOOK UNAPPROACHABLE, ONCE YOU GET THEM TALKING THEY WANT TO SHARE EVERYTHING WITH YOU. BECAUSE HERE YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS TREATING THEM LIKE A HUMAN BEING AND ASKING THEM WHERE YOU COME FROM AND WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE IN A YEAR AND WHAT IS YOUR STORY. ARE THOSE STORIES INCLUDED IN THE PROJECT? SOME FASCINATING AND ONE-MAN WAS FROM JAMAICA AND HIS NAME WAS URIAH AND WE ARE GIVEN PERMISSION TO USE THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE ASKED OF COURSE FOR THAT AND URIAH HAS BEEN HOMELESS FOR SEVERAL YEARS. HE DID NOT TELL ME EXACTLY. HE IS 73 YEARS OLD AND I SAID WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE A YEAR FROM NOW AND HE SAYS HE WANTS TO GO HOME IN JAMAICA BUT HE LIKES BEING HOMELESS IN THE UNITED STATES. HE SAYS HE FEELS COMFORTABLE WITH THE HOMELESS PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES. NOT EVERY STORY IS LIKE THAT. MOST HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE THERE BECAUSE OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT ARE VERY CRUEL AND HEARTRENDING. DOES BRING UP THE QUESTION WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT HOW HOMELESS ARE CHOOSING NOT TO GO INTO THE SHELTERS. I FIND THAT. WHAT ARE THE REASONS? IT'S FRUSTRATING BECAUSE YOU KNOW WE ALL KNOW THAT THERE ARE SHELTERS AND YOU WOULD THINK THAT BY MENTIONING THESE SHELTERS TO THESE HOMELESS PEOPLE THAT THEY WOULD JUMP AT THE OPPORTUNITY. A SITUATION THAT WILL LET ME GET OFF THE STREET? THAT'S FANTASTIC. MANY DON'T GET EXCITED WHEN I SAY I KNOW SOMEONE AT THE SHELTER AND PUT YOU IN TOUCH WITH THEM. AND THEY KIND OF SHRUG THEIR SHOULDERS. NOT ALL BUT A LOT JUST DON'T APPEAR TO BE INTERESTED AND THERE IS A VARIETY OF REASONS FOR THAT. AGAIN I'M NOT AN EXPERT. A LOT OF TIMES MAYBE THEY CAN'T BRING A PARTNER INTO THE SHELTER OR THEY CAN'T DRINK AT THE SHELTER. YOU KNOW THERE'S RULES THEY HAVE TO FOLLOW SO THAT KIND OF DAMPENS THEIR INTEREST. ONE GENTLEMAN WHO I MET IN BALBOA PARK AT A FIVE MONTH OLD WITH THEM AND HIS WIFE WAS SLEEPING NEARBY ON A RANCH AND HE WAS SOMEONE WHO WE WERE ABLE TO SUGGEST TRY THIS SHELTER AND IT WORKED OUT AND HE IS NOW IN A HOMELESS SHELTER IN EAST COUNTY. YOUR CARTOONS, WE ARE FAMILIAR BUT THESE ARE LITTLE DIFFERENT. THEY ARE SKETCHES OF REAL PEOPLE. IT'S USING A DIFFERENT PART OF MY CREATIVE BRAIN TO COME UP WITH THESE. THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A PUNCHLINE AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE TOPICAL BUT I REALLY DO ENJOY SKETCHING THESE PEOPLE AND THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT A SKETCH OR DRAWING THE KIND OF ADS A LITTLE HUMANITY OR IT SOFTENS THE SUBJECT MORE THAN A PHOTO. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT IS A CARTOONIST WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN THE FACE TO GET ITS ESSENCE? THE EYES ARE IMPORTANT AND A LOT OF TIMES WE SEE THESE HOMELESS PEOPLE ON THE STREET AND WE DON'T WANT TO LOOK TUSSLE CLOSELY BECAUSE IT'S UNCOMFORTABLE AND UNPLEASANT AND SO WE LOOK AWAY BUT WHAT I AM TRYING TO DO IS LOOK CLOSELY AT THEIR FACE AND DRAW THAT FAITH IN A WAY THAT REMINDS YOU THIS IS A HUMAN BEING. SOMEHOW TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU START TO THINK ABOUT WITH THE HOMELESS CRISIS AS A RESULT WITH YOUR VERY CLOSE FACE-TO-FACE EXPERIENCE. IT GETS YOU TAKING A LOT AND REALIZING THAT EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT. I WAS DRAWING THE MAN THE OTHER DAY NAMED TIM AND HE WAS 63 YEARS OLD AND NOT TO BE FLIP BUT HE WAS YOUR CLASSIC HOMELESS LOOKING PERSON. DIRTY AND DON'T CLOSE IN FOR A BELT HE HAD A TELEVISION CABLE TIED AROUND HIS WAIST AND A STRAW HAT. IF HE WAS LEANING AGAINST THE SIDEWALK AND VERY WILLING TO TALK AND VERY NICE AND A WOMAN WALK AND SHE LOOKED LIKE SHE JUST CAME OUT OF THE SHOPPING MALL. FRESH CLOSE AND BATHED THAT SHE WAS STANDING AND STARING AT ME AS I WAS TALKING TO TIM AND I PAUSED AND I LOOK AT HER AND I SAID DID YOU WANT TO SPEAK WITH ME AND SHE SAID THROUGH TEARS I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT NOT EVERY PERSON LOOKS LIKE KIM. HOW ARE YOU ROLLING THEM OUT IN THE PAPER? ONCE A WEEK. THEY ARE RUNNING IN PRINT EVERY OTHER WEEK AND ONLINE EVERY WEEK. WHAT KIND OF REACTION HAVE YOU HAD -- HAVE YOU HAD? VERY POSITIVE AND I EVEN HEARD FROM TIM'S SISTER THE OTHER DAY WHO SAW HER BROTHER IN THE NEWSPAPER AND SAID YOU PROFILED MY BROTHER IF HE SUCH A LOVELY SOUL AND IT'S BEEN SO HARD AND DIFFICULT FOR THE FAMILY GETTING HIM HELP AND EVEN WHEN WE FIND HIM LOW-COST HOUSING THERE'S ALL KINDS OF PROPERTY DAMAGE THAT RESULTS AND ISSUES THAT DEVELOP SO IT'S NOT JUST LOW-COST HOUSING IT'S ALSO SUPPORT. SUPERVISION, MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND SO ONE. WRAPAROUND SERVICES IS WHAT THEY CALL IT. THERE IS NO EASY ANSWER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, STEVE. THAT'S A GOOD INSIGHT AND PEOPLE CAN SEE THE SKETCHES IN THE PAPER EVERY SUNDAY. AND WE WILL TRY DOING IT FOR SIX MONTHS AND SEE HOW IT GOES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN.

From Washington politics to city hall, San Diego cartoonist Steve Breen is used to tackling the news of the day with wit and humor.

But for the next couple of weeks he is turning his attention to another subject: San Diego's homeless crisis.

He has launched a new series called, “Street Art: Portraits of San Diego’s Homeless.” Breen plans to meet, chat and sketch the portraits of individuals who live on the streets of downtown San Diego. The goal, he said, is to memorialize and humanize the homeless.

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“There’s something about a sketch or a drawing that adds a little bit of humanity or it softens the subject a little bit more than a photograph,” Breen said. “A lot of times we see these homeless people, and we don’t want to look too closely because it’s uncomfortable and unpleasant. So, we look away. What I’m trying to do is look closely at their face, draw that face in a way that reminds you, this is a human being.”

This undated photo released by the Pulitzer Board shows U-T San Diego cartoonist Steve Breen, winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, April 20, 2009.
Associated Press
This undated photo released by the Pulitzer Board shows U-T San Diego cartoonist Steve Breen, winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, April 20, 2009.

San Diego's homeless population has skyrocketed downtown. The 2017 point-in-time homeless count found a 104 percent increase in the number of tents and hand-built structures from the previous year.

Breen talks about the project and the people he has met so far Tuesday on Midday Edition.