2006: 86 Homeless Deaths

I've written about homelessness in SF for ten years, beginning with a flurry of letters to the editor before the advent of Gavin Newsom and Care Not Cash.

In fact it was the peculiar equanimity of city progressives in the face of what was clearly a social emergency on our streets that led me to increased criticism of San Francisco's progressives.

Gavin Newsom has not "solved" homelessness in San Francisco, as even he would admit. There may not in fact be a once-and-for-all solution to homelessness here---or in any other major American city, for that matter. Probably the best we can hope for is to put in place humane and pragmatic programs to cope with what seems to be a chronic homelessness problem here and across the country. I think Mayor Newsom is in the process of doing that with Care Not Cash, Homeward Bound, Project Homeless Connect, and the city's increased emphasis on supportive housing.

Even though the city's numbers show dramatic gains in providing the homeless with housing or bus tickets out of the city, there are obviously still many homeless on our streets. That shouldn't be surprising, since San Francisco doesn't have sealed borders: People are arriving here every day from other parts of the country. The city is a destination for the economically marginal and the emotionally unstable just as much as it is for well-heeled tourists.

Some months ago I wrote an item on the number of homeless deaths in SF for 2006, even though I didn't have all the information necessary to make an accurate tally.

Now that I have more information, we can say with some precision how many homeless people died on our streets in 2006---a total of 86---and, to a limited extent, how they died and who they were. The information below in italics is from the Homeless Death Forms from the Department of Public Health's Office of Vital Records and Statistics.

So who were these people? A simple, one-page form is only going to provide the most basic kind of information; it can't tell us who these people were as individuals. The Death Form does tell us that of the 86 people who died homeless in SF in 2006, 76 were men and only 10 were women; 44 were white, 29 were black, 2 were Asian, and 10 were Latino. Drugs and alcohol were mentioned as a possible cause of death on 29 of the forms, which means that the relationship in these instances must have been obvious to the authorities. Others died in circumstances that we can assume involved drugs and alcohol, but that fact was not clearly the immediate cause of death. Nor can the Homeless Death Form be expected to tell us how many of the dead had serious emotional disorders, but it's safe to assume that some did.

The numbers tell us that the average homeless fatality in SF in 2006 was a middle-aged white or black man. Only 7 of the 86 were under 30 years old; 60 were between the ages of 41 and 60; only 7 were older than 61. Clearly, being homeless on the streets of the city doesn't do anything to improve one's life-expectancy.

18 died violently---stabbed, shot, hit by cars. One was hit by a train.

It's a disheartening subject to write about, all that wasted life, assuming that life as a derelict with a substance abuse problem is in fact wasted. How many could have been saved with more and/or better outreach? How many refused help when it was offered? We'll never know, at least based on the information here. But I bet city cops and social workers are familiar with a lot of the names on this roster.

Name of Deceased: Bryce White
Date of Death: January 4, 2006
Place of Death: California Pacific Medical Center
Circumstances of death: Acute peridarditis, NOS
Birthdate: 2/3/1963
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Rich Wilmoth
Date of Death: 1/20/2006
Place of Death: Residence
Circumstances of Death: Found in bathtub
Age: 53
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: John Doe #5
Date of Death: 1/21/2006
Place of Death: Found on street
Circumstances of Death: Possibly drug related
Age: 70?
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: unknown
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Pretrice Twine
Date of Death: 1/23/2006
Place of Death: San Francisco General Hospital
Circumstances of Death: App. drug related (pending)
Age: 53
Sex: Female
Last Known Living Situation: Shelter bed
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Ronald Foster
Date of Death: 1/25/2006
Place of Death: CPMC
Circumstances of Death: Drug related
Age: 46
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Daniel Bernard Theisen
Date of Death: 1/27/2006
Place of Death: SF General Hospital
Circumstances of Death: Died at SF General Hospital
Age: [not included]
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation:
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Marvin Tolefree
Date of Death: 2/8/2006
Place of Death: Fairfax Hotel
Circumstances of Death: Possibly drug related/pending
Age: 54
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Oscar Hernandez
Date of Death: 2/8/2006
Place of Death: Bay waters
Circumstances of Death: Pending
Age: 42
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Latino

Name of Deceased: Ralph Carroll
Date of Death: 2/10/2006
Place of Death: Polk/Ellis Travelodge
Circumstances of Death: Possibly drug-related
Age: 49
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Robert Fagley
Date of Death: 2/10/2006
Place of Death: Friend’s house
Circumstances of Death: Dead on bed
Age: 58
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Kimberly Dell
Date of Death: 2/16/2006
Place of Death: Krishna Hotel
Circumstances of Death: Pending/Found dead on bed
Age: 35
Sex: Female
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Stephen Martin
Date of Death: 2/19/2006
Place of Death: Friend’s room
Circumstances of Death: Found on chair
Age: 54
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Robert Esquivel
Date of Death: 2/21/2006
Place of Death: Cousin’s house
Circumstances of Death: Found on floor/pending
Age: 42
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Latino

Name of Deceased: Floyd Market
Date of Death: 2/22/2006
Place of Death: Street
Circumstances of Death: Motor vehicle accident
Age: 49
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Keith Armstrong
Date of Death: 2/23/2006
Place of Death: Street
Circumstances of Death: Drugs vs. Natural, still pending
Age: 49
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Mark Houlihan
Date of Death: 2/25/2006
Place of Death: St. Francis Hospital
Circumstances of Death: Blunt trauma/Collapsed
Age: 77
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Deron Maynard
Date of Death: 3/6/2006
Place of Death: Street corner
Circumstances of Death: possibly drug related
Age: 40
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: John Sumaruck
Date of Death: 3/10/2006
Place of Death: CPMC
Circumstances of Death: Complications of Chronic Ethanolism
Age: 52
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outdoors
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: David Justice
Date of Death: 3/13/2006
Place of Death: Parking lot
Circumstances of Death: Pending
Age: 55
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outdoors
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Raymond Lee
Date of Death: 3/13/2006
Place of Death: Closet
Circumstances of Death: Pending
Age: 45
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Asian/Pacific Islander

Name of Deceased: Dennis Gallegos
Date of Death: 3/29/2006
Place of Death: Garage floor
Circumstances of Death: Possibly drug-related
Age: 50
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Robert Chapman
Date of Death: 4/1/2006
Place of Death: SF General Hospital
Circumstances of Death: Gunshot wound 187
Age: 24
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: James Olivas
Date of Death: 4/8/2006
Place of Death: Hotel room
Circumstances of Death: Possibly drug related
Age: 29
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Latino

Name of Deceased: Michael McGinn
Date of Death: 4/19/2006
Place of Death: Golden Gate Park
Circumstances of Death: Pending; possibly natural
Age: 62
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outdoors
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Megan Bell
Date of Death: 4/21/2006
Place of Death: YMCA, 8th Floor Hallway
Circumstances of Death: Pending
Age: 25
Sex: Female
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Michael Jackson
Date of Death: 4/22/2006
Place of Death: Harbor & Ingels Streets
Circumstances of Death: Gunshot wound 187
Age: 46
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Willie Allen
Date of Death: 4/22/2006
Place of Death: SF General Hospital
Circumstances of Death: 187 Stabbing
Age: 49
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Marvin Williams
Date of Death: 4/26/2006
Place of Death: Friend’s house
Circumstances of Death: Possible overdose
Age: 40
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Stanley Simpson
Date of Death: 5/2/2006
Place of Death: CPMC
Circumstances of Death: Drug related
Age: 43
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Francisco Velasco
Date of Death: 5/4/2006
Place of Death: Crosswalk, Geneva & Prague Streets
Circumstances of Death: Pedestrian vs. auto
Age: 44
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Latino

Name of Deceased: Karl Vedder
Date of Death: 5/5/2006
Place of Death: California Pacific Medical Center
Circumstances of Death: Pneumococcal septicemia
Age: 44
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: By paramedics from apartment
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: James Baker
Date of Death: 5/6/2006
Place of Death: Bushes in front of Market & Dolores Street
Circumstances of Death: Pending
Age: 56
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Clinton Williams
Date of Death: 5/20/2006
Place of Death: SF General Hospital
Circumstances of Death: Drug related
Age: 41
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Italo Solimano
Date of Death: 5/30/2006
Place of Death: In front of #1 Osage Alley
Circumstances of Death: Apparent overdose
Age: 50
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Andre Donaldson
Date of Death: 5/30/2006
Place of Death: In front of 1014 Fitzgerald Street
Circumstances of Death: Gunshot wound
Age: 31
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Misato Fujii
Date of Death: 6/6/2006
Place of Death: California Pacific Medical Center
Circumstances of Death: cardiac arrest
Age: 90
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Asian/Pacific Islander

Name of Deceased: Ronald Goodrich
Date of Death: 6/7/2006
Place of Death: VA Nursing Home
Circumstances of Death: Drug overdose
Age: 57
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Terry West
Date of Death: 6/15/2006
Place of Death: 16th Street train station
Circumstances of Death: Pedestrian vs. train
Age: 61
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Shawn McCarty
Date of Death: 6/17/2006
Place of Death: UCSF Medical Center
Circumstances of Death: Drug related
Age: 46
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Carmen Dukes
Date of Death: 6/20/2006
Place of Death: St. Francis Hospital
Circumstances of Death: Unknown
Age: 45
Sex: Female
Last Known Living Situation: Shelter bed
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Angel Jimenez
Date of Death: 6/22/206
Place of Death: South sidewalk in front of #1 Gibb Street
Circumstances of Death: Unknown
Age: 50
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outdoors
Race/Ethnicity: Latino

Name of Deceased: Ricky Range
Date of Death: 6/23/2006
Place of Death: St. Francis Hospital
Circumstances of Death: Possibly drug related
Age: 41
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Sabrina Butticci
Date of Death: 6/23/2006
Place of Death: Meth Clinic
Circumstances of Death: Possibly drug related
Age: 51
Sex: Female
Last Known Living Situation: Outdoors
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Peter Muslimow
Date of Death: 6/29/2006
Place of Death: Street
Circumstances of Death: Possibly drug related
Age: 41
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outdoors
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: William Northup
Date of Death: 7/2/2006
Place of Death: 2nd and Folsom Street
Circumstances of Death: In public view
Age: 54
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outdoors, open area lot
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Richard Olivera
Date of Death: 7/4/2006
Place of Death: Friend’s residence
Circumstances of Death: Possible OD and leg injury
Age: 58
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outside/undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Latino

Name of Deceased: John Calvin
Date of Death: 7/9/2006
Place of Death: Hyde Street Commercial Pier
Circumstances of Death: Floater
Age: 47
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Jason Basler
Date of Death: 7/10/2006
Place of Death: Golden Gate Park panhandle
Circumstances of Death: In public view
Age: 35
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outdoors/park
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Mark Mays
Date of Death: 7/14/2006
Place of Death: IFO 308 Eddy St.
Circumstances of Death: unknown
Age: 49
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Lisa J. Stokes
Date of Death: 7/18/2006
Place of Death: 1795 Eddy Street
Circumstances of Death: unknown
Age: 35
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Richard McClean
Date of Death: 7/22/2006
Place of Death: under overpass @ Ale
Circumstances of Death: App natural
Age: 58
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outside
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Ivo Sotolar
Date of Death: 7/24/2006
Place of Death: 1311 22nd Street
Circumstances of Death: App natural
Age: 45
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: apartment/house
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: William Murillo
Date of Death: 7/26/2006
Place of Death: 2086 Mission Street
Circumstances of Death: Unknown
Age: 36
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Other/Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Latino

Name of Deceased: Odis Burks
Date of Death: 7/26/2006
Place of Death: SFGH ER
Circumstances of Death: GSW-Chest
Age: 55
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Andrew Jackson
Date of Death: 7/26/2006
Place of Death: SFGH
Circumstances of Death: Natural
Age: 59
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Vincent Torres
Date of Death: 7/28/2006
Place of Death: 20 6th Street #209
Circumstances of Death: OD vs. Natural
Age: 53
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Crystal Lilley
Date of Death: 7/29/2006
Place of Death: 22 Vulcan stairway
Circumstances of Death: Poss. HOD
Age: 30
Sex: female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Robert John Stennet
Date of Death: 7/30/2006
Place of Death: Overlook Dr. & Transverse Dr.
Circumstances of Death: IPV
Age: 56
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Kevin Kennedy
Date of Death: 7/30/2006
Place of Death: 3rd Street & Mission Street
Circumstances of Death: IPV
Age: 43
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: no fixed address
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Gregory Arceneaux
Date of Death: 8/9/2006
Place of Death: 706 Polk Street, 2nd Floor
Circumstances of Death: Unknown
Age: 42
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: No fixed address
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: James Nelson Jr.
Date of Death: 8/15/2006
Place of Death: Kezar at John F. Kennedy Dr.
Circumstances of Death: App. HOD
Age: 33
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: no fixed address
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Melvin Brown III
Date of Death: 8/24/2006
Place of Death: 1072 Connecticut St.
Circumstances of Death: Homicide
Age: 28
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Gregorio Pena
Date of Death: 8/30/2006
Place of Death: IFO 1140 Harrison Street
Circumstances of Death: IPV
Age: 55
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: no fixed address
Race/Ethnicity: Latino

Name of Deceased: Christopher Ulicny
Date of Death: 9/2/2006
Place of Death: 4407 Kirkham
Circumstances of Death: HOD
Age: 46
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: no fixed address
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Jeff Bearden
Date of Death: 9/3/2006
Place of Death: Public bench, bocci ba
Circumstances of Death: App natural
Age: 44
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: no fixed address, outside
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Matthew E. Lister
Date of Death: 9/8/2006
Place of Death: Shakespeare Garden
Circumstances of Death: Stabbing
Age: 45
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outside: park
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian

Name of Deceased: Marcel Daumas Jr.
Date of Death: 9/14/2006
Place of Death: IFO 1001 Polk
Circumstances of Death: Drugs vs. Natural
Age: 47
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: African American

Name of Deceased: Roger Rodriguez
Date of Death: 9/17/2006
Place of Death: IFO 147 Blythedale
Circumstances of Death: Unknown
Age: 48
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: no fixed address
Race/Ethnicity: White Hispanic

Name of Deceased: Michael Harrington
Date of Death: 9/17/2006
Place of Death: SFGH OR
Circumstances of Death: Police involved
Age: 58
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outside
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name of Deceased: Eddie Burr
Date of Death: 9/18/2006
Place of Death: St. Francis Mem. Hosp.
Circumstances of Death: Poss: Med Misad
Age: 54
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name of Deceased: Jennifer Drab
Date of Death: 9/16/2006
Place of Death: SFGH
Circumstances of Death: Drug related
Age: 30
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name of Deceased: Stephen Casaburro
Date of Death: 9/29/2006
Place of Death: IFO Laguna Hospital
Circumstances of Death: Drug related
Age:60
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outside: Open Area/Lot
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name of Deceased: Victor Phillips
Date of Death: 9/29/2006
Place of Death: 509 Minna 2nd Floor HA
Circumstances of Death: ETOH Related
Age: 39
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Black

Name of Deceased: Burnett Raven Jr.
Date of Death: 10/7/2006
Place of Death: IFO 618 Larch Way
Circumstances of Death: 187 GSW
Age: 32
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Black

Name of Deceased: Thomas Decker
Date of Death: 10/7/2006
Place of Death: Behind 817 Terry Fran
Circumstances of Death: Floater
Age: 52
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name of Deceased: Nicholas Torrico
Date of Death: 10/12/2006
Place of Death: SFGH, 900 Powell St.
Circumstances of Death: App. Jumper
Age: 26
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: no fixed address
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name of Deceased: Michael Mattice
Date of Death: 11/5/2006
Place of Death: vehicle, Trumbull/Mission St.
Circumstances of Death:
Age: 61
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outside: Vehicle
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name of Deceased: Ronald Woods
Date of Death: 11/13/2006
Place of Death: SFGH, 106 6th Street
Circumstances of Death: Trauma v Drug
Age: 49
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Black

Name of Deceased: Zebe Baptista
Date of Death: 11/19/2006
Place of Death: St. Francis
Circumstances of Death: Poss. assault
Age: 49
Sex: Female
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name of Deceased: Ronald Kirkland
Date of Death: 11/19/2006
Place of Death: Behind 625 Bush St.
Circumstances of Death: Found down
Age: 48
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outside
Race/Ethnicity: Black

Name of Deceased: Willie Carlblake
Date of Death: 11/27/2006
Place of Death: IFO 445 O’Farrell St.
Circumstances of Death: Found down
Age: 72
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outside
Race/Ethnicity: Black

Name of Deceased: Silvio Gonzalez
Date of Death: 12/5/2006
Place of Death: IFO 603 Valencia St.
Circumstances of Death: Public view
Age: 44
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Outside
Race/Ethnicity: White Hispanic

Name of Deceased: Larry Williams
Date of Death: 12/7/2006
Place of Death: Golden Gate Park
Circumstances of Death: Unresponsive in park
Age: 45
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name of Deceased: Bernard Bowles
Date of Death: 12/23/2006
Place of Death: SFGH
Circumstances of Death: Assault vs Ped/A
Age: 52
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name of Deceased: John Doe #120
Date of Death: 12/27/2006
Place of Death: Under pier...
Circumstances of Death: Unknown
Age: [not included]
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity:[not included]

Name of Deceased: Vernall Johnson
Date of Death: 12/27/2006
Place of Death: Entry area on 851 Sac
Circumstances of Death: in public view
Age: 46
Sex: Male
Last Known Living Situation: Undetermined
Race/Ethnicity: Black