at this place they sleep on the floor and starve ,thats why they don't want you to see it.i will not butterball it up .

we have shelters here run by differnt agencies and the govt as well. they dont allow filming due to security and protection of those inside.
most are considered very dangerous to stay at. one couple I spoke with the other day told me they stayed one night at a shelter and a woman got stabbed in the bed above the wife.
although you have to be 'straight' (not high on drugs) to get in, once inside drugs are done quite openly.
some of the places 'reserve' a bed if the person pays a fee (10 to 20 bucks) and while not really against the law it is frowned apon. that's still exploitation.

I would like to take our mayor for one of my tours of the city. he might not like what he sees.

Incredible. Just, incredible.

Thanatos, it's too bad you can't take that mayor on a forced tour to open some eyes.

The reason for most "no filming" rules are protection of anonymity as Razor said. The shelter could be sued if a resident suffers public embarassment as a result of the shelter allowing filming. Most American (can't speak for others) shelters attempt to preserve anonymity to protect the dignity of the people there. A person who may be suffering through hard times does not need to have their hard times filmed for posterity. It makes it difficult to leave those times behind when they are over. That being said, I have no doubt there are disreputable shelter managers around. But just because they did not allow you to film does not make them "evil" or involved in "human trafficing." I advise that anyone filming anything be aware that doing so without permission may result in severe civil liability not only by the shelter, but from the people being filmed. I'm not saying that should stop you in all cases, but do be aware.

=AP=

through the years i have found that the only homeless people who don't want to be filmed or have their story told are fugitives.just another one of my techniques to uncovering evil doers.

Having known many homeless people I can say that that satement is a gross generalization and catagorically untrue. During the darker times in my life the last thing I would have wanted was to have a camera stuck in my face without so much as a by your leave. Some people don't want to have every moment of their life filmed for the sake of someone else's YouTube vanity. Why did you film it anyway? Isn't giving out the supplies enough? Wasn't it enough to help them?

=AP=

I have to agree with AP here. There are many people who have fallen on hard times that don't want to have people see them in that condition. I know if I were living on the streets I wouldn't want someone filming me. And it doesn't even have to be a matter of vanity to film these patrols. We are never going to stop the problems that cause homelessness, but if people see more than just a little blurb in the paper or on the news, showing how bad it can really get, they aren't necessarily try to do anything about it. Then it falls to those of us who try to help, to try and fix it all. Video can be a powerful tool to educate people.

Having been, both, homeless and helper

I chime in saying that educating those who
don't know what homelessness is like
and
that all the people aren't 'bums'

video shows what words can't share clearly enough

yes, there are many who dont want to be filmed for many reasons. yeah, some are wanted, but alot that I have spoken with dont want their family to see them or people they used to know. many reasons. I find that asking and talking helps if you want a video or picture.

video and pictures do more than tell the story. they show it. there are many out there who need to see for themselves and be shown what that life is about. how hard and tough it can be on the street. people respond to what they see stronger than to written words.
that's one of the reasons for the costume/gimick/outfit/tutu. to get people looking and seeing the problem. to show them.

it also goes to show the rest of the world that RLSH are indeed real and out there actually doing things to make the world better, a little piece at a time.

it shows the actions, and actions speak louder than words.

i understand the part of not wanting to be seen in that bad spot of embarrassment to some in the eye of the beholder.the truth i have found is that just about every one of these people want there voice to be heard and I am the only chance they have to do so.

it's the same here in Vancouver. I provide the ear some of them so deperatly want.

it's part of what we do, or should do.

here is the truth we have never used a dollar of team Justice money .we still do it all out of are own pockets.
yes also i plan to document every mission for now on.Symbiote and master legend are continually doing missions you never see but that will not happen again.i have my gear now.

Okay. On the point of video being a valuable tool for showing the truth of poverty and for documenting the work, I can see it. Thank you for explaining it to me.

But I still think a person should be offered the option of NOT being filmed. The right to film the people we help should not be assumed. I've no doubt that there are a lot of people down on their luck who would be fine with being filmed. But they should also have the right to remain anonymus.

=AP=

Oh definitely. Personal choice of not wanting to be filmed is a priority. I mean we never film our patrols or handouts, but we have been on patrols or handouts with documentary crews. In San Diego, Mike, who is making the one doc was all about making sure he had the permission of people on video before he would film them. There was an entire block where people didn't want to be filmed, so Than, Good Samaritan and I went down to help those people without a camera following us.

Believe me, in some spots a picture is worth a thousand words. There are things we didn't get on film, but are etched into my mind and would have been a real wakeup call in some ways. Like the woman whose feet and hands were so sunburned they were as red as SHs gimmick, and her toes and fingers were all clenched up. I cannot convey in words how bad it was or how it made me feel to see that, but if I showed you a picture you would see how desperate some of these people are on a health standpoint.

But yeah, I know there will be at least two people from inside the community filming at HOPE2011, and one I know for sure will not film where she is asked not to, and the other, my concerns of what he films are lessening as I get to know him. But I will not parade people, nor let people be paraded purposefully, unless they want their story out there. Thats another reason I asked Tea to be the official cronicler of what we do out there. He will not take advantage of the people we help in his words. Plus he will be there right beside us passing out supplies and talking to people to get a general idea of what we are dealing with.

they can all see the camera. i keep it no secret. the ones that don't want to get filmed stand out of the way .i only filmed for less then 5 minutes , the rest of the hour i was helping.if i don't show this no one will know.i am shattering the illusions.don't tell me how to do my job until i see you do it better then me.

That last sentence is, I think, at the heart of what people see as a problem with you ML. You believe you are the king of RLSH and that no one should say different. We all express ourselves here and hope to learn from each other because there is no such thing as "standard procedure" for RLSH. When one of us decides he or she has all the answers and should not be questioned, that person becomes more of a V than an H.

By standing out of the way does that mean that if they did not wish to be filmed they could not approach the van for aid? It seems to be what you are implying, especially since your supplies have limits and standing aside while waiting for the camera to turn off could mean missing out.

=AP=

I think a lot of people forget sometimes it's not about doing things better than another person. It's just about doing it. We all do things differently. As long as a person is going out doing something--one minute or one hour--it's better than doing nothing.

How has this gotten into an argument anyway? This, if nothing else, should have documented a hand out and, hopefully, inspired people to get out, if not see how a person does something. Maybe there's something here that could be applied to your own hand outs, or something you see that just wouldn't work for you.

Take this as a learning experience and just be glad things are getting done in at least one other place than your own.

you don't see me criticizing the even what i don't even see but expect me to tell the truth.when i say do better then me its no insult , it should be your goal otherwise in the great words of Gary Coleman " what you talking about Willis?".