For the better part of a month, Victor and I have been sharing a coffee-and-cocoa break after my rehab workouts at the Page Mill YMCA gym. Victor perches, with crates and signs, by the Village Stationers at California and Birch in Palo Alto. Our beverages come from the nearby Printer’s Inc. cafe. Sometimes, a few bucks in change find their way into Victor’s bowl.

In a previous post, I used photos of the copybook that Victor had used to jot down a poem. I had trouble deciphering some of Victor’s handwriting, so Victor provided me with a thumb drive with a Word version of the complete poem (homeless people can be modern, too). Victor recommended I use Windows XP (good advice IMHO), but the poem showed up just fine on my Mac.

Turns out Victor is a fixture in Palo Alto, called a “Perennial Palo Alto City Council candidate and panhandler” by the Palo Alto weekly. He used to hang out by the Whole Foods market, but was moved out of that spot (presumably by the police) after Palo Alto enacted a local law (nicknamed ‘the Victor Frost ordinance‘) prohibiting ’sidewalk lounging.’ Victor, citing freedom of expression, has questioned the constitutionality of the local ordinance, and has appealed his removal in Santa Clara superior court. Victor explains his position in this audio file – Victor Frost on freedom of expression. Victor says the ruling is due April 21…

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