People are Interesting: Nine Years of Standing on Fresno's Streetcorners

I have often tried to guess how many people in cars I have waved to in nine years of standing on Fresno's street corners. It gives me, however, a migraine by the time I reach the few hundred thousand point.

Way back in 2000, I decided that I would be a candidate for Fresno City Council Northwest District 2. Yes, I would walk the district (pushing doorbells, I called it), attend candidate forums, advertise on the radio and television, and then hope for the best in the June primary and November general election. Talking with my brother and his wife one day, I discussed an idea of standing on street corners in the district with a sign promoting my candidacy. They suggested serving morning coffee. That conversation many years ago led to daily morning "coffee stops" (and late afternoon "non-coffee stops") during that election, a successful re-election campaign in 2004, and an unsuccessful election campaign for Fresno County supervisor in 2008. Between elections, I did morning coffee stops twice a month.

Standard procedure for morning coffee stops was to set up my table (with table skirt giving my name and office sought or held), a ten-cup insulatated coffee dispenser, coffee cups, and little bags of cream and sugar. Oh, yes, a big smile and a strong right arm (great bicep developer!). I left home in time to park and be set up on a corner by 7:00 a.m., conduct my coffee stops, carefully pack everything in the truck at 8:00 a.m. (8:30 or 8:45 on some days) and race to City Hall for Tuesday Council meetings and Fresno City College classes I taught on the other days. Not teaching in the summer provided additional flexibility. Late afternoon non-coffee stops while campaigning were held from 4:30 until 6:00 pm or until darkness.

Most people smiled, many waved, and a few honked their car horns. Some yelled something (I assumed it was nice, but I never really knew because it was lost in the traffic noise) as they zipped by. And, yes, periodically I received the one-finger salute and (expletive deleted) from an open window (more on these folks later).

I never ceased to be amazed at what people did in the "privacy" of their cars. Eating, drinking (coffee cups and soda cans), and cell phones were common. Smoking was not as prevalent as one might think. Many smokers languidly held their cigarettes out the window while stopped at intersections (not to bother a passenger or smell up the car?).

Other activities were not as common but happened enough to keep me amused. Teeth brushing and flossing as well as applying lipstick and makeup. Men shaved and both sexes brushed/combed their hair. People read materials (last minute studying for that exam crossing Blackstone on Bullard heading for Fresno State?). People laughed with their friends or at something on the radio. Sometimes a rip-roaring verbal argument (discussion?) was taking place. Once in a great while someone was crying.

These folks were so caught up in their in-car experiences that I was but another telephone pole. What I really looked forward to were the people that wanted to share a few words while stopped for a red light at the intersection or, better yet, those that parked and came over to talk.

People at the intersection Quick Stops, as I called them, almost always had something nice to say. I could usually see it coming when the window would come down and (usually the driver) would lean in my direction to say hello, give me a thumbs up, and usually have a quick comment of appreciation for me being on the corner. They would often kid me by offering me a cup of their coffee or would encourage me to vote yes or no on an issue currently before the Council. Every once in awhile they would be so caught up in saying something that they would not notice (or care about) the light changing to green. It would take a polite horn beep from the following car to move my reluctant constituent on.

My favorite experience at a Quick Stop happened at Shaw and Palm. It was not with a constituent in a sedan, SUV or pickup on the way to work but, rather, with the co-driver for a large semi truck with headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Stopped at the light, the cab of the semi towered above me and my wimpy coffee table. I was surprised as the co-driver jumped from the cab to the sidewalk in front of me, held up one of those gargantuan insulated coffee mugs, and asked me to "fill it up." I pumped my coffee pot to fill the giant mouth of his mug. He then quickly climbed back up into the cab, smiled, and told me that "he had stopped for coffee all over the country and this was the coolest coffee stop he had ever encountered." With a blast from the truck's air horn, he waved and headed East on Shaw.

To be continued....You are invited to join me in a future blog to learn about about some of the interesting people I met at my coffee stops and what they wanted to talk about.

Coming attractions...
1) What's in a name...Fresno?
2) Comments on Mayor Swearengin's Independent Police Auditor forum
3) Coffee stops, continued

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