Another 30 people “without fixed abode” died in OC in September 2026. Their names are:
Robert FORE, SR. who died on Sept. 4th in Santa Ana
Iris WALKER who died on Sept. 5th in Anaheim
Maria Del Rosario COROPULIDO who died on Sept. 6th in Placentia
Carrisa CHAPMAN who died on Sept. 7th in Anaheim
Andrew MAY who died on Sept. 7th in Stanton
Armando CAVAZOS who died on Sept. 9th in Fullerton
Sasha WILLIAMSON who died on Sept. 9th in Anaheim
Kosall I who died on Sept. 10th in Garden Grove
Michael EUBANKS who died on Sept. 12th in Orange
Steven PURCELL who died on Sept. 12th in Stanton
Israel OREJEL who died on Sept. 12th in Fullerton
Christen MONTGOMERY who died on Sept. 13th in Orange
Pedro MARTINEZ MEJIA who died on Sept. 14th in Santa Ana
Armando TINOCO who died on Sept. 14th in Westminster
Jesus MARTINEZ CORONA who died on Sept. 15th in Garden Grove
John GRAJEDA who died on Sept. 15th in Placentia
Bryan KIM who died on Sept. 15th in Orange
Edward CASTRO who died on Sept. 15th in Santa Ana
Vanessa REYES who died on Sept. 16th in Fullerton
Robert CHAMBERS who died on Sept. 17th in Huntington Beach
Jerry SMITH who died on Sept. 20th in Santa Ana
Caleb ROSS who died on Sept. 21st in San Clemente
Darrell ROSE who died on Sept. 21st in Anaheim
Lauren DEWITT who died on Sept. 22nd in Huntington Beach
Kameryn WILKINS who died on Sept. 24th in Santa Ana
Simi WHITE who died on Sept. 24th in Brea
Joshua LONG who died on Sept. 24th in Orange
Charles WATSON who died on Sept. 27th in Fullerton
Gerardo MENDEZ-PEREZ who died on Sept. 27th in Orange
Michael JOHNSON who died on Sept. 30th in Anaheim
Among the biggest news on the homeless front in the past month was a sweep conducted jointly by the City of Orange and Santa Ana Police. 69 unhoused people were arrested (53 on misdemeanor and 16 on felony charges). Moves like this are the result of the post-2024 Grants Pass Decision allowing for a more heavy-handed approach toward street homelessness than the previous Boise Decision.
As long as beds are indeed available, I’ve never had a problem with using the threat of a few days in jail as a motivator to encourage people sleeping on the streets to take the bed offered rather than continuing to take their chances on the street, so long as the bed came with legitimate services and wasn’t simply a bed in a jail called by another name.
With my own eyes, I’ve seen that treatment at medical respite centers does work and, above all, that this approach need not be cruel.
The problem is of course when all that there is available is the jail cell or police simply cite / fine the people and then leave them on the street in an even greater financial hole than before. Punishing people who have no place to go, or just keeping them on the streets because there is no place for them, is once again cruel.
We really can do better and must do better or these monthly lists of the dead on our streets will continue to be large.
Fr. Dennis Kriz, OSM
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