Short documentary about people living in tunnels under Las Vegas

boing
1

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/10/18/short-documentary-about-people.html

…

7 Likes
2

@frauenfelder a video link would be helpful…
also calling @orenwolf.

Thanks in advance.

5 Likes
3

I figure most boingers already know about this doc from several years ago in NYC.

The idea of free housing appeals to me. The idea of being deep underground. . . (shivers.)

9 Likes
4

“This is fine,” said the dog.

11 Likes
5

I saw this documentary already.

ETA - OOPs, sorry, this is Los Angeles.

1 Like
6

Ah, from the wonderful people who brought you barstool sports (notice the logo in bottom right corner).

A few seconds in, here’s one of the documentarians “I’m kinda disappointed they aren’t actual mole people”. Ah FFS. They try to make it seem like they genuinely care, but you can’t shake the feeling it’s shock porn (“we almost got shot for accidentally filming someone” and they’re just slumming it.

12 Likes
7

Looks like mark may have already fixed it - there’s a video in the post.

Thanks!

8 Likes
8

Storm drains? I hope they have their emergency escape plans in case of flash flood.

3 Likes
9

Vegas sees flash floods occasionally when it does rain, it always ends up with a lot of these folk being directly impacted and its unknown how many end up drowning or getting trapped underground. Last time i was at the strip the homeless problem seemed worse but since i’ve moved away i don’t know if its gotten worse or better.

8 Likes
10

There’s a little of that at the beginning, but they’re mostly showing a lot of compassion to the people who live down there and letting them tell their stories.

7 Likes
11

I always felt that when they dug up the roads to put these in, they could have just dug a little deeper and we could have had a city wide subway system that would only be inoperable for the few days a year they would need to act as storm drains

2 Likes
12

Vegas? Disenfranchised and neglected people can be found hidden in virtually every city’s underbelly in the U.S., and it has been such for nearly half a century.

In the 1980’s, at the university I attended, destitute and homeless individuals lived in the extensive tunnel system that connected the facilities on campus during the coldest months. In the main library, there were people living in the stacks for months at a time without being discovered. I’ve read multiple accounts of similar occurrences in major cities across this country in the years since.

Addressing the needs of those in dire need of help and aid would be a pittance to our government and its coffers…

7 Likes
13

One of my biggest personal fears is ending up homeless. I’m five minutes into the documentary and it’s already stressing me out.

I kinda got that feeling too. Especially when the were talking about the wheelchair bound vet betting on the Bears since he’s from Chicago. It felt off. Like they wanted to make fun of the situation, but realized they were being shitty. Maybe they learned from it?

4 Likes
14

What kind of prick wears his sunglasses in a dark tunnel while filming? Couldn’t say any more clearly, “I am just here to gape, I don’t want to make personal contact with you.”

3 Likes
15

Nah, yeah. They were signaling ‘sploitation douche the whole time. Like early Vice. Or Vice now, actually.

2 Likes
16

You’re not wrong, I suspect, but I also suspect it’s hard to tailor what each person needs. Some need a one-time fix to get back on their feet and be functional, and others would need daily attention from a social worker, and some need more than that. And, I suppose, there are some few who are fully functional and choose this and need to be left alone.
It’s tricky. Also, figuring out how to house the long-term homeless who need a lot of care is tricky because finding communities that won’t revolt at their presence is hard.
I have a neighbor who helps a highly functional homeless guy who rides a pretty amazing home-built cargo bike and has a well-trained dog who rides on it – he lets him stay in his garage/guest quarters sometimes in exchange for household work. Perfectly harmless and even beneficial, but it does raise some eyebrows and cause some questions to be asked. And that’s one guy.

4 Likes
17

I highly recommend the book ‘Beneath The Neon’ by Matthew O’Brien

1 Like
18

“We had dodged a literal bullet” - but they didn’t literally dodge a bullet.

4 Likes
19

I can make this documentary even shorter.

  1. People living in storm drains

  2. source

  3. People no longer living in storm drains.

Roll credits.

20

the last thing people literally hiding underground want is somebody poking around with a camera

3 Likes