Before I went on the stage at Gnomedex I was beyond terrified. Not because I was going to be in front of people, but because I knew my life was about to change. The pinnacle moment before real change can be very unsettling.
That’s how I feel going into South by Southwest. My life is going to change in a big way. Thing is, I have a feeling many of us will leave Austin transformed by the sheer energy this event has.
On March 13th, 14th and 15th I’ll be hosting a daily nonprofit chat with several of my heroes from 10:30 -11am CST. If you’re in Austin stop by The Beacon, or watch anywhere on WhatGives!? Ustream channel.
Saturday, March 13
For more information, or to post questions click here
March 13th is going to be a big day. Right after the morning show join me for A Conversation About Social Change Through Social Media. Yes, I know I wrote in an earlier post I turn 50. But I was wrong. 15 years sober and I still can’t remember where I parked my car. The good thing is I was wrong in the right direction so I’m still jumping out of a plane sometime in the future.
But the big news I cannot tell you just yet. Something is going to happen at SXSW around 2pm on March 13th that blows my mind. Honest, this will be huge! So make sure to follow me on twitter so you don’t miss a thing.
The local NBC affiliate KTUU’s reporter Ashton Goodell followed me around one afternoon. This may be the best news package to date. Ashton and crew did an amazing job. But what I love is the story includes the community and different viewpoints.
I love Ashton’s lead: “It’s hard to say exactly what Mark Horvath does.”
By the way, I agree with many of what Ron Alleva’s views. The homeless services system is broken and has been broken for a long time. The short time I spent with Ron is one of the most memorable of the trip. He is very ‘colorful’ and outspoken. I tried to get him on camera but he said no. I hope to visit again and spend more time with Ron and all the Anchorage community. Three days was very short and many of the appointments I had scheduled I could not keep because of the ride along with police.
My hope is that my visit will cause continued focus on a very serious problem.
Until my recent trip to Anchorage, Alaska, I had never heard the term “Chronic Public Inebriate,” yet in Alaska the word “inebriate” is spoken everywhere. It is so grafted in Anchorage’s culture that even the homeless call themselves inebriates. At first it bothered me, but I soon learned that Anchorage’s homeless problem is very complex, caused by severe alcohol addictions.
People who are normal drinkers and have never touched life with an alcoholic often think quitting booze is a choice. Unfortunately, the nature of alcoholism takes away any free will, making the alcoholic as dependent on alcohol as he is on air.
My own life may help illustrate:
I was an abnormal drinker. One night at 14 years old, I drank a half gallon of whisky all by myself. That amount would kill most people. I never passed out, but I did black out. The next day my elbows were the size of softballs, swollen because I must have fallen most of the night. An experience like this should have been a warning, but I continued to drink.
At 17 years old, on New Year’s Eve, the New York State Police found me passed out in a snowbank alongside a freeway. I could have died, yet I remember my only regret was that I never made it to midnight. Again, the seriousness of my problem didn’t sink in. Even though alcohol could have killed me that night, I kept on drinking.
When I worked for Starcom Television, I plowed my Mercedes into a parked Cadillac. I blew a .28, which is three times the legal limit to drive. LAPD had me blow into a breathalyzer twice because they thought their equipment was broken. The officers said they had never seen anyone with such high alcohol content function as normally as I was. Sadly, even though I could have killed someone, I still didn’t think I had a problem, and I still kept on drinking and abusing drugs until I ended up on the streets, homeless. Even then I needed help to get sober. On my own, I would have continued a life of drinking madness.
I was not ready for what I experienced
On my first day in Alaska, I wrote about watching a man stumble down the street so drunk he fell into a snowbank. We called 911, and the man was taken to what the city calls a “sleep -off.” During my first two days, I visited with a few homeless service providers, met and interviewed Mayor Sullivan, and spoke to several people on the streets. The story that kept being told over and over again was not so much the issue of homelessness, but a severe alcohol problem among the Native Alaskans. I was told three of the homeless people found dead were found with empty Listerine bottles next to them. Listerine is 26.9 percent alcohol, making it approximately 54 proof. When stores are closed, or sale is refused, people addicted to alcohol drink Listerine. (Meet Kim on InvisiblePeople.tv)
Seen Through The Eyes Of Sgt. Allen
Honestly, I was not ready. For close to 14 years I have been working in homeless services at some capacity. I have literally walked into tent cities all over America. But I had never seen homelessness through a cop’s lens. In my interview with Mayor Sullivan, the topic of public safety came up, and I must agree with him that homelessness is not only a health issue but a public safety issue.
Sergeant Allen of the Anchorage police department allowed me to ride along with him to give a 12-hour warning at an illegal homeless camp. We met at a substation along with a local NBC news crew. Although I have ridden in police cars more than most, this was my first time being in the front seat. Sgt. Allen gave me the vest to put on, and a dispatch call came in for a drunk driver. He said there was not enough time for the rules and asked me to fill out a waiver. I simply asked for the do’s and don’ts. Sgt. Allen responded, “If I get out of the car I want you to get out of the car. If shooting starts, I want you to run in the opposite direction!” That’s easy enough, I thought, as the reality of what was about to happen set in.
There is very little room in the front seat of a police car. Added to that, I was wearing a vest and winter coat! I could hardly move. It was kind of eerie driving through Anchorage’s “hood.” People were just standing on the curb, up to no good. I knew what they were doing, and Sgt. Allen knew all of them by name. We drove around for a little bit then headed off to meet three more officers to visit the tent camps. This next video was shot on at the first camp we visited.
I started to see a new side to homelessness. A side I knew was there, but had never experienced. As I walked into the camps, and as I talked to Sgt. Allen and his team, I started to see how dangerous and unsafe homeless camps are. Not all homeless camps. Nickelsville, for example, was self-governed and kept clean and orderly. But Nickelsville is rare. As I started to see homelessness as a public safety issue, I also started to feel for the people living in these camps. They’d have to move with nowhere to go. The one man who was ‘home’ didn’t want to go on video. He told me his story, and it broke my heart. He didn’t have any place to go, and I could feel his fear. He pointed at a twelve-pack of empty beer cans, telling me that was what had ruined his life. He couldn’t stop drinking no matter how hard he tried, and he had lost everything. He had lost his job and his family, and now he was out in the cold with no place to go.
I have to tell you first hand that I was very impressed with Sgt. Allen and the Anchorage police. They have a hard job, and they were professional and showed compassion at all times. I know cops often get a bad rap, but I’ve seen compassion when working with Glendale Police and Greensboro Police.
After we left the camps, Sgt. Allen drove around Fairview, the section of Anchorage that has the most trouble. We found a man passed out next to a liquor store. I was impressed by how Sgt. Allen was firm, yet treated this man with respect. Sgt, Allen helped the man into the police car, and we drove to the “sleep-off” center. This is a section near the jail that is basically a large room with mats on the floor and a few chain link fences for separation. There is no official booking. A breathalyzer is given, and the person is then allowed to sleep until the alcohol wears off. I was told many of the “inebriates,” as they are called, blow a .30 or higher and are still functioning. Unfortunately, this system is nonstop and far from a real solution. This man we brought in had been there the night before, and would probably be there the night after, and so on.
No sooner did we get in the car and start driving than we saw a man nosedive into the blacktop right in front of the car. I was trying to record a sound bite when this happened. As the tape starts, watch my eyes notice the man. I tried to recover the sound bite, but I think I was in shock and overwhelmed with everything. The second video is another attempt, but it was extremely hard for me to make progress. Sgt Allen, on the other hand, was cool, calm and professional. He makes many good points from his perspective.
second take
The community is taking steps in the right direction. While I was there, the city changed a few zoning laws, paving the way for a “housing first” model to be established. I am also encouraged that homeless services providers from across the city are working together to find a solution. But the problem is severe. Being candid, I’ve never seen anything like it. Being that the issue is alcohol dependence at its worst, the normal recovery models may not work. I’ve read about wet shelters saving money and lives, so maybe that is the model of hope for Anchorage. I do know now that I very much want to visit and interview people running a successful wet shelter.
The people of Anchorage are some of the nicest I’ve ever experienced. I just pray that they can work out the issues between themselves and come up with a viable solution before more people die from alcohol. There is no easy solution to the complex issue of homelessness. It’s impossible to make everyone happy, yet a compromise must be made and action must be taken soon.
We must never give up on people
Remember the self-disclosure of my own alcoholism at the beginning of this post? Well, this August I will have fifteen years completely clean and sober. People can change for the better. But I’m only sober today because someone cared enough to love me when I could not love myself. Please, never give up on people – even those of us who have trouble with alcohol.
I was really honored that Mayor Sullivan took the time out of his busy schedule to speak with me this week. Anchorage, Alaska has a very serious homeless problem, and making matters worse a very serious alcohol abuse problem. I was told official number of deaths in 2009 of homeless people was 12 – 14. Most all were alcohol related. What has not been officially reported was the number of deaths of people found in hotels, so the number of deaths is much higher.
How serious is the problem? Several of the people were found dead with Listerine bottles next to the body. Original formula Listerine is 26.9 percent alcohol, making it approximately 54 proof. When stores are closed, or sale is refused, people addicted to alcohol drink Listerine.
My next post I will write about my own addiction to alcohol 20 and 30 years ago to help give some perceptive. I also rode along with Anchorage Police and I am still trying to process everything I experienced. I will write about that, too, and add a video made with Sgt Allen.
I wish I had answers for this community. The people of Anchorage are some of the nicest I have ever met. From what I saw (I was there three days) Mayor Sullivan is taking some right steps to solve a huge problem. But talk is talk and the community must work together to turn talk into action. After this interview Mayor Sullivan allowed me to join a homeless task force meeting. To be honest, I got emotional in the meeting. Not because I was there, but because I kept on thinking about what would happen in Los Angeles if all the homeless service providers and politicians got in a room and worked out real solutions.
I rolled 2nd camera and that video can be found here
It is days like this I really wish I had paid more attention in English class. So much happened I want to share with you, yet I just don’t know how to express it in written word.
We started the day at the Anchorage Rescue Mission. I started to play with Whrrl again. Lots of great improvements. I still wish I could check in multiple times for same story. I interviewed Dave Williams, Program Director, and you can watch here. I really enjoyed my tour and getting to meet Dave.
Ed O’Neill then picked us up to visit camps. But first stop was a meeting with Assembly Member Debbie Ossiander . If I had known I wouldn’t have worn my “Animal” shirt. It was very interesting seeing the political process in works and I was honored to be included.
Ed is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. He once owned 20 liquor stores and now runs a nonprofit called Anchorage Responsible Beverage Retailers Association that is funded by the liquor stores he sold. Basically they go to homeless camps and clean up the mess while also trying to help people get out of homelessness. They also protect the general public. ARBRA is really amazing and unique nonprofit community support model. Here is a short interview with Ed at one of the nearly two dozen camps around Anchorage.
Ed drove us around trying to visit camps. During the day no one is home so we didn’t meet anyone at the 2 camps we visited. I did have the honor of meeting Bernice on the side of a busy road. She has severe mental illness and was extremely grateful for the gift of socks and gloves. Thanks to all of you that helped support this trip for making that happen. Special thanks to Hertz.
Luke we met panhandling. I still cannot wrap my mind around living outside in this weather. But the story that is the main reason I am here I saw play out in real life. We stopped at a park and I met a nice older man with a female confined to a wheelchair. They are also sleeping outside and have been homeless 11 years. They were very nice but did not want to go on video. I always respect people and my first priority is to make a friend. I really wish you could have seen the woman put on the new gloves. She was so happy. While talking another homeless man pointed out a ‘native’ trying to walk down the street. Alcohol is a huge issue here and this man could hardly walk. He went behind a van so I could not see him fall, but I noticed he wasn’t coming into view so I walked over. He was collapsed in a snow bank. I ran over to see if he was ok and Ed followed. The man was barely conscious and mumbled something about his back. Ed called 911 which is the right thing to do. Left alone in the snow this man probably would have died. The police arrived quickly, but by this time the man had gotten up and had stumbled around the corner only to fall down in another snow bank. The officer loaded the man into a police car and I am told this is called a ‘sleep over’ where drunks are given an overnight stay.
As I type this I cannot get the image of this man out of my mind. What if we were not there? How many other drunks are falling into snow banks tonight? My heart is broken from what I experienced today. Sadly, there is no easy or quick solution for Anchorage’s complex homelessness problem! More people will continue to die unless real action is taken.
I never thought I would be visiting Alaska especially while it’s still winter season. Many of you know I moved to Los Angeles from Upstate New York many years ago because I hate cold. But just like all the other InvisiblePeople.tv trips (Sacramento and National) the stories of homeless people got into my heart.
I can’t remember when Ann Glenn started to send me links about people dying on the streets in Alaska, but I do remember each one wrecked me. Because I had no intention of traveling north I kind of put them out of my mind. Ann was relentless and continued sending news links until eventually it got into my heart. I replied to one of her tweets with something like, “Ok, I’ll go in summer”! Ann’s come back – “they’re not dying in summer”! OUCH! Her response was all the motivation I needed.
I wanted to visit in January but I currently work at PATH Achieve supporting the Glendale Winter Shelter. Besides the honor of helping homeless people connect to services it also pays my rent. With everything that is going on right now the earliest I could travel was next weekend.
The other challenge was raising money for this trip. Besides travel expenses I don’t get paid time off and need to come up with rent. Two of the most gorgeous people I have ever met, Moira Nordholt and Ron Proulx, along with Aprix Media, decided to throw a party. What started out as a typical fundraising party turned into one of the best experiences of my life – The WooWoo Awards. There are no words to describe how grateful I am to Moria and Ron for their friendship.
Then I received an email from Jessica Gottlieb, another truly gorgeous person who continues to fight for InvisiblePeople.tv behind the scenes. It was short and teasing, “I know something you don’t, but it’s good”. WHAT! Don’t ya just hate it when people do that to you? Next thing you know I’m in talks with another great group of people connecting me to Hertz Car Rental.
Hertz is rocking my world. They are supporting my trip to Alaska and for all the right reasons. I am very impressed with the team behind the scenes and I look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship. Without Hertz’s support this trip would not be happening. They have asked nothing in return so this next sentence is 100% from me. Please support Hertz and the brands that are helping the homeless cause. Show your thanks by using Hertz next time you travel and be sure to tell them why.
Something else is happening that I have never seen before. Mayor Dan Sullivan and his team headed by homeless coordinator Darryl Hess have been wonderful. I will be interviewing Mayor Sullivan March 2nd around 2pm live on http://InvisiblePeople.tv/live. I am really excited because from what I see the City of Anchorage along with their community is taking real action to save lives.
At the risk of sounding like my old response television days, “but that’s not all”, I have been asked to speak March 2nd at an Ignite Anchorage event. I did not have any previous contact with the Dean Franklin until I started to tweet about Alaska. Dean has been a huge help in almost every area of my journey. I cannot wait to thank him in person. Dean helped me find Copper Whale Inn and the owner loves what I am doing and gave a very much-needed reduced rate.
So follow along March 1st, 2nd and 3rd as I visit homeless camps in Alaska and interview some of the Anchorage community making a real impact getting people off the streets!
If you would like to help support this and future efforts you can find a donation link here
A week or so ago Rob Schmitz followed me down Hollywood Blvd. I am also very honored that friends Chris Brogan and Chris Pirllio took the time to be interviewed.
Something happened that day I’ll never forget yet there was not enough time to include in the story. Three LAPD officers had seven homeless youth against a store front. Rod was holding a large shotgun mic so I took advantage figuring the officers would see it. I walked up and asked if I could give the kids socks. The officers said yes. Giving the kids much-needed socks while they were in ‘trouble’ was simply AWESOME!
Today I spoke at the University of Montana so yesterday was a travel day. I did not hear this story until arrived at my hotel in Missoula. Being candid, I was completely overwhelmed with gratitude and broke down in tears. This story is not really about me, but all of you that have helped me help others who have little influence. THANK YOU for supporting me and most importantly believing in me.
Feel free to read what you want into that title because this morning I have so many mixed emotions I don’t care what you think of me. I only care that you feel a little bit of what I am feeling so maybe we will all wake up and start taking care of our own neighbors.
Last year the most horrifying photo was a Detroit homeless man frozen in the ice. Over the summer I happened to be visiting Detroit and we drove by that building. I was told that kids found that man frozen but decided to play a game of hockey before they reported it.
I am about to visit Alaska where over a dozen homeless people died on the streets last year. In Salt Lake City 58 people homeless people died last year. Only two weekends ago 3 homeless people died in Santa Barbara, California. Wherever you live in this great country of ours people are dying outside!
How many people have to die on the streets before we wake up and start taking care of our own communities?
(Photos by Max Ortiz / The Detroit News & Ryan Garza / The Flint Journal)
I honestly believe today more than ever people genuinely want to get involved. After my CNN story came out I received lots of emails from people wanting to help. As always I suggest they support their local homeless services. I also give a disclaimer that it may be challenging trying to connect and that the person cannot give up until they find an organization that fits.
We suck at getting people involved. Please forgive my candor but I don’t know how else to put it. Ya I know you’re busy. And who has money to hire a volunteer coordinator? In homeless services everything that can go wrong usually does so when a group of people show up to help they are sent to the kitchen just to get them out of the way. There are far too many people for tasks so most of the volunteers stand around doing nothing. It’s a horrible experience so they never return to help you or any other homeless services organization.
The other thing we do is make them jump through so many hoops just to get involved they give up! As we enter into another year of a crappy economy we need volunteers more than ever. They save money and once a person gets involved most become financial donors.
Meet the volunteer you turned away:
Susan left a note on my Facebook. I don’t remember her exact words except she stated that after reading my CNN story she had to do something. I gave my normal response encouraging her to find a local shelter that ‘fits’. Susan really wanted to take action and started to apply as a volunteer in her area. She tried several places and each one made it nearly impossible for her to connect. She asked for my help so I recommended a few homeless services in or near where she lived. Unfortunately, I only know these organizations by their outward appearance. They, too, made it difficult and Susan was basically turned away every place she tried to help.
Susan decided to take action and started to research what people on the streets need. She even sent me links to information that I didn’t know. She planned on filling up her car and driving to a park to help.
Here is just one of the emails she sent:
My neighbor just gave me ten ski suits. Those things are unbelievably expensive and talk about durable, weatherproof and warm! I have hats, scarves, gloves, tons of thermals, sweats, jeans, socks, and someone gave me a inflatable bed with electric pump. Should I approach the people who are doing the feeding and give them the bed? My entire car is loaded right now. Are we able to park close to that park or do we have to park in the garage and just lug things back and forth? I have two rolling suitcases. Figured we will fill them up and go.
I then received this sent from her BlackBerry:
You are not going to believe this. We didn’t have enough. Corner of K and 15th. They came out of the woodwork. Down the road a little on 16th was a crowd of them too. It is cold and raining and miserable out. Food, clothes, jackets, all of our bags – just everything gone. My entire car was packed. Completely empty now. Unbelievable.
I responded simply asking how the experience was for her. Her answer again from her BlackBerry:
My heart is full. I don’t know if I have the words to express all of the emotions and what we experienced. Invisible people is the best description you could have come up with. I NEVER noticed the homeless as much as I did today. When you look for them, you see them EVERYWHERE.
We drove out there in the downpour. Started driving towards that area that you mentioned. Saw a guy standing by a monument, looked real close and saw a cardboard box. Swung back around, got out, walked over and he was grateful to get food and clothing. He came over to the car and as we were giving him things, he politely asked if he could have some things for his girlfriend who was sleeping under the box. Didn’t even see her! She came over and we gave them sweatshirts, hoodies, tshirts, food and bags (found these great drawstring bags for a dollar). I wanted to give them everything. I wanted to pull them out of their misery and give them shelter. I felt so helpless!
Got in the car and headed to that area you mentioned. Pulled up and saw plastic across this entire bench. Somebody was obviously under it. Not a single person around otherwise. To keep this short (I could write so much right now), we decided we were going to walk over to the bench. NEVER got to it. We never left our car.
One minute the park was deserted, the next minute it was filled with homeless people. We gave and gave and gave and stood in the pouring rain as more and more and more headed towards us. It was crazy. I never met the nicest people, the kindest, so respectful, looking out for each other, saying thank you and please and yes, maam and yes, sir and so grateful. I was floored.
Once we gave it all away, I swear I blinked and the park was empty. Not a soul around except for this one older lady just standing at the bench with her things and an umbrella. She barely spoke English and I went back to her and tried to figure out why she was out there. She didn’t even understand the word ’shelter’. I called the shelter hotline and they said they would send a van out to her but she walked away. I couldn’t communicate what I was trying to do. I watched her walk away and the shelter never found her .
What do you do when you come across that type of thing? How do you help? I stood in the downpour and did nothing. I didn’t know what to do. I am in tears thinking of it.
And afterwards, we got back in the car and I thought … ‘OMG! That was so unexpected. We were mobbed but the thing is … every single person was polite, respectful, happy to receive something, kind, helpful, looking out for each other … it blew me away.
What if they weren’t that way? We actually threw ourselves in a potentially dangerous situation. There were so many people. It was so unexpected.
I don’t want to let that deter me but we saw one person and a mob came out of nowhere and then disappeared just as quickly. As we were leaving, I saw a small type of enclosure (tunnel?) and it was filled with people. I wanted to help them all.
On the way out, on rt 66, there were people under the overpass. They were everywhere! It felt good to help but my heart is full. I want to do anything to help but I feel so helpless.
Are we putting ourselves in danger by approaching one or two people only to have a mob come out nowhere and now we are outnumbered? They could have overpowered us but nobody did. Don’t know how to approach this the next time.
Today was exhilarating and heartbreaking … it could have been dangerous but it wasn’t. My heart is all over the place. I want so bad to help and help and just live and breathe helping them.
Sorry for so much writing. I could go on and on …
I really don’t have words to express what Susan’s actions mean to me. This is beyond amazing! THANK YOU SUSAN! What I will tell you is that Susan may be the perfect volunteer. She demonstrated leadership skills and that she is a make-things-happen person. And for those of you that still hold on to the delusion you cannot afford a volunteer coordinator Susan has donated several times to InvisiblePeople.tv. Honestly, I would rather have her donate to local homeless services organizations – but they all passed her up!
If you have had a similar experience please share. If you are a service provider how can we improve at getting people connected and involved?
I can’t exactly recall when I was first introduced to Beth Kanter’s work. I mean, who in the nonprofit or the social media world does not know how brilliant she is! But I do remember that after I was asked to speak at Gnomedex I started to really pay attention. The year before Beth spoke at Gnomedex and people are still talking.
This last year there were two people that I wanted to meet in real life. Both had played a huge part in helping me guide InvisiblePeople.tv. When I was speaking in Washington, DC over the summer I was honored Katya Andresen took time to meet with me. She’s amazing! Now I just had to wait because with the way things were going Beth Kanter and I would cross paths in no time. Blog World went by, then 140 Conference – no Beth. I thought for sure we would meet at a conference or event but the year was almost over. Honest – I really wanted to meet Beth in person!
Luckily the last week of 2009 I had the honor of spending time with Beth and her gorgeous family. We happened to meet up for coffee at a little cafe’ near Venice. Of course it happened because of social media and one of Beth’s online experiments which couldn’t have been any more perfect.
I am genuinely grateful for Beth and her work in the nonprofit social media space. Beth helps the little guys like me do big things.
Published by March 10th, 2010 in 
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As I started to see homelessness as a public safety issue, I also started to feel for the people living in these camps. They’d have to move with nowhere to go. The one man who was ‘home’ didn’t want to go on video. He told me his story, and it broke my heart. He didn’t have any place to go, and I could feel his fear. He pointed at a twelve-pack of empty beer cans, telling me that was what had ruined his life. He couldn’t stop drinking no matter how hard he tried, and he had lost everything. He had lost his job and his family, and now he was out in the cold with no place to go.
This is a section near the jail that is basically a large room with mats on the floor and a few chain link fences for separation. There is no official booking. A breathalyzer is given, and the person is then allowed to sleep until the alcohol wears off. I was told many of the “inebriates,” as they are called, blow a .30 or higher and are still functioning. Unfortunately, this system is nonstop and far from a real solution. This man we brought in had been there the night before, and would probably be there the night after, and so on.
Ed is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. He once owned 20 liquor stores and now runs a nonprofit called 
Ed drove us around trying to visit camps. During the day no one is home so we didn’t meet anyone at the 2 camps we visited. I did have the honor of meeting Bernice on the side of a busy road. She has severe mental illness and was extremely grateful for the gift of socks and gloves. Thanks to all of you that helped support this trip for making that happen. Special thanks to 
I ran over to see if he was ok and Ed followed. The man was barely conscious and mumbled something about his back. Ed called 911 which is the right thing to do. Left alone in the snow this man probably would have died. The police arrived quickly, but by this time the man had gotten up and had stumbled around the corner only to fall down in another snow bank. The officer loaded the man into a police car and I am told this is called a ‘sleep over’ where drunks are given an overnight stay.
