09.22.03
Moviemaker shines light on the 'Bulb'
Homeless star in film about Albany landfill
By Chip Johnson

Over the years, the Albany landfill has been a lot of things to a lot of people.
For state officials and active East Bay residents, the brushy waterfront that juts into San Francisco Bay is part of a state park and bike trail that runs along the shoreline from Richmond to Oakland.

For attorneys defending Scott Peterson, the Modesto fertilizer salesman charged with the death of his pregnant wife Laci Peterson, the spit of land is where artists gather to create images used by satanic cults.

But long before it became the setting of a brief chapter in a murder case that has grabbed national headlines, the Albany "Bulb" was regarded as "Bums' Paradise," a homeless encampment that existed for 10 years before police shut it in 1999.

That's the title of a documentary film about the life and times of the Bulb's former denizens.

"I think that people will see a part of themselves in the film, or maybe a family member or friends," said filmmaker Tomas McCabe. "It's a story of the great American spirit of pioneering, individualism and living in absolute freedom."

Indeed, the former residents said sleeping under the stars was preferable to and safer than staying in dangerous and often predatory homeless shelters.

And until the state claimed the land as part of the regional park, its squatters told McCabe that it was where Albany police officers directed homeless people when they encountered them on city streets.

The film has grabbed awards for the best "Do It Yourself" (McCabe used a rented camera) at a Los Angeles film festival and documentary awards at film festivals in Houston, Madison, Wis., and Moscow.

It will be shown Oct. 16 at the Red Vic, an art movie house in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district.

McCabe's film is a raw look at the shantytown that came together at the landfill over the years. It opens with Robert "Rabbit" Barringer and a pal finishing off a bottle of vodka for breakfast.

After trying to gain the confidence and trust of the homeless community, McCabe put the camera in Barringer's hands and allowed him to capture the scenes.

It didn't start well, McCabe admitted, and Barringer's first foray into documentary filmmaking resulted in a half-hour's worth of film devoted to a a duck in the water, but over time the community residents got excited about the project and opened up.

McCabe learned that residents, including one named Ashby Dancer, lived cooperatively and formed a loose-knit structure around an unspoken code of hobo ethics.

They shared clothing and food, and one resident created a first-aid station of sorts, keeping a steady supply of over-the-counter medicines on hand.

Other residents used the solace of the park to create weird art projects, including many that stand today.

The film has created a buzz in some East Bay enclaves, and Barringer, who serves as the film's narrator, has created a cottage industry from the film.

Barringer, who is still homeless, wanted McCabe to produce a How-To Street Survival guide starring -- him. Instead, he is conducting tours that take visitors on a daylong journey viewing the world through the lens of a homeless man.

One man who saw a preview screening was so enamored with the way homeless people re-use trash that he has signed up for a one-on-one tour with Barringer of some of the most generous trash bins the area.

Students from a photography class at St. Mary's College took Barringer's tour and a group of Albany High School kids has signed up, McCabe said.

He knows every nook and cranny of the Bulb, McCabe said, right down to the location of a strongbox used by people who play an electronic version of hide- and-seek using a global positioning system.

Without a GPS system, Barringer found the strongbox hanging by a chain from a rocky ledge overlooking the water.

Barringer is waiting to hear from some brave souls who want the full treatment, a 24-hour overnight tour to the places homeless people gather, party and sleep.

The underpass at the Ashby Avenue on-ramp to Interstate 580, an area in Richmond near the Costco warehouse and Aquatic Park in Berkeley, are among his favorite overnight spots.

These are also the places where McCabe goes to find Barringer for special events such as Saturday night's screening at the Berkeley Arts Center in Live Oak Park.

The film includes an original musical score as well as faces and personalities that have made up some of the Albany landfill's long-standing residents and strongest supporters.

"People like the Bulb for what it is, and don't want to see it changed," said McCabe. "It's such a unique place.".

BACK TO TOP OF PAGE