From the LA Times (Bob Pool, 10/16/09, via subscription):
She’s 97 years old and homeless. Bessie Mae Berger has her two boys, and that’s about all.
She and sons Larry Wilkerson, 60, and Charlie Wilkerson, 62, live in a 1973 Chevrolet Suburban they park each night on a busy Venice street.
For the most part, it’s a lonely life—days spent passing the time away in public parks, parking lots and shopping centers around the Westside.
Occasionally, when they need cash, Bessie sits by the side of the road and seeks handouts. She holds a cardboard sign in her lap: “I am 97 years old. Homeless. Broke. Need help please.”
(With thanks to Michael McGrorty for the tip.)
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