Dregs of the City: Phoenix | Short Documentary

Phoenix has the fastest growing homeless population in America.

Dregs of the City: Phoenix is a short documentary that dives into Phoenix, Arizona. This city, as well as the whole state of Arizona, has been experiencing a record-breaking increase in homelessness over the course of the last few years. From the homeless and ex-homeless people themselves, this documentary explores the reasons why.

Throughout the documentary, you'll meet a handful of different characters, success stories and the opposite, that come together as one character that is the Greater Phoenix area. A city of two extremes. A city with one of the fastest growing economies, and one of the fastest developing homeless crises.

Phoenix has an area called "The Zone" where, in most of modern history, the homeless people of Phoenix have congregated. The Zone has taken different shapes, different forms, it has been moved, destroyed, resurrected, and destroyed again. This documentary explores The Zone intimately with its residents.

Co-Directors: 67 Kevin Kalb & Danny Golden
Editor: Charles Leith
Director of Photography: 67 Kevin Kalb
Camera Operators: 67 Kevin Kalb, Danny Golden, & Charles Leith

Thumbnail Design by: 6 7 Kevin Kalb

News Sources:
KSAZ-TV Fox 10 Phoenix
KPNX - NBC 12 Mesa-Phoenix
KTVK/KPHO - 3TV & CBS 5 Arizona
KNXV-TV ABC 15 Arizona
CNBC
CityofPhoenixAZ - YouTube

Music Used:
"Everybody Loves the Sunshine" by Roy Ayers
"North American Scum" by LCD Soundsystem
"Bad Reputation" by Bass Drum of Death
"Boneyard" by Nobunny
"Almost Had to Start a Fight / In and Out of Patience" by Parquet Courts
"To Hell With Poverty!" by Gang of Four
"BREACH" by No Baby
"Cementality" by King Krule
"Don't Get Taken" by Acid Dad
"Take 3" by Inner Wave
"Why" by Nick Gillette

Please share if you enjoyed it!
00:00 Intro
01:08 The Danger Zone
03:17 Dumpster Fire
04:19 New York Michael
04:59 Anarchy
06:34 Red & Lori
07:48 PTSD
09:00 Broken Lightbulbs
10:19 Corrupt Politicians
12:04 No Woman is Safe
14:34 Homeless Pregnancy
16:39 Chris & Mark
19:27 Programs
20:25 Affordable Housing
21:45 Billy's Way Home
23:14 Other Solutions
24:25 The Cleanup
26:19 Ask the Homeless
28:29 Outro

Dregs of the City 67kevin 67 Kevin 67 Six Seven Kevin

[kevin]

Support our Patreon if you want to help us get to more cities!

[mac]

I used to live out there in “the zone” or w/e. Everyone just refers to it as CAS, (Central Arizona Shelter Services), because that’s the homeless shelter all the camping takes place outside of. The reason people stay there is because it’s essentially the only place in the valley where homeless individuals have access to basic services, like meals, showers, toiletries, etc.
I can attest to how dangerous it is out there. Its completely lawless. Fortunately, my wife and I only ended up being homeless for about 4 months. Fortunately, through her planning and foresight, we were able to work our way out. And I’m happy to say we haven’t struggled financially in years, and our lives have taken a complete 180° turn. And it sure as hell was no thanks to the city of Phoenix.

[ClintCoon]

Lived at Cass in 2016. I made it out alive. 5yrs sober ❤❤❤

[egbertsouse]

Phenomenal short film. I live in Phx and many here still have no idea how bad the situation has become. Appreciate your work.

[negativecharisma]

Living in Phoenix, it's sad as hell to realize that the broken lightbulbs guy was dead right. A lot of our homeless population would rather stay homeless than give up the drugs.

[SeaToSkyImages]

It broke my heart to hear Chris, and his fear of unresolved issues before his inevitable passing. He seemed so scared, so vulnerable. Thanks for taking the time to hear his story. My heart goes out to him and his loved one.
Fantastic work yet again.

[BIGMGDELTA]

I've worked for 2 different clinics in Phoenix and currently work as an armed patrol officer in all the bad places; the situation is such a double edged sword and there's no right answer that works for everyone. You can't treat the drug addicts the same way you treat the "unlucky ones". You can't treat the gangbangers like the drug addicts. You show kindness to the wolves and they mistake it for weakness and act accordingly. You show brutality and eventually you become like the ones you hate. However there IS a code they live by, that if you are fair and generous yet firm and diligent they won't harm you, but to be fair I wear body armor, a gun, and look like an ex-linebacker. I try to be fair every day but it does wear on your soul the trap they are in. So much help available but most are wolves in sheep's clothing.

[carollawson]

Definitely sad what is going in Phoenix as well as other cities. Great work with the interviews, music and awareness. Appreciate all your documentaries.

[debrashelmire]

This is the best documentary I’ve ever watched. As a phoenix native this was touching. And the soundtrack was incredible

[WaxAddictz]

Your documentaries are next level. So many others try to cover these issues but your videos really hit hard. It's not just about filiming people in a terrible situation, you go into the reasons, possible solutions...etc. Respect!

[JarrodMiller-zj]

I'm homeless myself right now. I've struggled with an alcohol problem. My situation is that I was raised right and didn't become homeless until I was 34. I can tell you from experience that the majority of homeless people are scum. Bad people. There are a few that are decent and will work and try to better themselves. Most of them I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire.

[king_reynolds]

The production value of your videos is on another level. Keep up the great work.

[sparrowwren]

Six Seven, You guys are making a difference in this world. Keep it up. God bless you.

[kellyalbright]

The contrast between the two cultures at the very end gave me chills. It was a sad and very truthful way to show what’s really going on in the world.

[Malleymedi]

This has become one of my favourite channels. Production quality and story telling is always top tier. Thanks for making this content. Did you ever find out what happened to Chris? Like what caused him to lose everything and end up homeless?

[yaeger]

I like these videos because they show serious social problems in a non-somber way. The soundtrack and the honesty are a refreshing take

[JoeMotionVideos]

Thanks, guys, for putting this documentary out there. As a resident of Arizona and a member of the healthcare community, this video strikes a cord with me. Let's hope that something good comes from this.

[nathanthomas]

Top notch production. Thank you for what you do.

[DebyNieto-kqci]

This was so well put together and very devastating at the same time.

[aowowoiae]

Another great doc, very sad to see the RIP's at the end but you showed them in a great light.