1/4 "Life and Death at the Ambassador Hotel" part 1 of 4

"Life and Death at the Ambassador Hotel" documentary 1994, Tenderloin, San Francisco, California

Posted with permission from the Ambassador Hotel, to educate people about the conditions of poverty in the inner city, about HIV/AIDS and end of life care-giving, about the heroes and heroines who worked and volunteered to take care of the neediest and most helpless in our society.

This is dedicated to the memory of Hank Wilson, "Mr. Ambassador Hotel", "Saint Hank", 1947-2008, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Wilson

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• documentary
• 1994
• Tenderloin
• San
• Francisco
• AIDS
• HIV
• hospice
• poverty
• Hank
• Wilson

[sfrevival]

It wasn't easy getting a copy of this important documentary to upload so everyone can benefit and learn. There aren't any copies in the libraries. There aren't any copies on the internet. The TV station that produced it didn't have (or provide) a copy. There's some archive of Peabody winning documentaries where Life/Death is listed but without a copy being kept! I felt it was a complete shame that this was not available, and now people can see it! Thank you Jackie for helping! David

[facetiousbadger]

Gilded Age. I think we all agreed that there had to be a degree of sociopathy in society of that period, but we always refuse to look at the present with any similar objectivity. I'm embarrassed to think of how society will come to view us years from now.

[facetiousbadger]

experienced deployment related trauma, but I had the support of friends and family who would go to the ends of the Earth for me and helped me through the most difficult times. This was filmed in the early 90's, but I know there isn't much changed. Society is always judged on their treatment of the vulnerable and marginalized, and I think it's deplorable that we write these people off as 'weak' or telling them they brought this on themselves. In school we read Dickens, and condemnation of the

[facetiousbadger]

I'm 23, and grew up in a rural and conservative community. When I was a child I had a really arrogant view of people like the ones profiled in this documentary, and it took me a while to understand the depravity of genetics and circumstance that lead people into these situations. I like to say I would never let myself get in this situation, but what do I really know? I don't have HIV/AIDS, any other terminal illness, addiction, been incarcerated, been raped, been homeless, etc. I have

[OperationM6]

it's a cold world out there.... I STAY WARM hahahah

[epignosis]

Thank you for getting this up here!

[joshtj44]

I have a thing for San Francisco history and architecture and this hotel is normally listed as being built in 1911 with a cool looking exterior. Wikipedia says it's "low income housing" but never mentioned all this. I would of never thought a beautiful San Francisco historical landmark would contain so much pain and death. For me it's an example of how this system benefits the rich and wealthy but no one else. God bless the people who have died and those that help them...

[Poconnor82803]

Thanks so much for uploading this!