Homeless homicides put dangers in focus

The killings of at least four homeless men in Broward County in the past month underscore a message well understood by both advocates and those who sleep on the streets: it can be dangerous out there.

“I try to keep my antenna up,” said longtime Broward resident Randy Richterkessing, 59, just out of the hospital after being beaten and robbed of his food stamps, ID and the $1.25 he had in his pocket.

But Richterkessing, who had several teeth knocked out during the attack, knows sometimes when you live on the streets it doesn’t matter how vigilant you are. “If someone wants to, they can come up behind you and wham,” he said.

The recent slayings, said Richterkessing, who works on boats as a marine technician, gave him “a spooky feeling,” he said.

Interviews with homeless this week indicate that only about half even knew that a man police call a serial killer is accused of committing three of the homeless homicides. Still, in what is known as National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, the fatal attacks serve to reinforce pleas from homeless advocates that men and women on the street accept available help.

“People need to take advantage of the opportunity to get off the street, get into shelters, even if for overnight, and make use of treatment programs,” said Lorraine Wilby, who heads the Task Force Fore Ending Homelessness, a non-profit ad- vocacy agency.

No officials have suggested that Broward’s chronic homeless community — estimates range from 2,300 to 4,000 — is being targeted. And the man suspected of being a serial killer responsible for three of the deaths is in custody.

But the recent violence has ratcheted up concerns among some on the street, prompting them to spend more time with others in large encampments, such as that at the Main Library in downtown Fort Lauderdale, or to acquire defensive weapons.

Paul Patterson, 51, who arrived in South Florida two weeks ago from Las Vegas, said he has been sleeping outside, often at construction sites.

He stays awake at night and