Jasmine Mahenna, a Fresno unhoused woman, said she died for a moment on the night of Feb. 21, 2024, after a drunk driver ran into her outside of Strummer’s Bar & Grill. 

But she wasn’t alone. Before the driver could fully hit Mahenna, her best friend, Edward, put his body in front of hers. 

First responders were able to bring Mahenna back to life, but Edward, or Diablo as he is called, was not so lucky.

“When Diablo passed, he became my angel,” Mahenna said.

Mahenna attended the Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day commemoration in Downtown Fresno on Dec. 21, along with her friend and fellow unhoused community member, Augustine Osuna. 

They were among the many crowd members who have lost an unhoused loved one to causes like hypothermia, drug overdoses, vehicle collisions and sickness. For Osuna and Mahenna, the memorial was personal and constant. 

This year, approximately 50 unhoused individuals died on Fresno’s streets, according to event organizer Caryn Kochergen. To start the memorial, two volunteers read each of the names and rang a bell after each one. 

There were murmurs of recognition after some of the names were pronounced. Mahenna and Osuna recognized the name of another friend, Wes, an unhoused man who died this year.

“It could happen to anybody,” Kochergen said. “One wrong move, and you’re on the street, and you can’t catch up.” 

Kochergen and Samantha Ortiz, another organizer, helped arrange for free clothing, feminine products and food to be supplied at the memorial. Throughout the event’s course, several people filled bags with goods and enjoyed the warm meal while they listened.

Despite the heavy nature of the memorial and a steady flow of tears, Osuna and Mahenna sat down for an interview with The Collegian to tell their stories.

A rocky year

A few distinct challenges plague unhoused individuals in present-day Fresno: The recent encampment ban and this year’s particularly harsh winter. 

Approved in 2024, the anti-camping ordinance prohibits sitting or lying in public places. If they are caught doing so, unhoused individuals are subjected to fines up to $1,000 and/or up to a year in jail.

“At this moment, no one has a place to go,” Mahenna said. “If you sit down, you get arrested. If you stand up, you get arrested.”

Osuna and Mahenna said the only ways to keep warm are through blankets and body heat.

Fresno’s temperatures have averaged 44 degrees in the last few months, along with a lot of rainfall and dense fog. Just last week, two Fresno unhoused individuals were found dead in their tents from what officials believe to be carbon monoxide poisoning from a lit fire. 

That night, the temperature dipped to 39 degrees. 

Getting personal

Mahenna’s story begins when she was just 13 years old. She said that after her grandfather had repeatedly sexually abused her, she was worried one night that it would happen again.

So Mahenna hid a knife under her pillow, and when her grandfather came into her room again to abuse her, she stabbed him 36 times.

“He got six months, I got 12 years,” Mahenna said. “This system is so backwards.”

While Mahenna’s been on and off the streets for years, Osuna just lost his apartment three weeks ago. 

Osuna was diagnosed with congenital heart failure many years ago. The doctor told him he should avoid extreme weather conditions, both hot and cold. Having suffered from several heart attacks before, Osuna is worried that he could be in for more, especially considering Fresno’s frigid winter.

“That’s my biggest fear is having a heart attack,” Osuna said. 

For Mahenna, being a woman alone is enough to endanger her on the streets. According to the American Bar Association, over 90% of women experiencing homelessness have experienced sexual assault or physical abuse in their lives. 

“You can’t relax, you can’t let your guard down, you always have to be on the move,” she said.

She also said she won’t go to sleep unless Osuna or another trusted friend is next to her, protecting her. 

Osuna and Mahenna, despite it all, have plans to open a ministry one day because of their faith in Christianity. Mahenna said she grew up Muslim, but found Christ thanks to Osuna. 

“When I read the Bible, I feel a big weight lifted off of me,” Mahenna said. “If I don’t keep my faith, then what do I have?”

Osuna said he grew up in the church, but it was mostly the Set Free ministry that helped him tremendously in his journey, which is what he hopes to do for others one day.

The two had no idea where they were going to sleep that night, but they had each other, and because of the memorial, a few more clothing items to keep them warm.