As the unofficial “concierge of Skid Row,” Wendell Blassingame has earned his reputation as an “angel” and as a “saint.” A man of deep wisdom, kindness, and patience, Wendell was gracious enough to sit down with me at the James M. Wood Community Center in Los Angeles as he was getting prepared to host his Sunday afternoon Nickel Movies in Skid Row.

To start our conversation, I asked Wendell to tell me how his story and the story of Skid Row became intertwined.