Business owners, homeless advocates aim for a fragile peace after brutal attack.

Last Thursday at Dorothy’s Place, a lively Salinas soup kitchen, a group of homeless men and women sat down to tell stories about their friend who was nearly beaten to death in October.


That same morning, at an Oldtown Salinas Association meeting, business owners and concerned citizens were discussing the very same incident.


The alleged attack by two Oldtown restaurant owners sent a man known as “Orbits” to the hospital. It also put a spotlight on a problem that has long been visible but often overlooked.


Two separate yet parallel plans have emerged. The homeless group will stage a vigil Dec. 7 for their comrade, who remains hospitalized in the Bay Area. And on Dec. 13, the Oldtown Association will host a community meeting on homelessness.


The grim spectacle of homelessness is especially apparent on Soledad Street, home to Dorothy’s. At the soup kitchen, in a pink-and-blue tiled room, about 30 men and women reflected on the beating.


“What happened to him shouldn’t happen to anybody,” says a woman wearing a white hood. “It hurt me so bad.” Another woman, stuffing a pair of shoes into a purse, nodded.


“Just ‘cause they’re a business owner, they have no right to beat somebody like that,” she says. “I feel it was a hate crime.”


There’s been much speculation on the incident, though it’s unclear what exactly happened. 


XL Grindhouse owners Robert DeLeon, 43, and his brother, James DeLeon, 32, pleaded not guilty last week to felony charges of attempted murder and assault.


What has been clear, though, is the community’s reaction.


Orbits was an Oldtown fixture, often perched near Rosita’s Armory Cafe, a Mexican restaurant near the heart of the business district. His homeless friends, as well as acquaintances who passed him on their way to work, describe him as affable and talkative.


He’d tell passersby, while handing out imaginary coins, “This is 10,000 loves. Keep the change.”


But business owners say homelessness has contributed to problems in the city, like loitering and panhandling. There have been vandalism, littering and sanitation issues because of people sleeping in doorways and alleys, says Brian Higgins, the Oldtown Association’s executive director.


Rosita’s co-owner Jesse Juarez, who says Orbits was “always trying to brighten people’s days,” is worried that negative attention surrounding the case could damage the city’s reputation.


“As business owners, we’ve been trying to tell people that Salinas is a wonderful place,” he says. He wonders what people might assume about business owners in light of this case.


Sang’s Cafe, a small restaurant next door to XL Grindhouse, was virtually empty at lunchtime last week. Co-owner Don Sang says the incident has “killed my business.”


Sang describes his neighbor, James DeLeon, as “real cool, really easy to talk to,” and Robert DeLeon as “a really good family person.”


The management of XL Grindhouse, which reopened the day after the arrests, wouldn’t comment.


Some community leaders have said the incident has sparked a city-wide discussion on homelessness.


“We will work together and find a solution,” Higgins says. 


The vigil for Orbits happens at 5pm Friday, Dec. 7, in front of the Steinbeck Center, 1 Main St. Call Greg Tippett at 776-8615 for info. The Oldtown Association’s community meeting on homelessness begins at 5:30pm Thursday, Dec. 13 at the Salinas City Hall Rotunda, 200 Lincoln Ave. Call 758-0725 for more info.