A homeless man and his son have built a Dia de los Muertos altar near a freeway overpass to honor his dog that was killed.
Candles, marigolds, Christmas lights, skulls and drapes decorate the elaborate altar located at Seventh and East Virginia streets. At the center is a large framed picture of Nacho, Miguel Maruyama’s German shepherd. Maruyama said his 12-year-old dog was poisoned when his landlord evicted him in September. The altar and his encampment, which sits on Caltrans property, is at risk of being swept.
“I don’t have nowhere else to go,” Maruyama, 39, told San José Spotlight. “It’s really hard to be on the streets.”
It’s Maruyama and his son Alejandro’s first time being homeless. He said he doesn’t sleep much at night because he’s afraid of being robbed — he’s already had things stolen from him four times. In addition to dealing with the dangers of living on the streets and the cold nights, Maruyama and Alejandro haven’t stopped grieving the death of their beloved dog.
Nacho was trained to sense Alejandro’s epileptic seizures and would warn him and Maruyama before they started. Now without Nacho, Maruyama is afraid to leave his son alone. Their eyes filled with tears recounting how loyal and loving their German shepherd was.
“He was my best friend,” Maruyama said. “He was always so obedient. He was an incredible support for me and Alejandro and now we have to figure something out. That’s why it makes me so mad.”
@sanjosespotlight Father and son Miguel and Alejandro Maruyama built an elaborate altar to memorialize their beloved German Shephard, Nacho, who they say was poisoned when their landlord evicted them in September. The altar and their encampment, which sits on Caltrans property, is at risk of being swept. Read more at SanJoseSpotlight.com. diadelosmuertos altardemuertos homelessness sanjose siliconvalley
Maruyama said Nacho was poisoned by someone allegedly connected to his former landlord. Maruyama held his dog as he died, foaming at the mouth. His landlord allowed him to rent a room in her house free of charge while he fixed up her San Jose home and built a house in the back. At first, she paid him for his labor but eventually stopped. After he was done building the house, he asked her to compensate him for the tens of thousands of dollars he spent on the supplies which had depleted his savings. Instead, she filed an eviction notice, he said.
Maruyama reported his case to the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, which found that the landlord owed him and his son a total of nearly $150,000 for lost wages, according to filings reviewed by San José Spotlight.
“If I was just paid for the work I did, I wouldn’t be out here,” Maruyama said.
Tradition has it that on Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, deceased loved ones come back to visit. With the holiday approaching on Nov. 1-2, Maruyama and his son wanted to build an altar for Nacho in his memory.
Maruyama created a GoFundMe to help him and his son go back for Nacho’s remains and be able to move his belongings into storage and get off the streets.
Caltrans had originally given them notice that the altar and encampment would be swept days before Dia de los Muertos, but Maruyama said the transportation agency is allowing him to stay until after the holiday.
Caltrans did not provide comment on when it’s scheduled to sweep the area next or if the transit agency would consider holding off until Maruyama and his son have found a place to live.
Maruyama said he doesn’t know when the camp and altar will be swept, but he’s not sure where they’ll go when it happens. A shelter is not a good option for them, because Maruyama also has parakeets, two other dogs, furniture and a copious amount of belongings he can’t store anywhere.
“I want to get justice, to get what I deserve for the work I did. If I was just paid for the work I did, I wouldn’t be out here. I don’t deserve to end up like this,” Maruyama told San José Spotlight.
Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or @joyce_speaks on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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