Omar Sheikl is originally from New York, a fact that still comes through clearly in his personality decades after moving west. Sharp-witted and observant, he carries the kind of charm that allows him to deliver social criticism with a smile. After arriving in California in the early 1980s and eventually settling in the Bay Area, he completed his bachelor's degree and built a life on the West Coast. His stories were shared with a mixture of humor and skepticism, making it difficult to tell where the joke ends and the deeper truth begins.
During our interview, Omar reflected on Ashland's relationship with homelessness and poverty, questioning what he sees as a tendency to judge people without understanding the circumstances that brought them there. Recalling a comment he heard that Ashland was "one of the first towns in America where being homeless has become a crime," he bowed his head, closed his eyes and let out long heavy sigh. Beneath his humor is someone paying close attention to how people are treated and who gets left behind.
Life has not unfolded exactly as Omar expected. Plans to start a business were interrupted by legal troubles, leaving him frustrated by a system that often feels inaccessible to people without resources. Still, he spends much of his time at community gatherings like the Saturday morning meal at Ashland Public Library, where he reconnects with friends, checks in on people, and helps maintain the sense of community. His concern for others feels genuine and unforced, rooted less in ideology than in simple human decency.
For Omar, gatherings like these are less about charity than family. It's a place to share a meal, trade stories, keep an eye on one another, and find a few reasons to smile. In a conversation that was brief but revealing, he communicated his genuine care for others and a sincere hope that people in our community try harder to recognize the common ground that we all stand on.
