A tumultuous life, a turn towards faith and one man who wonders if it's time to vote
Decades ago, back when he was a political science major at the University of Southern California, and later in law school, Timothy Walker would vote. Everyone in his family voted for Democrats, so he did too.
Then his path took a different turn. Cocaine addiction took hold of him and he spent years cycling in and out of drug treatment centers. He lost his home and his job as a marketing executive at a law firm. He never passed the bar exam. Elections came and went, largely unnoticed.
This year is different. He completed a faith-based recovery program at the Los Angeles Mission, a Christian nonprofit that serves homeless people and others in need. He’s been clean now for nearly two years. He has a job again, writing thank-you cards to donors in a small office at the mission.
Timothy Walker, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, stands for a photo at the mission in Los Angeles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
And for the first time in forty or so years, he’s thinking about voting.
He’s not sure he’ll vote, and won’t say if he’s leaning toward a particular presidential candidate. But he credits his faith with turning around his life, and wants to see that faith in the presidency.
“A Christian in the White House would be moral, ethical, grounded in love, and would want what’s best for humanity—not just for themselves or any particular business,” said Walker, 64.
The two major-party nominees, Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, are both Christian, though neither has made their religious beliefs central to their campaigns.
Timothy Walker, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who recently graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, walks past a homeless person napping near the mission in Los Angeles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Timothy Walker, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, walks toward the cafeteria at the mission in Los Angeles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Timothy Walker, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, writes thank you cards to donors at the mission in Los Angeles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Timothy Walker, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, watches a Christian YouTube video while taking a break from writing thank you cards to donors at the mission in Los Angeles, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Walker is a cheerful man and an optimist. He believes God will help America. But he’s also realistic about the country’s vast divides.
“Do I think all the hearts of America will be changed and that people will just start being nice to each other and loving each other?,” he asked. “I don’t see that happening right away.”
“There’s too much judgment, envy, jealousy, racism, and sin.”
Timothy Walker, right, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, talks to a first-time visitor about the program at the mission in Los Angeles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Timothy Walker, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, carries his Bible at the mission in Los Angeles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Timothy Walker, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, walks into an office to get some snacks at the mission in Los Angeles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Timothy Walker, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, sits on his bed at the mission in Los Angeles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Timothy Walker, right, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, eats dinner with Oscar Espinoza at the mission in Los Angeles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Timothy Walker, right, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, attends a service at the mission in Los Angeles, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Timothy Walker, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, reads the Bible during a service at the mission in Los Angeles, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A teddy bear is left on a bench in the lobby area of the Los Angeles Mission in Los Angeles, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024, where Timothy Walker recently finished its faith-based drug rehabilitation program. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Timothy Walker, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, prays during a service at the mission in Los Angeles, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Lead photo: Timothy Walker, left, a resident at the Los Angeles Mission who graduated from its faith-based drug rehabilitation program, chats with a security guard at the mission in Los Angeles, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Text from AP News story, A tumultuous life, a turn towards faith and one man who wonders if it's time to vote, by Jae C. Hong
Photos by Jae C. Hong
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