I live in the mission

"I live in the mission," he told me with a pause. "I can't get a job because of a felony," he said after walking over to my truck.

When I first saw him, he was standing at the exit ramp of Sam Cooper Blvd. at North Highland Ave. in Memphis. He was holding a small cardboard sign asking for help. "I violated my probation and had to spend another 7-months in jail," he said with slow deep thought.

“A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Living with AIDS

“What year is it,” he asked me. “2015,” I confidently responded. “The doctor told me I’d live to only year 2000,” he said with a smile and a flick of his cigarette. He then started praising God loudly as he stood under the small bus stop. “God is Good, God is Good,” he was almost singing the phrase as people pumping gas behind him stopped what they were doing to see what was going on. 

“I go to church every Sunday,” pointing down the street. “My brother’s the preacher,” he said with a step forward and a tug of his left pant leg. I clicked the shutter and asked, “Why were you not going to make it past year 2000?” He got quiet for a second and then with an outburst, “AIDS, I didn’t use protection and it felt too good to stop.” 

I have met so many people living with AIDS over the past three or four years and yet it is still quite misunderstood or looked at as a contagious infection. Former NBA great Magic Johnson once addressed the scare by stating, “You can't get AIDS from a hug or a handshake or a meal with a friend.”

He stood about 6' 4"

It’s interesting to compare the needs of homeless in one city to another.

I was in Memphis this past Sunday and while handing out coats and boots, only one person needed a tent. The city is so full of vacant homes that nearly every homeless hides away the night in abandoned houses. However, I did not find anyone in boarded up businesses, only shuttered homes. It was almost as if they saw homes as a safe place they could make their own.  

This is the face of one of the many men I met in Shelby County. He stood about 6'4" and was wrapped in blankets and coats. He lives about 5 miles from Graceland. When he was asking for money I told him that I do not keep cash with me. He then said, “Have you got any spare credit cards I could use?” The funny part is, I think he was serious. I laughed and replied, “No, I sure don’t.”

“I never expected to be anybody important.” - Elvis Presle

61 Drive-In, Memphis, Tennessee

The Drive in that was once a part of a growing Memphis, Tennessee area opened with a single screen in 1958. It is located on Highway 61 and was called the 61 Drive-In. The theater closed down in 1965, but later reopened in 1968 as the Southwest Twin Drive-In with two screens, which was owned by Malco. The drive-in closed for good in 2001.

During the better times, the drive-in saw up to 850 cars per night. It was one of two drive-in’s located in Memphis.

Actor Forest Whitaker stated, “When I was a kid, the only way I saw movies was from the back seat of my family's car at the drive-in.”

Old Memphis Church

Once a vibrant church in Memphis, Tennessee... now a building that is set to be torn down. The chapel in this church has already caved in and a few Sunday school classrooms are left behind. This is one of the few rooms that still survives, barely.

The Memphis First Seventh-day Adventist Church opened this worship center in 1902, as best I can tell. Little information is available today about this structure. The building also served as the Memphis Junior Academy that was operated by the church. The school later moved in 1954 to North Mendenhall Road. 

Now out of prison, but in a prison

Memphis, Tennessee is ranked as having the second highest crime rate in the United States according to some surveys and number three in others. Regardless of the ranking, life is hard for many.

“How did you get the scar under your right eye,” I asked with curiosity… He looked a little to the side while never letting the grasp of his cigar ease, “When I was in prison in Texas, a man punched me in the eye.” As he continued to tell me the details of the event he said that he did not know it was cut so badly until he went into the bathroom and noticed blood dripping down his face. “The guy then came in the bathroom and apologized saying that he was sorry, he just learned that his mom died,” he explained.

“I went to a federal prison in Beaumont, Texas,” he said with a smile. He told me he was sentenced to 20-years, but only had to serve 8. I asked what for and he said that he was already a convicted felon and was caught driving his mother’s car while armed. He also ran from Memphis Police, wrecking the car he was driving.

He spoke highly of his mother who is now deceased and said, “I told my mom before court to just say that the gun was hers and that I didn’t know it was in the car, but she said she was not going to lie for me.”

As for Beaumont Prison in Beaumont, Texas, he said the federal courts often send convicts there from Tennessee. The prison population totals 2,129 inmates. It is known as a “High Security Penitentiary.”

He told me it is next to impossible to find a job as a felon, but lives in a home with a roommate. He has been out of prison for the past 7 years.

"Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars." - Beck

Sadness on the street

"One must not let oneself be overwhelmed by sadness." -Jackie Kennedy

If only you could correct sadness by not letting yourself think sad thoughts, everyone would be at 100% all the time.

Some suggest that those on the street who are battling depression can snap out of it or think positive. However, when depression is deep enough to cause you to lose your friends, family and housing… it is much more complex.

A Harvard Health Publication from the Harvard Medical School stated, “To be sure, chemicals are involved in this process, but it is not a simple matter of one chemical being too low and another too high. Rather, many chemicals are involved, working both inside and outside nerve cells. There are millions, even billions, of chemical reactions that make up the dynamic system that is responsible for your mood, perceptions, and how you experience life.”

As for the man in this photo, he was once a diesel mechanic. 

Hello Santa

He was walking in downtown Nashville with a skimpily dressed Mrs. Claus along with one elf. Considering the temperature was around 70 degrees, Mrs. Claus had the right apparel on. Santa on the other hand, was getting hot.

"This picture is not gonna end up on the front page of the Tennessean, right," he asked. "Where is it going," he questioned. I smiled after he said that and chuckled.

As Santa put the cigarette in his mouth he commented, "It's been a while since I've had one of these."

As I walked away he gave Mrs. Claus a hug, "Well, that's how I got my start."

Comedian George Carlin once stated, "The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live."

People don't know her

She lives hidden in the woods and while thousands pass by daily within 100 yards of her camp, no one knows she is there. The camp is tidy and clean. 

“I have two kids, but I made the conscious decision to put them in a home for children until I get on my feet,” she said. “I see my children several days each month,” she commented with a smile. 

The small building she lives in was built by a 61-year old man who built a similar hut to the left of hers. They share a generator and even have a coffee maker to kick their mornings off. 

“I was living in my car until it broke down,” explaining what went wrong that landed her on the streets, “I was let go from my job and hired at a fast food restaurant, but that job fell through before I even started.”

Her life was turned upside down by a relatively large number of events that hit her all at once. Today she is working at getting her life back on track. 

"You know, most people really don't know me." - Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962)

Find my sister for me

I recently ran into Dwayne again in Nashville. He is the 49-year old gentleman who I talked to who wanted me to find his sister to tell her he was okay.

I talked to his sister about two or three weeks ago after meeting Dwayne one night. It took me about two days to find her, but I did find her.

She told me a story of heartache filed with mental illness, drug and alcohol addiction within her family. We talked about how Dwayne has never received proper help and how growing up was a battle for her.

In my conversation with the Illinois native, she described how her father use to make her and Dwayne fight in the front yard to provide him (the father) with entertainment. She talked about how her mother sold drugs and how that affected her for life.

I could go further into the details of Dwayne's life involving his sister, but out of respect for her I won't. She is doing good today and has not had contact with her brother in over 15-years for personal reasons. Those reasons make sense. 

“I had noticed that both in the very poor and very rich extremes of society the mad were often allowed to mingle freely.” ― Charles Bukowski, author of Ham on Rye. Bukowski was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambiance of his home city of Los Angeles.

Empty Spaces: Chattanooga Foundry and Pipe Co.

A look inside the old Chattanooga Foundry and Pipe Co. that was built in 1882…

The company was built by a man named David Giles. The massive factory that had a medical office on site, was once alive with well over 1,000 employees during its heyday.

In 1899, the company was incorporated into the United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry Company. It was one of 12 companies in 8 states to receive a new name under the umbrella of U.S. Pipe. Of the original company that was part of the 1899 corporation, only two are in operation today. Those two plants are in Alabama and New Jersey.

In the 1900’s, the plant in Chattanooga cranked out not only pipes, but also brakes for some of the first cars in the United States along with cast iron fittings, valves and hydrants.

By 2003, the plant announced plans to fire 243 of their 345 workers. The firing came just two weeks before Christmas. In 2006, everyone was let go and the plant closed for good.

The massive structure is now a graveyard for outdated rusty machinery, soot, and metal shavings.

Honesty is all that some have left

"Can I have a sleeping bag to give to a friend of mine who stays under the bridge with me," He quietly asked. I smiled, "Do you need one as well?" He then told me, "No, I have plenty of blankets... but he doesn't."

I always love how honest the homeless men and women I come in contact with are in regards to their needs. They are always careful to not take what they do not plan on using.

"It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit." - Noel Coward

The Kings Music

He was sitting next to a Walmart sign in Nashville listening to reggae music. The music was quiet and mellow. He had a red light on his head so that motorist would be able to see him properly at night. 

"You know, most people don't make it as long as I have on the street," he said after telling me that he is 60. I handed him a new sleeping bag and he hugged it tightly while saying, "This is a blessing." 

In case you are curios about his choice of music, reggae originated in Jamaica in the late 1960's. Some call reggae Gods music or the Kings music. In Latin regi means "to the king."

He worked for the Chattanooga Police Department

He loves reading the newspaper, but before he does he finds a quiet spot out of the public eye. Today, I caught 73 year old George Ottrix of Chattanooga sitting on the steps of a back door behind a liquor store. “It’s quiet here,” he told me.

“I worked for the Chattanooga Police Department for 23-years,” he said as he described how times were different prior to him leaving the force some 20-years ago. “You couldn’t arrest white people very easily back then,” he said while referring to the 1980’s in Chattanooga. He suggested that if you were well connected and white, it took more than handcuffs to haul a possible suspect to jail if you were a black officer.

Welcome to Catoosa County, Georgia

"In case you want to know what she will do [showing me the reading on the radar gun]," he said laughing. Deputy Bobby Persinger was one of the nicest deputies I have ever met, considering the circumstances (speeding).

"You were only 6 when I joined the force," he said with a smile. He works for the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office in Georgia.

"Man, did you see that car," as he pointed at an antique Chrysler drive by on the interstate.

"How much will this ticket cost me anyway," I asked with curiosity. He smiled, "I don't know, they just give us a badge and a gun and say protect the roadways [chuckling]."

No stranger to speed: I later learned that in the late 1970's, the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office had a fleet of Pontiac Trans Am's. In fact, they were famous for their cars at one point. In 1978, the Sheriff's Office owned 8, all four speeds. An article was even printed in a 1979 Car and Driver magazine about their cars. The cars were purchased under the leadership of Sheriff J. D. Stewart.

Today, none are known to be in existence.

The Pirate

I shot this recently at Hippie Hill. I always love visiting the area, it is so quiet and peaceful.

"Sometimes it's the crazy people who turn out to be not so crazy." - Kevin Spacey

Identical twins homeless on the streets

They look identical and were born only 10-minutes apart. One of the twins saw me hand a 60-year old homeless man a sleeping bag and a coat and asked, “Do you have another coat?” I smiled and asked, “Do you need a sleeping bag too?” He was overwhelmed with excitement as he called for his brother who was across the street to come over.

I handed the newly donated sleeping bag, coat and coveralls to the first brother and then gave him a new Bible in a carrying case. He then ran to the sidewalk and looked up and thanked God.

His wife died 10-years ago, so he hit the road

His wife died ten years ago and soon after, he decided to hit the road. Many of us lose ourselves in our sorrow, others search for new beginnings without knowing what we are searching for.

“I am 60 and I applied for an apartment… I think I will get it before the temperatures get really cold,” he told me.

“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Police Code 51-50

The tattoo on his inner lip read, “51-50.” However, it was starting to fade. “I can’t see it,” he told another man, “I haven’t figured out how to pull my lip up to my eyes [laughing].” The other man giggled and said, “It reads I’m Gay, I think you should get your money back.”

“So what does 51-50 mean,” I asked with curiosity. “It is police code in California for a crazy person,” he told me with a chuckle. I did not want to question it as he towered over me and I am 6’2”.

“Sometimes you have to go a little crazy before you can find sanity. I think I'm close.” ― Tawny Lar

The End

He had tattoos all over his body and as he closed his eye lids the tattoos read, “The End.”

He stood about 6’4” and was a very nice gentleman, but I can imagine he was a force to be reckon with in his youth.

I asked, “So, why the tattoos?” He laughed a little and told me that he did not know why other than he was young at the time. The rest followed thereafter.

American tattoo artist Kat Von D once stated, “I am a canvas of my experiences, my story is etched in lines and shading, and you can read it on my arms, my legs, my shoulders, and my stomach.”