Fears of the homeless are real

Ricky suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, which is tough on someone who lives in the woods. However, he is very open about the condition which allows others around him to better understand the issues he may face.

At times, his mind might not agree with reality, which is common in the world of mental illness diagnoses.

One of his strongest fears is that of people trying to hurt him. Of course, we all have that fear from time to time, but our fear depends on the environment. Ricky could be in any environment and have that fear, which is why he keeps the location of his camp secret. He also has his camp set for traps to warn him of unwanted visitors.

He has many ways of coping with the illness that are quite ingenious. He does a lot of reading for not only relaxation, but to learn about his paranoia and to educate himself on a number of topics - including news.

One fear that continues to plague his thoughts involves someone coming into his camp destined to kill him and maybe other homeless living in the vicinity.  He described the thought as a serial killer targeting homeless camps.

Up until today I never thought about serial killers targeting homeless areas. In fact, it is something that I have not really heard of. I don’t know if such stories were not covered by the national media or if those things didn’t really happen and Ricky simply created the fear in his head.

Upon researching it, apparently it is a bonafide issue which means real fears for some of our homeless community that reads, researches or looks into crimes against homeless as a means to better protect themselves.

It Really Happens: 

In March of 2017, police in Las Vegas used a mannequin dressed as a homeless person as a decoy to lure one killer into their sites. They placed the dummy on the streets in an area where two sleeping homeless men had previously been killed with the notion that the killer would strike again. As luck would have it, Shane Schindler was caught on camera trying to “kill” the decoy. However, he has not been found guilty of killing the two sleeping homeless men as of yet.

A gang that said they were on a "Street cleaning crusade" killed 15 homeless in Moscow, according to reports in June of 2017. One victim was stabbed 171 times while others were struck with hammers.  

In 2016, a suspected serial killer was arrested in California after savagely attacking five homeless during five separate events. If police didn’t hear the screams coming from under a San Diego overpass in July of 2016, then Jon David Guerrero could still be killing. Luckily, officers caught Guerrero in the act and he was apprehended. The California native was accused of burning two victims alive and stabbing others.

In 2014, a man by the name of Aeman Presley was accused of killing two homeless men in Atlanta, GA as they slept. He was also accused of killing a third homeless man near Atlanta and a woman who was a hair stylist, but not homeless. While in a Fulton County, Georgia courtroom on January 20, 2017, the now convicted killer said he thought he was “Helping” at least one homeless man by killing him.

A former U.S. Marine stabbed a woman, her son and four homeless men to death to do the community a "Service," according to Orange County court documents from 2012. Itzcoatl “Izzy” Ocampo reportedly stabbed some of the victims up to 60 times. Ocampo killed himself one year later in jail while awaiting to be transferred to a prison.

The above are just a few of the homeless murders that have occurred in recent years. Sad, but true.

“The more you love, the more love you have to give. It's the only feeling we have which is infinite...” ― Christina Westover

Cheryl the Survivor

There is something to be said about routine. It is often a good thing because it equals sustainability. However, routine is more of a chore when it comes to the same dreadful morning after morning. Add mental illness into the mix and it makes life even harder to face each day. 

Hear what Cheryl had to say below (1 MIN and 30 SEC):

Imagine being a woman and waking up each day in a tent. Imagine not having the ability to put on make-up  or perhaps take that relaxing nightly shower to wind down. You can’t do it. 

The only way you will be taking a shower while camping is if you are inside a state park or staying in a fancy roadside KOA campground. Of course, both places have limits on how long you can stay and both are costly for someone with nothing.

For most homeless in Murfreesboro, a shower is taken weekly at The Journey Home on West Castle Street or perhaps the Pilot Truck Stop.

If you have ever seen homeless men or women at the Pilot Truck Stop or maybe The Flying J, they are not lingering in the parking lot to prostitute themselves, which is what many believe. While that may be the case in some areas, it is mostly a thing of the past as truck stop management attempt to self-police such behavior. So, there is not a reason to hurry the children back to the car.

The homeless are often at truck stops to receive the goodwill of truck drivers who are passing through cities. Many truck stops offer semi drivers a “FREE” shower token for every 1,000 gallons of fuel purchased. Those drivers often give those sower tokens to those in need, which helps in a major way.

Pictured is Cheryl who moved to Murfreesboro when she was about 2 or 3. Yes, like many in our area she is a transplant. Her parents moved her to teach, which both did. One parent taught at Middle Tennessee Christian School and the other at Riverdale. After the death of her mom and the aging of her father Cathy’s mental state became more deteriorated which meant her elderly father was not able to properly control some of her behaviors, all according to Cheryl.

Cheryl has the same routine daily, but she is not close to a shower. So, she routinely gets up dirty and goes to bed dirty. It is not exactly adventurous and it is tough on a woman or a man for that matter.

As for fear, she worries about her safety the most. She worries about being killed more than being dirty. She told me that she has been raped about 6 times. She also talked about how she has been beat up while living on the street.

“The rewards of the wild and the rewards of the survivor go to those who can dig deep, and, ultimately, to the guy who can stay alive.” - Bear Grylls

Looking Back to Vietnam and Medical Help Today

He had that Clint Eastwood look in his eyes that told me he was kind, but didn’t take anything from anyone.  His skin was weathered as if he had spent a great deal of his life working outside He had the appearance of knowing real work and he could still tackle that real work today.

68 Year old Russell Ashton served our country in the Vietnam War, he was in the US Army. When he returned, like many Vietnam Veterans, he went straight to work.

Ashton still has many memories and thoughts about what he saw during a wartime, things that can’t be unseen.

You can hear the 9 minute interview I did with him below…

"I think about it all the time, no one has ever looked through my eyes and no one has ever worn my boots." - Russell Ashton, U.S. Army

Nothing to Worry About

His nickname is Alabama and he currently lives under a bridge. But, he does not get overly worried about being homeless.

“Is that a tattoo,” I asked while pointing at the name “Jesus” on his arm. He responded, “I wished it were a permanent tattoo because I love Jesus now and forever and I strive to be a real Christian.” He followed that up by saying, “Generally speaking I’m a C-minus Christian at best, but a lot of my days I start out an A plus Christian, but I make mistakes I’m human.”

“If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn't ask me, I'd still have to say it.” - George Burns , American comedian (1896-1996)

Domestic Violence: Fighting with the barrel of a shotgun in TN

On Tuesday, I went with Karen Lampler from the Domestic Violence Program in Murfreesboro to visit with a domestic violence survivor who was almost killed when her husband beat her 21 years ago.

After the attack in 1996, Teva Jane Chaffin ended up at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville and her now ex-husband was arrested. He spent 9 years in prison until he was paroled and eventually re-arrested for his role in beating up another woman.

After Chaffin was beat within an inch of her life, she suffered from major brain related injuries that put her on a third grade cognitive level – meaning she had to relearn nearly everything.

The audio interview with Chaffin is below, I invite you to listen to the short 14-minute interview. 

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Above is a photo of Teva Jane while being cared for at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, TN. 

“In violence we forget who we are.”

— Mary McCarthy

Today, Chaffin spends her time making jewelry, which is her way of healing. You can find her handmade jewelry online at TevaJane.com. Below are just a few of the pieces that Chaffin made. 

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Living in the woods

Ms. Debbie and her son Levi were once well known faces around Murfreesboro. However, the two now live in Nashville, still homeless, but in their words “safer.”

Tonight I had the privilege of teaching Levi, who is blind, how to turn on and start the new generator they recently purchased. Karen Lampert with the Domestic Violence Program in Murfreesboro ventured into the camp with me and we got to bring them some healthy fried chicken and a couple of Mountain Dew’s.

"Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work." - Mother Teresa

Open your eyes wide

A simple dog photo, yet so many things to see in a single photo of a frozen moment in life. Out of eyesight from the frame of the picture are more things...

Outside the window the dog has his attention focused on chickens walking by along with geese making noise while following the chickens. People with dreadlocks pass by the doors not looking towards the dog.

You must have your eyes open in life or you will miss your surroundings someday. That someday could be tomorrow.

When you visit places that are not to your liking or not what you would consider home, open your eyes wider and take it all in as this is what stories are made from.

Over the frame of the door is an old and worn photo of Johnny Cash standing next to Willie Nelson. To the right, a hand painted skull on a cloth reminiscent to a Grateful Dead poster.

Behind the dog is what was once a community kitchen. A dry erase board reads, “Welcome Family, Please Feed All the Birds, Sue Pig and Circle.”

To the immediate right of the door that the dog is looking out, a chalkboard filled with writing with words like, “Laugh, Love, and No Rules.”

On the wall above the chalkboard someone wrote in blue paint, “I LOVE YOU.”

A little further over is an old wooden cabinet with the tops of pots sitting on the top shelf, but no pots are in sight.

"There's beauty everywhere. There are amazing things happening everywhere, you just have to be able to open your eyes and witness it. Some days, that's harder than others." 
-Sarah McLachlan

Leaving the family behind

Not a political statement of right or wrong, simply an observation. Not an observation of the laws broken, but of the lives changed. 

They come to America by the thousands each year if not by more in search of better jobs so that they can send the money they earn back home to support their family. Some have kids in the Latin American countries that stayed behind while others have aging parents unable to work. 

That night before you leave your family behind in search of help to make ends meet, I can’t imagine. It would be a mixture of excitement, happiness, the fear of loneliness, the fear of failure and more. 

“She packed my bags last night, preflight
Zero hour, nine a.m.
And I'm gonna be high
As a kite by then

I miss the earth so much
I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time
'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh, no no no
I'm a rocket man
Rocket man
Burnin' out this fuse
Up here alone”
-Elton John, Rocket Man, released in 1972

Photo: Man from Guatemala who now lives along a river in Nashville.

From Guatemala to Nashville and now living with unusable arm

Today, a young lady named Stella McPherson hit the back roads of Nashville to hand out McDonald's gift cards and cases of water to those with nothing. The 15 year old saved and collected money for this particular expedition, which was awesome. Keep in mind, she does this type of stuff on a regular basis.

One of the homeless camps we visited is filled with those from Latin America who fled to America to follow their dreams, support their families and more. Once here, reality was met head on and many found that it was harder to work than expected, or they were met with injuries leaving them unable to work.

This man has called America home for the past 9 years, once living in an apartment while working construction. But, he recently had a work related accident and hurt his arm to the point where it cannot be moved, it simply hangs by his side without motion of feeling.

His home in Nashville, TN is made of pieced together wooden crates, plastic tarps, old doors and plywood. While that may sound harsh, he agreed that the weather in America is much more comfortable than his home country of Guatemala.

Sometimes people wonder why someone from foreign countries flee to America in large numbers, but if you visit some of the third world or developing countries you will understand why.

•America is built on freedom and opportunity.

•Guatemala is known for having the highest violent crime rate in Latin America.

•In Guatemala, a child is five times more likely to die before age 5, when compared to the USA.

•American children can escape poverty by way of education and a simple move as they age.

•In Guatemala, only 16% of children and families have access to the internet, so they lack the opportunity of understanding what is beyond their villages.

•Over 40% of Guatemalans survive on less than the equivalent of $1 per day.

•In America, the average US household income is now up to $55,775, according to the Census ACS Survey.

•The UN reported between 1990 and 2000, deforestation in Guatemala averaged 1.7 percent annually.

•The United States went through a period of intense deforestation between 1600 and 1900, but the size of its forest areas has been relatively stable for the last hundred years.

Those are just a few of the reasons as to why some people flee certain countries.

A man and his dog on Hippie Hill

On Friday, I went with Beesley Animal Clinic to Hippie Hill to vaccinate dogs and hand out rabies tags (for free). I should specify, I will sometimes hold the dogs still while the Veterinarian gives the shots. That is pretty much the extent of my help other than driving to the always interesting areas.

While at Hippie Hill, I ran across a man who was once homeless in Murfreesboro. He is now living on the hill and just based on my observation, he is feeling better about life because he is now in a community as opposed to living alone under a bridge or on a side street somewhere in Murfreesboro.

Hippie Hill is not for everyone, but it does offer community for the lonely, the kicked to the curb, the outcast or the lost. Community is important for those struggling in the crazy and extreme world in which we live.

According to the dictionary, community is one of two things or either both: a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. Community is also a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. To me, those are some of the most important things to have behind you as you fight to get on your feet.

For the man photographed, he said that he is an Army Veteran who talked about experiencing war time saga in the Middle East.

“My Pitbull is my service dog,” he said. While you don’t typically hear about Pitbull dogs being used as service animals he further explained, “In Nashville, they wouldn’t let me take er’ into the shelter even though it is my service animal – they even proclaimed that a Pitbull should never be a service dog.” Such a statement shows that the organization he visited does not value service animals because any breed of dog can be used as a service animal.

To be a comforting companion for the hurt, the distraught or the struggling, a service animal does not have to be specially registered to receive such a label. Service dogs have been proven beneficial in a major way for our Veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. In fact, it is well documented that such animals are proven to offer comfort to those with a long list of mental illnesses.

As for the dog photographed next to his human, that human rescued and trained the animal. That human cares for the dog and the dog offers him comfort in a major way, despite the breed that is frowned upon by some.

It is 100% true that the man photographed could apply for a registered service dog with a variety of Veterans groups or directly through the VA, but the timeline for him to receive the new animal is unclear. There is a waiting list and a number of qualifications that he would have to meet before even being eligible to receive a certified service dog. One stipulation that many groups have is that the recipient of the animal have a real address.

Like many government waters that our Veterans have to wade through to get help, the waters are not only murky, but deep to receive a service animal.

According to the VA, every request for a service animal is reviewed and evaluated for the ability to care for the animal to be given to the recipient. They also review the goals that are to be accomplished through the use of the dog, sometimes failing to understand that the dog simply offers comfort during distress or loneliness.

One of the many issues that Veterans face in receiving proper help is that after wartime, many return changed by what they saw. That change could equal alcoholism without help in the beginning. Alcoholism without help mixed with high emotions could amount to fights on civilian property, bar brawls, etc. Those actions fall into a lack of control category with resulting DUI, assault, aggravated assault charges. The domino effect then ends with a drop in rank if still enlisted which could mean less pay upon separation or perhaps even a dishonorable discharge that could equal a lack of medical benefits. Many times, that discharge comes before the service member received the proper help for what they saw while fighting for our country as enlisted to do so.

Trauma shapes the brain in a major way and in some circumstances, the brain of someone who has yet to even have a fully developed thinking process. As an example, if someone were to enlist at age 18 and see hand to hand combat at 19, that trauma witnessed will change the way they think in a major way because scientist and psychologist have confirmed that the brain continues to develop up to age 25.

In an NPR interview recorded in 2011, Dr. Sandra Aamodt stated, “The car rental companies got to it first, but neuroscientists have caught up and brain scans show clearly that the brain is not fully finished developing until about age 25.”

Now, back to the service dog… When a Veteran is dishonorably discharged they are almost instantly disqualified to receive an animal. But, if a Veteran is approved for a service dog, the Veteran is then referred to an outside agency approved by the government to provide specialized dogs. From there, the Veterans name is added to a waiting list to receive the animal.

An ADA’s ruling from 1990 will not allow for the title of “Service Animal” for just any dog. However, the ruling does not specify any particular breed, which means any dog can be titled a service dog. Of course that equals more confusion when you factor in that legally speaking, there is not a hard and fast certification required for a service animal. But, the service animal training community self regulates the standards for training a service animal.

Multiple rulings from the 1990’s show case after case where persons with service animals living in public housing won their suit allowing for them to own and have their dogs on properties that do not allow for pets.

One ruling from 1990 shows that an ESA animal or an “Emotional Support Animal,” does not have to receive any specific training to provide therapeutic benefit to an individual with mental or psychiatric disability. Another ruling that unfolded in the courts started in 1990 and ended in 1998 after a judge ruled that a property manager violated federal statutes when requiring proof from tenants that their dog had received specialized training to become a service animal (Green v. Housing Authority of Clackamas County). A ruling from 2013 suggested that a college dorm had violated a student’s rights in regards to fair housing when they would not allow for her service animal to live with her in the dorm (United States v. Univ. of Neb. at Kearney). Cases like this continue with rulings falling to the favor of the service animal owner.

So, if one man who suffers from the negative yet heroic impacts of war while fighting for his country believes and sees his animal as his service dog, then so be it. I will recognize his animal as well – just as the folks at Hippie Hill do.

“Dogs don’t rationalize. They don’t hold anything against a person. They don’t see the outside of a human but the inside of a human.” —Cesar Millan (dog trainer)

Fathers, they are important even if your life is lived deep in the woods of Tennessee

Not everyone lives to the beat of the same drum. Of course, that is what makes life interesting for me to sometimes view from the outside looking in.

Personally, I enjoy a house that has a yard to mow, but then again I find it relaxing to mow with my headphones on. Others like to live where there is no need to mow, surrounded by nature at its best, which I understand.

Dwight Teagarden, who is holding the newborn, is from Murfreesboro, TN. He grew up here and he even went to Bellwood Christian Academy back when they had a full blown high school.

Teagarden was so excited to tell me about his new son. While it is true that he is a tad bit on the older side for a new child at age 57, you would never know by talking to him. He was all smiles, which is a very positive thing in this world of children growing up without a father in their life. However, I think his age makes him better understand the importance of a father being in a child's life.

So many studies show how important a father is or can be - which is eye opening if you have never dove into the subject.

A 2011 article in Psychology Today by Dr. Ditta M. Oliker touched base on the father and sometimes fatherless issue. One of the topics she brought up in her studies was that pre-1970, research on families typically left out the father or downplayed his importance. Of course, that led to reporting that was not representative of how powerful a father can or should be in the lives of his children. It also diminished the role of fathers greatly.

While research in the 1950’s to 1970’s nearly ignored the father, the dads were involved in a major way compared to families today.

In 1960 only 10% of children were raised without a father in the household. Today, that number is vastly different with 40% of homes lacking a live-in father. In 1950 there were 393 thousand divorced adults in America. In 2008, that number climbed to 8.4 million, according to the US National Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics of the United States and National Vital Statistics.

Dr. Oliker wrote, “There is no question that fathers do play an important part in their children's lives; that the majority of studies affirm that an involved father can play a crucial role particularly in the cognitive, behavioral and general health and well-being areas of a child's life; that having a positive male role model helps an adolescent boy develop positive gender-role characteristics; that adolescent girls are more likely to form positive opinions of men and are better able to relate to them when fathered by an involved father; that it is generally accepted, under most circumstances, a father's presence and involvement can be as crucial to a child's healthy development as is the mother's; and that experiencing validation of their importance in the general parenting literature has made fathers much more conscious of their value and, in turn, leads to their greater desire to be involved.”

A 2007 article by Julia Borisenko noted, “The absence of a father-figure is detrimental to child personality development. At the same time, fatherhood can be a factor of male personality development of the father.” What is interesting about the article from Borisenko is that she is a Social Psychology faculty Department member of Kemerovo State University in Russia. In other words, translations of fathering roles are universal.

A woman was once was known for her many radical ideas and thoughts on women’s rights once wrote, “Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father.” While the views of Lydia Maria Francis Child in the 1800's may have been viewed as crazy for women at the time, today her views would probably be viewed as conservative.

The American Novelist from Massachusetts lived her life between 1802 and 1880. Child was against women being segregated to work by themselves and instead alongside men. She also hated slavery and spoke-out about the issue in her time on a regular basis. However, while she was pro women’s rights 100 percent of the time in her day, she was also pro father.

In closing, I have to say that I find it interesting that starting in the 1800’s a woman who was all about women’s rights totally values the role of a father in a child’s life. But today, women’s rights is often about forgetting the father, simply based on my observation of movements across the country. I am also stuck in my thoughts about the 1960’s, where the role of the father was left out of studies even though only 10% of households were without fathers in the home at the time. As I jump ahead to research in the 2000’s, I confirm that 40% of households in America are fatherless. So where did our thoughts as a whole society change between the 1800’s and 2000’s? Why did we move so far ahead and forget about fathers only to realize in the 2000’s that they are more important than originally thought?

Pancreatitis, heart attack and coma = New outlook on life

Ray Gann has been making cabinets nearly his entire life. He is originally from Nashville, Tennessee, but moved to LaVergne with his parents at age 15.

In 1983, he opened Gann’s Cabinet’s in LaVergne, Tennessee. After years of service to happy homeowners and businesses, he somewhat retired leaving the cabinet shop in the hands of others during the day while he comes in every couple of days.

Almost a year ago Mr. Gann came down with a bad case of pancreatitis for the fourth time in his life. After being rushed to the hospital he had a heart attack. A coma followed the next 28 days and some family members thought that he wouldn’t survive.

Despite the odds being against him, Mr. Gann survived and he said he has a new outlook on life that includes emotions that he never felt before about living. It was a better life…

There are more than 200,000 pancreatitis cases each year in the United States. It has many causes, but one constant similarity exists among the cases… pain.

In case you are curious, pancreatitis is the inflammation of the pancreases. Of course, the pancreas is a necessity as it produces the digestive enzymes that allow your body to properly breakdown and ultimately absorb protein.

When pancreatitis attacks occur, so does pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, vomiting and more. Chronic pancreatitis usually starts between the ages of 30 and 40 and males are more likely to have it than females. Some cases of pancreatitis are deadly with 132,700 deaths worldwide in 2015, the latest year with study results available.

Street music with rockabilly style

Two of the four rockabilly Outlaw Rituals in Chattanooga, TN.

“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.” ― -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, widely recognized as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music (1856-1791)

Laughter beats the pain at times

He sits in a wheelchair because of diabetes and he suffers from neuropathy of the legs and feet. He told me, “Doctors describe walking with neuropathy as walking on pins and needles, well they know nothing, it’s nothing like that and it’s pure pain!” As the 65 year old man continued, “I wasn’t always in a wheelchair, I used to work in the automotive industry.”

Gary Rupp is from Detroit, Michigan, but moved away about three months ago because the dying city got too expensive to call home. After a little research, Gary found one of the cheapest places to live was Chattanooga, Tennessee – so he made the move.

The costs of Living for Gary (Detroit Vs. Chattanooga):

Gary currently calls the ChattCity Motel on East 20th Street in Chattanooga his home. He has a room that he rents for about $300 monthly, which is cheaper than some of the dirtiest motels in Nashville, Memphis and even Murfreesboro.

In Detroit, utilities average about $115 per month in a small apartment and that small apartment in a middle class neighborhood costs about $530 per month. The small apartment is only 480 square feet in size, which is a studio apartment.

In Chattanooga, you can get the same apartment for $483 per month and utilities will cost you $94 per month or less.

While saving $68 monthly would not convince most people to move, when you start factoring in the cost of food in Tennessee verses Detroit, transportation costs, etc. – it actually makes sense for someone on a fixed income to make that move.

What happens with neuropathy of the legs?

Some of the things that neuropathy causes in the legs include: burning pain, freezing pain, jabbing feelings as if you are being stabbed, extreme sensitivity to touch, lack of coordination and muscle weakness or paralysis.

Laughter beats pain: 

I feel it is important to say that Gary laughed three times as we talked. The first time when I handed him an ice cold bottle of water, the second when I handed him a package of Oreo cookies and the third as we joked at nothingness.

"Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain." - Charlie Chaplin, English comic actor, filmmaker, composer (1889-1977)

Sarah needs a new kidney

Life can throw us curve balls at times that we often don’t know how to cope with. At other times, life throws us fast pitches that are altogether too fast to catch and we feel as if everything is out of control. But not Sarah Baker, even though she is going through a lot, she seems to be taking it all in stride and with a smile.

Sarah, who lives in Smyrna, Tennessee, undergoes about four hours of dialysis three times per week. She has held onto that schedule for the past two years or longer. She needs a new kidney and she is on the list to receive one, but it takes time – a lot of it.

Listen to this 8 minute and 15 second interview of what it’s like to undergo dialysis treatment three times weekly as she waits for good news.

Of course, you could help her with that good news by calling the Vanderbilt Kidney Donation Center and volunteering to donate your kidney.

If you would like to learn how you can donate or to see if you are a match, CLICK HERE today. You can also call the Vanderbilt Kidney Transplant Center at 615-936-0695.

By the way, the costs for the donor are fully covered.

The wall around him

The wall around him: “I’m tired of all the ones who beg for money, I never ask for anything,” he said while talking about the old neighborhood where he grew up as a child. He continued, “They litter everywhere and trash it up – Not me, I collect cans [pointing at a bag of cans hanging from his bike handlebars].”

The 51 year old has lived in Chattanooga his entire life. “My mom was lenient,” he said with a smile. He then made the statement, “My dad… my dad was hard on me.” I asked if his father ever hit him or raised his hand to which he responded, “Some kids need that.”

And there he sits alone with his salad that a kind passerby gave him. If you stop to talk, he quietly screams in his head for more human interaction, but his wall is too high at times to see the outside world.

"Hey you, standing in the road
always doing what you're told,
Can you help me?
Hey you, out there beyond the wall,
Breaking bottles in the hall,
Can you help me?
Hey you, don't tell me there's no hope at all
Together we stand, divided we fall."

-Pink Floyd on The Wall album from 1979, Hey You

Removing the past

ABOVE: Click to enlarge photos

Lee, who is homeless, once had a large tattoo on his forearm that read, “Member – KKK.” However, that is now covered by a cross representing Jesus and a rose representing Lee’s mother who passed away about 8 years ago.

What is even more intriguing about the KKK tattoo being covered up by a cross is that the tattoo artist is black. Dewayne, who owns Beast Mode Ink in Murfreesboro, TN said he would be proud to cover up such a tattoo for Lee. In fact, the two hit it off great. It was likely a site that would not have been seen just a few years back.

“I can’t live like this anymore,” he said while looking at the rose. He then talked about how the rose would remind him that his mother wanted him to lead a better life and the cross would re-enforce that in a major way. He went on to say, “I made my mind up being homeless, that I’ve got to change, my mother don’t want me living like this and I decided to get this hatred off of me and live for God.”

Lee said that prior to the cross being tattooed onto his arm today, “My body had hate on it.”

Lee elaborated, “The old tattoo that I had on there was hatred and this tattoo that I’ve got on here is love for my mother and the man upstairs – that’s what I wanted right there.”

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

He lost his leg in a shark attack... not really

He was quietly sitting on the ground beneath the shadow of a closed business in Chattanooga, TN. Looking down, he refused to make eye contact with those passing by on a busy, but humid Saturday. The heat index was over 100 degrees. He wasn’t asking for money or help of any kind, just sitting in thought.

His name is William, “But my close friends call me peg leg,” he said with a laugh while holding up the prosthetic leg sitting by his right. He then said, “I was born with a clubfoot and they went ahead and removed it in 1966.” The foot was malformed from the start, so it was removed at birth.

“I usually have a good story for people when they ask what happened to my leg,” he told me with a smile. “Someday's I lost it in a shark attack, other times it was a ski boat accident,” he explained.

Today William is 51 years old. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, but later moved to Memphis where he lived a few years before heading to Chattanooga.

“I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's only me, and I walk alone
I walk this empty street
On the boulevard of broken dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one, and I walk alone”
-Green Day, “I Walk Alone”

I met with a Keeper of Time

In year 1900 the Coleman Company was first introduced to the world after they incorporated, but not as a camping and sporting goods manufacture. Instead, the company opened under the name of the Hydro-Carbon Light Company, manufacturing lanterns that were later named after W.C. Coleman.

It wasn’t until 1909 that the first and famous Coleman Lantern was introduced. The company went on to manufacture everything from cooking stoves to canoes, like the one you see on this Jeep belonging to Brian Burgess.

Burgess, who is an archaeologist, totes his 1958 Coleman canoe with him on a regular basis. The day I ran into him, he was about to load it into the Tennessee River in Chattanooga.

Such canoes made out of aluminum were manufactured for the first time directly after World War II. Many outdoor enthusiast switched over from wood canoes to aluminum during that time period because they were so low maintenance and quite durable.

While digging for gold may sound more glorious, Burgess prefers to dig for history. He has searched the country far and wide for interesting finds. “Anywhere that there is high ground and walking distance to water, there has been man,” he told me while basically suggesting that history can be nearly anywhere.

Originally from the Lone Star State Burgess said that his grandfather, who is 100 years old today, sparked his search for treasures. He said that his grandfather took him exploring as a kid when he was only 4 or 5 years old. “We’re keepers of time,” he stated while talking about the importance of archaeologist.

“I also collect dinosaur bones,” he said while talking about how the bones will wash up along the banks of the Brazos River in Texas. The Brazos is the 11th longest river in the United States, which means it passes through lots of history. The Brazos was also where a scene from the battle between the Texas Navy and Mexican Navy during the Texas Revolution took place. It was also an important navigational voyage during the American Civil War. So, depending on where you are on the river, you may just be lucky enough to come across something interesting.

Not everything Burgess comes across is for keeps. In fact, he has given valuable artifacts to multiple museums. He suggested that history sometimes finds him, so he passes it along to allow others to share in the find.

“We’re keepers of time.” – Brian Burgess, Chattanooga, Tennessee

To the beat of a different drum

Being different while being yourself is sometimes the best thing you can do, especially in times like this when heroin is growing in popularity and crime seems to be turning to gang activity. Rap artist around the country continue to hit a great bass note, but the messages in their songs are still similar to the messages that were first made popular by the likes of NWA and the Ghetto Boys in the 1980’s and early 90’s. However, two rap artist who live in Murfreesboro want to change that with their music.

David Manning and Humble Me perform as a rap duo called “Change Musik.” Their songs may sometimes mention gang violence, but not in the sense you are likely thinking. Instead of glorifying criminal activity, they choose to rap about the negative lifestyle that goes along with such enterprise.

Manning stated in an interview, “Hip hop is very big on being real and true,” which of course is why you may hear songs discussing drive by shootings, drug deals gone bad and mistreating women – because the writer of the songs has lived just that – a life surrounded by crime or violence. Manning, who grew up living with a family that ran carnivals, traveled from state to state seeing all sorts of lifestyles with negative outcomes. Despite his surroundings, he picked positive things in his life to hold onto and value as opposed to negative sites or situations.

“I began to write music as my life began to change,” Manning said. He became a gospel rapper when he turned to Christianity. “Really, I want people to experience freedom man – and anything apart from truth will lead you to bondage,” he suggested.

Humble Me attended Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, TN and stated, “I scored really high in socialization.” After his short stint at Oakland, he was transferred to Riverdale High School. “When I got thrown out of Riverdale that’s when I got saved,” he recalled. Humble Me went on to state, “When people start graduating and getting out of school and you went to school and started when they went, it starts making you really look at your life.”

His next school was Holloway High School, which would be the third high school that Humble Me attended in Rutherford County. While there, he started to understand the value of good people and education. Of course, he was older than most students at age 19.

While at Holloway, he spoke to past principal Ivan Duggin who told him that the school would once again start a basketball team if he could find at least 14 people to sign onto the team roster, which he did. After helping to start the team he decided he wanted to play for the NBA. Amazingly, college representatives visited the school and watched Humble Me play and some colleges even contacted him at home asking if he would play for their school, but he turned the offers down when he felt that God told him to “Speak to his people.” It was then that he decided that he would speak to the masses through music.

It was during those high school years that Humble Me and David Manning teamed up to start a Gospel Rap duo. Together, the two focused on a solution to problems that their generation failed to see through the eyes of rap artist in their time like Tupac Shakur, Biggie, Jay Z, Eminem and Master P. Humble Me said, “All of those guys were not painting a picture of negativity, some of them were just expressing their environment.” He said there is also a solution to the problem of what those rappers sing about, but many of the rappers in his time did not see that solution.  

The question of what the solution was in order to live a better life was clear to both Humble Me and Manning. For them, their solution was giving their life to God. Manning said, “If I’m really going to make an impact in my community and I’m gonna’ really reach back then this is the best means to do it by,” talking about living a positive lifestyle and rapping about the good that God can do in someone’s life. The duo wholeheartedly believe that music can be used to change lives in Murfreesboro, Nashville and far beyond.

It is not always easy to be a Gospel Rap Artist and Manning said, “People look at us like – Man ya’ll are gospel rap artist?” He followed that by stating, “Man God wants to use whatever you got to bring people to him and bring glory to him.”  He said, “God has changed my life.”

In one of their songs they rap, “They say if you have faith just the size of a mustard seed, run into a forest blind probably wouldn’t hit a tree, David beat Goliath with a sling and a stone then we’ll sell a million records just singing these songs.” The goal of Change Musik is to change people by focusing on God and making sure that the Bible is intertwined with their songs.

In addition to making music, Manning and Humble Me preach to others on their television show called Change TV. The show is currently featured nationwide on CTN, Legacy TV and Walk TV.

To learn more about their music or to contact them, visit ChangeMusik.com