Human skulls in Haiti

Voodoo grounds outnumber viable church grounds by a huge percentage in Haiti. Voodoo is the religion of the majority in Haiti and it is taken very seriously. My son and I found these human skulls on a voodoo ground that was located behind a school and 100 yards from a Christian church. Of course, most church members never venture onto the Voodoo grounds fearing evil spirits.

A man by the name of Bob Corbett wrote after extensive studies in Haiti in 1998:

The priesthood of Voodoo contains both men (houngan) and women (mambo). Their functions are: healing, to perform religious ceremonies to call or pacify the spirits, to hold initiations for new priests, telling the future and reading dreams, casting spells and creating protections, creating potions for various purposes which include love spells, healing spells and even death spells.

Trains and Homeless Camps

The train blew past at breakneck speed, bringing to mind the fact that many of our nation's homeless are encamped within mere feet of eminent danger. The wind generated by the passing of the massive cars filled the covering of a nearby tent causing it to billow and jerk. Some of the boxcars were stacked two high, barely clearing the height of the bridge leaving only about 2-feet to escape peril.

About a week ago at this very location a young homeless man, named Austin, was struck and killed by a freight train as it barreled through the underpass he called home. The 27-year old was wearing headphones and apparently didn't  hear the racing, steel giant closing in on him. The train was Florida bound when it struck the him at 7:00 Sunday morning (10/18/15).

Why, I wondered, would so many homeless choose such a dangerous locale to set up camp? Then it occurred to me...we push them to the fringes. For much of the housed population, misinformation, prejudice, and fear of the homeless has caused them to be viewed as dangerous and undesirable by default. In Nashville, Tennessee this overarching view has led city council members and government officials to push many homeless off of city or state land, sighting that their presence was a public nuisance and endangerment to the average citizen. Such a lack of empathy in decision making forces the homeless to seek other less noticeable places, spaces unsuitable for development...like those next to railroad tracks.

A Special Memorial Service

The memorial service for Austin Sienk, the 27 year old homeless man from Utah who was struck by a train in Murfreesboro was held Saturday morning. It was held under a bridge where he lived. Those who called the bridge home had positive things to say while some broke down in tears. It was a sad, yet positive event that took place.

Sienk was struck and killed by a CSX freight train around 7 o'clock this past Sunday morning (10/18/2015). The man was said to have been wearing headphones while walking down the tracks near South Church Street, close to Middle Tennessee Boulevard. The train was heading south to Florida.

Empty Places: A tour of an old club where Jimi Hendrix once played

The legendary Jimi Hendrix once wandered into a small club in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and did what he did best, played the guitar. The Eldorado Club, which was also known as Dance Land, was mainly attended by African Americans in the 1950's and 60's. It was located on Asbury Road near the Stones River Battlefield. It is now just a shell as the roof has fallen in and growth has taken over the building and the surrounding land.

I walked through the building with 75-year old saxophonist Raymond Summerour who once played in the club with his band called The Dukes. Summerour told me he came to Murfreesboro in 1960 and his band played at the club on Friday and Saturday nights, sometimes up until 4 AM. He told me that he remembers the day Hendrix walked in like it was yesterday.

“When Jimmy walked in we didn’t know who he was,” he told me. He said he singled to him that he wanted to sit on the stage and play along. Summerour invited him on up and stated,  “When Jimmy unleashed, he got up on the stage and we were just playing regular rock n’ roll, we didn’t play the stuff that Jimmy played before he died, that hard rock type stuff, but Jimmy got up there and man let me tell you - - when he unleashed he really got down on that guitar. He was playing with his teeth, he was playing with that guitar behind his head and the crowd just went wild.”

At the time, Hendrix was in the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Clarksville, Tennessee and part of the 101st Airborne Division in 1962.

Summerour mentioned a few more names that visited the club in the 1960’s. He told me that Ike and Tina Turner were there, William Bell, Bobby Marchan and Jerry Butler all visited the club. The famous blues musician who died in 1965 known as Sonny Boy Williamson also played at the club once in Murfreesboro.

Today, the club sits in ruins on a small county road. No one would ever suspect it is where history was made. 

"Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music."  - Jimi Hendrix

My Vietnam Ring

As I walked into his apartment that he shares with several others I noticed it was cluttered with clothing, food boxes and more. He smiled as I walked in. His hands appeared to be sore with arthritis, his body failing on him quicker than his mind. "I have a caretaker who watches after me," he was quick to say adding, "She is wonderful."

He held up his hands, “Take a picture of my rings,” he told me. As I slowly pushed the shutter closed he told me that one is for his tour in Vietnam and the second is his U.S. Army ring. “I love these,” he said with a grin.

Those very same hands and fingers likely grasped the American M16 Rifle, a gun that was prone to jamming on our troops. I wonder how many times he had to clear it in the midst of enemy fire? I did not want to ask those questions, but my imagination ran wild with thoughts of what those hands have been through. The sounds of bullet fire as he crawled on the ground or through rice fields.

He survived.

U.S. Army General William Westmoreland commanded U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. He once stated, “I do not believe that the men who served in uniform in Vietnam have been given the credit they deserve. It was a difficult war against an unorthodox enemy.”

The rings that some Vietnam Veterans wear were not given to them by the military, but instead purchased by the Veterans who posses them. Many wear them as a reminder of the life they have today, verses the life they survived so many years ago. Others wear the rings to remind them of the friends they lost or the friends that saved their life only to be delivered back to the United States in a flag draped coffin. Sadly, the government did little to thank so many who went through so much and continue to have their own battles today.

Mental Health in a Third World Country

We tried to understand what he was saying when we saw him walking on the downtown streets of Santo Domingo, but he made little sense as his words were slurred together. His appearance was disheveled and his clothing dirty. He was standing in the middle of the road when I walked away.

Mental illness in the Dominican Republic is similar to the problem we face in America. A lot of it goes untreated.

The World Health Organization reported on the Dominican, “With respect to financing of mental health services, this study shows that allocation of resources is very low. SESPAS allocates less than 1% (0.38%) of health care expenditures to mental health services, and 50% of these resources are directed towards Padre Billini Mental Hospital.”

In addition to the one dedicated mental hospital (only 150 beds), there are also 56 mental health outpatient facilities in the country, of which 4% are for children and adolescents only. However, there is no review body to oversee inspections at the mental hospital in the Dominican nor sanctions on any of the facilities that violate a patients’ rights. Furthermore, physical restrain or seclusion of patients is not monitored by any organization in the Dominican Republic, according to the World Health Organization in 2008.

What I found interesting is that the World Health Organization reported that 30% of the patients in the single mental hospital in a rural area of the country, have been patients for 10-years or more. In other words, new treatment for patients is hard to come by. Affective disorders (depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorder) and schizophrenia are the most common mental disorders in the Dominican.

Families have stepped up to monitor mental health care facilities in the Dominican. 45 family members have formed committees to defend the rights of persons with mental disorders in the country.

A 2011 report by the World Health Organization showed that the majority of primary health care doctors and nurses in the Dominican have not received official in-service training on mental health within the last five years. So the problems continue to grow. The American Public Health Association reported this year (2015) that residents in low income countries fail to receive care for mental health. The organization wrote, “80% of patients with severe mental illness do not receive necessary care.”

It was for our granddaughter

How many times have you driven past someone on the street corner and wondered, “What’s their story?” 

Meet Vivian and Donald Morton. They are both in their seventies and have been married for 54 years. Both are retired, but are having a hard time with money. Not because of bad decisions they made, but because of a domestic violence situation involving their granddaughter whom they have raised since age 2. 

Vivian said, “She got married and they were living with us for a while and we were paying their bills. The husband got back on his feet and they moved to Detroit where he started to abuse our granddaughter.” Donald then told me, “We weren’t gonna’ allow someone to do that to our granddaughter. We moved her back here and have helped her financially and we have helped her to be safe.” Donald knew it had gotten worse prior to them bringing their granddaughter home when his great granddaughter was sitting on his lap and told him that “Daddy” punched mom right in the face. The punch knocked the front teeth out of the 28-year old woman. 

The Morton’s had both retired several years ago. Everything was paid for until they had to take out a loan to help the granddaughter cover court costs, medical bills and more. Donald estimated that they spent at least $100,000 on keeping her safe and supporting her over the last couple of years. Because of that, he can’t pay their day to day expenses. However, he would not have it any other way. He is just happy to see his 28-year old granddaughter and her two young children living in a safe environment and being cared for by people who love them with all their heart. “She’s very thankful,” said Donald when talking about his granddaughter who lives with them off the Old Woodbury Highway. 

“I’ve applied for multiple jobs,” Donald said. He then told me that no one will hire him because he is 75-years old. In the past, he worked at the same Murfreesboro company for 40-years. Vivian then said that she worked for the schools for over 20-years, but diabetes has taken the best out of her today. “We didn’t plan for this, but I could not watch my granddaughter be abused,” said Donald. He then said, “Some people drive by and make fun of us, laugh while others help.” “It’s humiliating for us, but what are we to do – if people knew our story it would be different, but people don’t listen,” said Vivian.

The couple sits in front of Walmart on Memorial Boulevard or the Walmart on Rutherford Boulevard in Murfreesboro almost daily from about 11am to about 3pm. So why not help?

“Generosity is not giving me that which I need that you do, but it is giving me that which you need more that I do.” ― Kahlil Gibran, Sand and Foam

Fredrick Hill, U.S. Air Force

You may have seen this man sitting on the side of the road, his name is Fredrick Reed. He is from Murfreesboro, but currently lives in his small Ford Ranger in an industrial area of Nashville. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960’s. He was a Flight Engineer on a 124 Globemaster airplane.

In the 1950’s and 60’s the Globemaster was nicknamed “Old Shaky” due to its massive size that shook more often than not when loaded with tanks or bulldozers that could fit inside the plane without being disassembled first. The planes were retired in 1974.

As I was talking to Mr. Reed, a Metro Police car drove by with sirens blaring and lights flashing. He stopped in mid-sentence, “Do you mind if we pause, I say a prayer every time I see a first responder.” He then prayed for the officer’s safety. When he was finished he said, “I wish everyone would pray for first responders when they see them headed to a call.”

I asked Reed, “How long have you been sober,” while pointing at his sign? He told me that he has been sober for 7-months, I got to where I HATED alcohol and hated drinking." . “Do you have any kids,” I asked? “I sure do - two daughters,” he told me with a smile. However, Reed said he has not talked to them in about two years suggesting that he has not been the best dad. He told me he would like to mend the relationship, but thinks his daughters don’t really know him anymore. 

"To be helpful is our only aim." AA, 2001, p. 89

Giving vaccinations to animals in need

I had the privilege of showing Dr. Kathryn Mcpherson (Veterinarian) and Amanda Oliver (Director of the Beesley Animal Foundation) around so that they could visit with the homeless and vaccinate their beloved animals. Otherwise, these dogs and cats would possibly go undeserved as most homeless can not afford basic rabies shots.

In this photo, this young lady (right) became homeless on the night of her high school prom. She was 18 and her mother died of cancer. From that night on, she had no where to go but the streets. Her father died of cancer in 1994 and her mother passed away in 1997. 

She moved to the hills of Tennessee to better cope with Lupus symptoms

She somehow found her way to Hippie Hill through the dips and valleys of life. I asked, “What brought you to Tennessee?” She said that she was battling Lupus and her hands and feet often hurt while living up north. “My doctor drew a line on a map and said if you live anywhere here, you will have better results and feel better while battling Lupus,” she told me… “So we came here.”

With her camper in tow and with her son by her side side (he is in his twenties), she gathered her belongings and her beloved dogs and made it to Hippie Hill, where she can be herself and relax.

With Lupus joint pain is common. Warmer climates help to alleviate the pain. Fatigue, headaches, mouth ulcers, etc. are all things that those with Lupus are up against. To make some of those symptoms, relocating is worth a move. The cause of Lupus is still not known. Some doctors suggest you are genetically pre-disposed to getting it while some say that something in the environment triggers the problem. Lupus is not contagious and it is not a form of cancer.

“Every day holds the possibility of a miracle.” --  Author Unknown

Synthetic Marijuana - Not good

Albert Einstein once stated, "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." I think he was correct. 

I went to Hippie Hill today and simply sat and relaxed for a few hours this evening. As I sat on a lawn chair at the bottom of the hill I talked with Hippie Tom and Dwight Teagarden about life and the problem we are facing in Murfreesboro over synthetic drug use. Without a doubt, they agreed how dangerous synthetics are on our youth and adults who assume they are just like real marijuana. Their words… “They’re not!!! [They are in no way similar and much more dangerous].” 

Meet THE CHAMP

He weighed 165 pounds in 1972 when he won the 1972 National AAU Welterweight Championship. At that time, he lived in Chicago and trained in the C.Y.O. Gym. C.Y.O. stands for the Catholic Youth Organization. He was only 20 years old at the peak of his championship award and he hung up his boxing gloves for good at the age of 25. 

Tonight I had the pleasure of giving Freddie Washington, Jr. a tent and water. Freddie, who is known on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee as “Champ,” was one of the nicest homeless men I have ever met. He was extremely polite and humble.

The Chicago Times wrote in 1972, “In three rounds for the 165-pound championship, Freddie Washington of Chicago Heights, 111., and the Army defeated Ed Gregory of Brooklyn, N.Y.” 

Champ told me he took some major blows to the head over his boxing career and at one point, thought he would never be able to speak again. He proved the doctors wrong and put forth the same effort that he did during his training years to re-learn the process of speaking. 

In the 1970’s he trained with greats like Billy Boy Thompson, Floyd Smith, and Warren Thunder. Tonight, I was in the midst of a legend. 

In addition to boxing, Champ was also known for running. In his teen years, he was one of the fastest kids in Chicago wining numerous races. 

Tonight was a great night. 

"Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing." - Camille Pissarro

On the outside of the fence

It was interesting, I walked inside the fence and outside the fence of the Gay Pride event in Nashville today. What I saw on the inside were the kids who were picked on in 7th grade, but grown up now. I saw the guys who took art class serious and took creativity to a whole new level, but were not accepted by the jocks. I saw the girls who were not part of the stylish clique of the week in high school. I saw the men who had fathers that abused them... I saw they had a place to fit in while inside the fence. I saw they were fully accepted no matter their size, dress or attitude while inside the confines of the fence.

On the outside of the fence I saw only three people arguing with those on the inside about the choices made on the "other side" of the fence, as if the choices I make (or they make) on the outside of the fence are always 100% perfect or positive in some way - - It was like those on the outside were looking into what they viewed as chaos that they failed to somehow control or capture.

Sometimes it's helpful to walk on the inside of the fence to see the outside.

"Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone." - Jesus Christ

Girl Scout Cookies offer a big smile to the homeless

A little note cheered Kevin up… The handwritten note on the box of Girl Scout Cookies donated to homeless men and women stated, “You are Awesome.”

The cookies were donated by Girl Scout Troop 6212 in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. The second grade girls took the time to attach a special note to each and every box that was handed out under bridges, on the street and along railroad tracks.

Kevin is a U.S. Army Veteran who was once stationed in Panama. He battles with schizophrenia and currently lives under a bridge. He is working with Wounded Warriors and the VA to hopefully secure group housing and further help with the voices that torment him nightly. 

Meet Queen Andrea

While touring the Bonnaroo grounds on Thursday to see how the set-up process is turning out, I met Queen Andrea. You are probably scratching your head thinking, “She is not really a queen is she?”

While Andrea von Bujdoss is not actually royalty, she is known as the queen of graffiti. Because of her artwork, she is called Queen Andrea. Evidenlty, the graphic designer from New York, learned from some of the most prolific old school graffiti writers in our era.

The New York based artist was chosen to design and paint a massive water feature on the 700-acres that make up Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee. Her design, complete with black lights at night, will be in the round watering basin where concert goers will cool off during the heat of the event which takes place June 11th through the 14th.

Each year, the festival brings in about 100,000 visitors from as far away as Japan and as close as Nashville. This year, some of the big names include Billy Joel, Mumford and Sons, Ben Folds and even Slayer.