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

Poker is my game

"I spent 30 of my 62-years of life in a federal prison," he told me.

During our conversation I asked, "So you play cards I see?" He smiled and replied, "Wanna play me in poker?" I laughed as I told him that I am not very good. "I'm the best, people didn't even play with me in prison after a couple of years because I would always win," he said with a slight chuckle.

Despite his good game hand, he had a lot of hurt in those squinted eyes and his toothless mouth.

"I'm not like a poker player. I'm not into bluff. My way is to look someone in the eye and tell them the way I'm intending to go. My cards are always on the table." - Tori Amos

The haircut introduced me to the real Lamont

His eyes always had that famous Jack Nicholson look, but his heart was always kind, soft and giving - despite his lack of "stuff" to give. 

It was during this haircut that I learned more about Lamont Randolph Lindsey than I ever imagined. He talked about how he was struck by a car when he was younger and how it left him in pain during much of his adult life. I learned that he was a very soft spoken and a kind individual who I doubt had a mean streak in him. He talked about some of his mental illnesses while under the bridge as the scissors quietly cut through his long and dirty strands of brown hair.

His love for music was obvious as he sang throughout some of his haircut. That music was his getaway in life, I believe.

He could name every Black Sabbath album, every Ozzy Osborne song and told me about his large collection of music that he lost somewhere in between apartments and homelessness over the years. Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd… he knew his songs and artist by heart. 

Today, he is only about 35-years old, but it was always like a young boy was trapped inside of him and that was whom I always saw. A young, non-complicated soul who loved both his mother and his music. 

For years I would see Lamont quietly walk in his unusual upright stance behind his mother Loretta Lindsay who was always in front of him in her wheelchair. The two would easily cover 10 miles in a day throughout Murfreesboro several years ago. Now, not so much. 

I recently gave Lamont a walker as his legs have gotten weaker as time has gone on. He appreciated it very much. 

Nearly every time I saw him he asked, “How’s your dad? I love ole’ Bart.” I would always tell him that he is doing good and he would always reply, “I grew up listening to him on the radio every morning.” 

Lamont had a massive stroke on Friday while under the bridge in which he calls home today. His friends quickly called for help and he was rushed away in an ambulance.He later passed away on Sunday (9/27/15). 

American writer and Mental Health Advocate Andy Behrman once stated, “The guilt I felt for having a mental illness was horrible. I prayed for a broken bone that would heal in six weeks. But that never happened. I was cursed with an illness that nobody could see and nobody knew much about.”

Lamont Randolph Lindsey quietly passed away on Sunday (9/27/15) at 3:15 pm. His organs were donated to save the lives of others in Tennessee. 

It cost me one McDonalds Value Meal

It cost me a McDonalds value meal for this photo. When he saw the camera, he told me it would cost me a good meal to take his picture. I asked where he was going to get that good meal and he smiled real big and said, “McDonalds [pointing to his right].” I then asked, “How much will a good meal cost?” He laughed a little as his eyes grew larger, “$5 will get me a real good meal there.” He reeled me in with his smile as I gave him a $5 bill.

I saw this man sitting at the back of what use to be a motel that now serves as a low income apartment. The rooms are tiny and the floors concrete. Each room has a small bathroom, just like you would imagine in an old motel. The tiny spaces rent for $550 per month, but serve a vital purpose in getting people of the street. It’s all the room that this man who moved to the Nashville area from New York needs.

In New York, he paid over $900 per month for an apartment that was similar in size. He moved here about two years ago to be near his children who live in the same complex.

“A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.” - Pope Francis

On the Streets: Standing Up for Women

Life on the streets: “I was drinking when I saw a man push a woman, trying to get her to leave. I stood up for her and told him not to do that to her and that she was a grown woman, she can do what she wants to do. That’s when he hit me,” he told me. He now has two black eyes and stitches above his right eye.

Desmond Mpilo Tutu stated, “It is by standing up for the rights of girls and women that we truly measure up as men.”

Bishop Tutu is a South African social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. Apartheid was a system of racial segregation in South Africa enforced through legislation by the National Party (NP), the governing party from 1948 to 1994.

Fatherless or the wrong kind of father?

He told me that he has been in and out of prison, jail and juvenile detention for the past 17-years. Today, he is only about 35-year old. “Assault, mainly for assault on my dad,” he said. “We don’t get along,” he said while looking to the side. He then described how he hit his dad with a sledge hammer once. "Always fighting," he said. 

Despite the fact that he had a father, he was usually jailed so he had little time with Dad. The time with him turned into fights, according to his memories. 

Many theories have come to light over the years that without a proper father figure, the majority are doomed for unsuccessful life events. Now I will say, I have known plenty of successful people who grew up fatherless and plenty of people who grew up with a father and still failed and ended up homeless, but statistics are quite strong showing that a father makes a huge difference in the lives of children growing up. 

According to a report filed by the Homes for the Homeless & Institute for Children and Poverty, “Numerous studies have shown that children benefit from a two-parent family, yet nearly one in four children in the United States (23%) is being raised without a father present. Among homeless children, 77 percent grow up in families headed by single mothers” The report was released in year 2000 and the numbers are said to be even greater in year 2015. 

A report filed by the National Federation of Families showed that 63% of youth who grow up without a father are more likely to commit suicide, 70% of children who are in a state operated institution come from homes without fathers and 85% of youths sitting in prisons grew up without a resident father. 

In the United Kingdom similar studies show similar results. The Institute for the Study on Civil Society reported in 2002 that children who do not live with their biological father have more problems in school, have a higher risk of health problems, are more likely to drink alcohol and use drugs and are more likely to suffer from long term emotional and psychological problems. 

Jim Valvano, a former American college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster once stated, “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”

Spoon Man

I call him Spoon Man because he plays the spoons. In fact, I have given him three sets of spoons in the past year, but people keep stealing them from him. I even lifted one pair from the Hard Rock Café once. Well, I walked in and asked for them and they handed the spoons to me and I walked back out. So theoretically I asked for them, but they looked surprised when I left out the same door I walked in.

Anyway, Spoon Man has lived on the streets for the past 8 years. However, he quit drinking 11 years ago. 11-years was too late because it caused serious neurological problems. He told me that one night he blacked out a total of three times. The drinking is what is believed to have led to his Cerebellar degeneration, which is a disease process in which the neurons in the cerebellum - the area of the brain that controls muscle co-ordination and balance - deteriorate and die. That being said, he has some trouble getting around.

A few days ago I bought Spoon Man a foot long steak and cheese sub. I watched as he ate a little less than half and then he carefully wrapped the remainder of the sandwich in paper and then placed it in his bag. I asked why he did not eat it all and he said, “I want to give the rest to a friend of mine.” He later told me that his friend is also homeless and that she is likely hungry.

Those who are homeless often give everything they have to others.

Rest in Peace. He was found dead on the morning of Saturday 9/26/15.

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ― Winston S. Churchill

Age 22 and alone on the streets

She is only 22-years old and lives in a small tent with her dog secluded from others in the woods of Nashville. She has a cross around her neck and works hard to sell the "Faith Unity" paper to passerby's. She told me, "This was the only job I could get." I bought five, assuming that would help in some little way.

Before I could walk away, two different well dressed, but intoxicated men approached her asking to pet the dog. I questioned their intentions, but not out loud. It left me thinking, "This is someones young daughter or are her parents even living?"

"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat." - Mother Teresa

Running Away

I met John in Nashville this past Saturday night. It was almost poetic to see him standing on the sidewalk with the lights of Music City behind him as he tilted back his beer. Almost.

He told me that he moved here from another state to start over, but it wasn't working as he planned. I asked, "What are you running from?" With curiosity, he said, "What do you mean?" I replied... "Drugs, a girl, alcohol?" His smile turned to a frown as he replied, "Alcohol, these streets are going to kill me. I've tried to stop, but every penny I get goes to buy more. I can't stop."

I then asked the soft spoken 65-year old man, "Do you want to stop drinking?" He smiled, "I sure do!"

John did not have a cell phone so I knew looking for him on a sober morning would be like hunting down a needle in a haystack, but I hit the streets on Monday in Nashville in search of John. I found him.

Long story short, he did a phone interview to get into a treatment center located in North Carolina. He is now on the short list to be accepted. Hopefully, he will be on his way to the 65-day treatment program within the next three weeks.

Half Life in Prison

“I spent half my life in prison,” he told me looking down. “Why,” I asked with curiosity. “Guns and drugs, I was sentenced in federal court at age 30, today I am 62,” he said. Then he chuckled, “But, I met a girl the other night… I’m staying with her over there [pointing to a nearby rundown motel], she’s 30.” I laughed a little and responded, “Well good for you.” He then smiled real big and said, “She’s a pretty little thing.”

Bernard Kerik a former police officer, convicted felon, and consultant who served as New York City Police Commissioner from 2000 to 2001 once said, “Going to prison is like dying with your eyes open.”

A bag full of change and a happy face

He was walking down Nolensville Pike in Nashville, his salt and pepper hair was blowing in the wind. I thought to myself, “He has an interesting face… I wonder what his story is?” I crossed five lanes of traffic on foot to catch up with him. It was obvious he had somewhere to be.

When I finally caught up I asked, “Where ya from?” He looked around as if I were talking to someone behind him. “I’m originally from Florida, but later moved to Seattle Washington and then to Nashville,” he told me. I laughed, “Why the heck would you leave Florida?” He smiled, “I didn’t have a choice, I was two and my parents moved.” I then replied, “I guess it would be hard to convince your parents to stay when you are only two.”

He then told me how he hated Washington because it was cold and rained all the time. However, he loves living in Nashville.

During our conversation he told me how he had a bag full of change that he took to a convenience store to exchange for cash. I told him that likely made for a good Sunday. He heart-fully agreed.

Marcus Aurelius, a Stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 once stated, “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” Stoic philosophers taught that destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of "moral and intellectual perfection", would not suffer such emotions.

I don't know that I would agree that anyone exists in today's times with moral perfection, but this man seemed to be very happy despite having little and living in a home with others.

Witch Doctor in Haiti Up Close

Voodoo is something that most hear about and think is interesting, fascinating and even fictitious. However, it is actually a Satanic ritual that is very much real. This is a photo of a practicing Haitian Voodoo Witch Doctor. He is about 53-years old age and lives one hour away from Cap-Haitien, Haiti. He has many followers who turn to him on a regular basis.  

I visited several Voodoo Ceremonial Grounds in Haiti and found multiple human skulls, a casket and other skeletal remains used during ritualistic activities.  Human sacrifices, murders and more are all a part of Satanic Voodoo Ceremonies in Haiti. 

Brother and a "Sister" Mom

A sister holding her little brother in Haiti (Jan. 2015).

It is amazing to watch how sibling sisters become mothers in third world countries as the mom is busy washing clothes by hand, cooking dinner from scratch over an open fire or helping around the village with a sick friend.

One woman told us that her chest was hurting, pointing to her breast. I can only imagine it was the first stages of un-diagnosed breast cancer as medical care is scarce in some of the remote areas of the country. She described the pain accompanied by fatigue through an interpreter.

A pack of gum

The Faces of Haiti: He was busy watching his friends as my son started to hand out small packs of Chick-lets gum on a hot January (2015) day in Haiti. The temperature felt like it was about 100 degrees, no breeze.

We were in a small village about 30-miles from Cap-Haitian, a city of nearly one million residents when we came across a roadside stand next to a Voodoo ground. I purchased about 30 packs of gum for around $2 U.S. dollars. The children quickly gathered as this one boy watched with curiosity.

"Haiti kind of gets a hold of you." - Sean Penn

Children in Haiti

The children in the larger cities of Haiti ran and played in the seepage of sewage into the streets while the children on the countryside ran through the outskirts of sugarcane fields pulling toy cars made of soda bottles. It was an interesting contrast sometimes only four miles apart. 

“The wonders of a child can only be understood by the child.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita

Help Someone Today

"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone." - Ronald Reagan

Chicago Prostitution

She lives a lonely life filled with men and never stops at a temptation. When I see a prostitute on the street I wonder what happened in her life that made her turn to selling her body.

In most cases I have learned that the females and males who sell themselves were victims of sexual abuse as children and often grew up fatherless. While it may sound like a blanket statement, it is. I say that based on my conversations with women I have photographed who have openly told me about their past. I also base it on people whom I have talked to who did not want to be photographed because of their past or current situation involving prostitution.

One woman told me, “After I perform the services, I go home and fill the tub with water, get inside the bath and cry for hours.” I will never forget that statement. She told me that she prostituted to buy crack cocaine as a way to forget her past. 

The traveler in Chicago

“I’ve been all over the place, even Amsterdam,” he told me. I had to ask after a pause, “So what drugs did you try there?” He laughed a little, “Pot, only pot.” He told me that he loved to travel, I agreed that traveling is always an adventure – especially on foot.

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - Saint Augustine

Vietnam, 17-Years in the U.S. Army, now on the streets

This is Dan, he is a Vietnam Veteran. He recently received a new haircut by Brittney Pelham and a beard trimming on the streets of Nashville.

Dan served our country in the U.S. Army for 17-years, which included his time in Vietnam.

Today he lives under a bridge, which is on private property owned by a commercial business. Metro Police arrested him for trespassing for being there when he had no where else to go. He has since moved on leaving his mattress behind.

I am not making a point, just relaying what occurred in recent days. I simply repeat what I am told and see. Thanks to our friends at Liquidation Outlet, he now has a tent to keep out of the elements. He was excited to receive it, almost as excited as those who get a new house.

More Haircuts

We hit the streets of Murfreesboro and Nashville to cut the hair of the less fortunate who live on the streets, under bridges and in the woods. Needless to say, it was very positive.