Better myself

As he smoked his cigarette while sitting next to his tent he said, “A group came by here the other day and started handing out meals, I noticed I was first in line and realized that I need to be better – I don’t need to be the first.” He then talked about how so many others are in need.

When several men from the Nashville Indian Christian Fellowship offered to pray for him he responded quietly, “I don’t want to take your time, pray for the others here – I take too much.” The men smiled as they placed their hands on his shoulders and started to pray for him.

He said, “I have to work on myself.”

Third world living in Nashville, TN

It was 2:00 on a Saturday afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee, but I felt as if I had been transplanted into a third world country, perhaps one that I have posted photos of in the past. The difference, I was in America and more notably, my backyard to some extent:

He stayed in bed, too sick and uncomfortable to get up and talked about how he came to Nashville 32 years ago for his education.

"I have a hernia, two in fact," he said calmly while patting on his abdomen. He spoke clearly as if he was well educated, but noted that life slowly fell apart for him with the combination of drugs, relationships and alcohol.

The small hut he was sleeping in belonged to a friend who was asleep in the next room. "He's asleep in the other room, he let me sleep here," he stated.

My friends from the Nashville Indian Christian Fellowship fed him. He enjoyed the meal as he appeared to have not eaten in at least a day or longer.

The hut was made of discarded pallets, siding from a box truck, old gas station signs, carpet and tarps. No electricity or running water, just makeshift shelter.

The structure sat along a river in what looked to be a floodplain in an area heavily populated by Somalians and Hispanics, neither speaking the same language, but living in peace in nearby camps separated by a creek flowing into the same river.

Her son is missing

Charlene Toro reported to Manchester, TN Police that her son went missing this past November. Justin Edward Zeigler is 27 years old and authorities in Coffee County told Mrs. Toro that there has been no activity on her sons cellphone since November, Needless to say, she fears the worst.

Justin was known to use inhalants from spray cans, which is one reason why his mother fears that he could be deceased. However, he was described as a good guy who simply had a bad habit, as many of us do.

For more on this story, see the WGNSradio.com website. I also did an interview with her that can be heard on the WGNS site. 

The box cutter

Damian is originally from Mississippi, but is currently living on the streets of Nashville.

When asked how he got the scar on his left cheek he proclaimed, “He got me with a box cutter.” The incident happened during a fight ten years ago in Mississippi.

“An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Revolutionary War Times

Some of those on the street suffer from Alzheimer’s, others from a long list of mental illnesses. Often, it is hard to tell what someone suffers from with only a brief encounter. 

As he stood in the rain he said that he was in the Revolutionary War and quietly spoke of war times. He then talked about being a slave and being allowed freedom because of good behavior. 

He lives on the streets of Nashville, TN and is 67 years old.

 

Life in the motel, not by choice

Her name is Tina and she has lived in the Smyrna, Tennessee area nearly her entire life. She graduated from Smyrna High School in 1994. From there, she worked at restaurants most of her adult life.

Things greatly changed for her in 2013 when she was deemed to be legally blind. Today Tina can make out colors, but beyond the color things are a blur. Tina has diabetes and with that, the problems with her eyes have only increased.

Tina has Diabetic Retinopathy that affects blood vessels in the light-sensitive tissue called the retina that lines the back of the eye. The complication cannot be cured, but can be treated in some cases. But for Tina, treatment is out of the question with her current heart related problems.

In 2015 she had her first heart attack followed by a second only four months later. In October of 2016, she underwent a quadruple bypass surgery. Quadruple refers to the number of heart arteries that are bypassed.

Tina has 15 and 17 year old sons. They often spend the night with friends leaving mom alone in a motel room. That of course is not entirely bad as there is little money to feed and clothe the boys – plus extra cash to pay up to $1400 per month on a motel stay.

A disability check arrives in Tina’s bank account once monthly, but that check rings in at only $500. So, she can only stay at motels for up to two weeks. Other nights, she depends on shelters and help from friends for a place to rest her head.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." - Helen Keller, (1880-1968)

The Breeze has died

I shot this at Hippie Hill in 2015. Nearly a full year later in 2016, this man made the move to California.

While living in California he fell out of the back of a truck during what seemed to be a minor accident. However, during his recovery he came down with pneumonia eventually being hospitalized where he passed away recently.

On the Hill he was called "Breeze." His real name was Jason Kiser.

"Well now, they call me the breeze
I keep blowin' down the road
I ain't got me nobody
I don't carry me no load
Ain't no change in the weather
Ain't no changes in me"

-Lynyrd Skynyrd

Living with Felons

Chris said that he spent 15 years in the State Penitentiary for a rape that occurred in Lewisburg, Tennessee in 1998. He went in 2 days before Christmas and got out two days before Christmas- exactly 15 years apart.

Like many, the 53 year old calls what was once a hotel, his apartment. That apartment that is his home is called the Casa Blanca.

In the 1950’s the apartment opened as a hotel known as the Holiday Inn. It was one of the first Holiday Inn hotels in America. The hotel turned apartment is on Murfreesboro Pike in Nashville and 90% of the residents today are felons with a good number being on the Sex Offender Registry. However, it is one of the few properties in Davidson County that takes in felons and allows them to live there.

The complex is under the management of a former probation officer by the name of Pauline Spalding. Needless to say, she runs a very tight ship with a gun on one hip and a Taser on the other.

Served in Vietnam

Homeless in Nashville: He told me, “I was in Vietnam… I’m use to the jungle, that’s why I live here.” He said, "I joined the military when I was 17, my parents had to sign off on it." 

“Our purpose in Vietnam is to prevent the success of aggression. It is not conquest, it is not empire, it is not foreign bases, it is not domination. It is, simply put, just to prevent the forceful conquest of South Vietnam by North Vietnam.” - Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973), 36th president of the United States

Johnny Navy

He had a US Navy tattoo on his right hand and he told me, “I was in Panama when Manuel Noriega was captured.” He served in the Navy for thirteen years in the late 1970’s and 1980’s.

History unfolded in 1989 as Noriega was brought down by a team of Navy Seals. After the former leader was taken into custody, he was flown by the US Air Force to America to stand trial for drug trafficking charges, evidently he was bringing drugs into the US while dictating the country of Panama.

As for Johnny, the 54 year old man is wheelchair bound for the most part and lives in a motel that was converted into efficiency apartments. He told me that Hospice services visit him weekly. Johnny said, “I have thyroid cancer and it has gotten too bad.”

In his younger days after the Navy, he was no stranger to trouble. He was arrested multiple times, but that was then and now he is simply making ends meet.

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." - Norman Cousins (1915-1990), American Political Journalist, World Peace Advocate

Wasting time on a Sunday

Wasting time...

“Time is the longest distance between two places.” ― Tennessee Williams (1911-1983), American Playright

From Iraq to Homelessness

He is originally from East Tennessee and told me that he joined the US Marines at age 19 looking for a brighter future when compared to others in his small community. Shortly after boot camp, he said he was sent to Iraq where he spent 8 months starting in 1991.

When Scotty returned to America in about 1992, he was prematurely discharged, but would not elaborate other than to say that the military continues to pay him a little over $200 per month for life. He told me that he found life troubling when returning to the states.

After being released from the Marines, he soon found himself in trouble with the law for attempted rape, felony theft and more. He then spent multiple years behind bars eventually being released in 2010. Scotty has been homeless on and off since his time in Iraq, according to what he told me on Sunday.

Little Things

He was pushing his wife Betty down Harding Place near Interstate 24 around 9:00 at night. I asked, “Where are you going?” Johnny quietly replied, “McDonalds.” 

If you were to look into the lives of those on the street you would often find a life of minor criminal offenses, drug use, signs of alcohol abuse and more. If you only glanced over the surface one might come to the conclusion, “He or she is a bad person.” However, you have to look deeper than the surface to understand that most on the street had a life of tragedy that most of us would not understand. For many, those tragedies and traumas started in their childhood and one traumatic event after the other continued into their adult lives – all events untreated by professional help. 

As for Johnny and Betty, they have been married for the past 17 years. They have been each other’s rock throughout those years and have helped each other in many ways. 

Last night when I saw the two, Johnny had just dropped off Betty’s prescription for insulin, she is a diabetic. He told me, “I will pick it up tomorrow – it will only be $18 because we have insurance with only a small co-pay.” He then leaned over to me and whispered as if afraid to say it out loud, “She also has breast cancer.” 

The two live in a small tent and Johnny showed me a heater they just received from a friend who is part of Open Table Nashville. “See, it attaches to propane tanks and it keeps us warm at night,” he told me while describing how it works. I smiled and asked, “You need some extra propane to stay warm?” 

My friend Joel Vernon and I then headed to Walmart and bought six tanks of propane for the two. When we returned and met them at McDonalds, they were full of joy. The smiles cost the us $24, but will keep them warm for six nights. Little Things. 

"Life is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties, but of little things, in which smiles and kindness, and small obligations given habitually, are what preserve the heart and secure comfort." - Humphry Davy (1778-1829), Cornish chemist and inventor

As we age

He moved to Tennessee years ago with his family. Originally, he is from Alabama. I met him as he was walking home on day.

When asked about his mother he said with a smile, “She’s still living, she’s on up there in age.”

There is something beautiful about age. I think the Beatles pinned it best…

“When I get older losing my hair
Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings, bottle of wine?
If I'd been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four?”

Living on the sidewalk

He was in his sleeping bag on the sidewalk and could not tell me his full name or age. He seemed to not be able to comprehend much, but appeared to be sober.

“Some people think mental illness is a matter of mood, a matter of personality. They think depression is simply a form of being sad, that OCD is a form of being uptight. They think the soul is sick, not the body. It is, they believe, something that you have some choice over. I know how wrong this is.” ― David Levithan, Every Day

It is Christmas Time

A group called ChiveOnMurfreesboro.com is doing a lot of positive things in the community. Most recently, collecting toys for children living in poverty in Rutherford County.

Today, I got to deliver toys to this mother of three. She has received help from not only ChiveOnMurfreesboro.com (new toys for Christmas), but also New Vision Baptist Church on Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro. In fact, a lot of help from New Vision members in a very positive and loving way.

Needless to say, her kids are extremely happy and well cared for.

"I am a huge believer in giving back and helping out in the community and the world. Think globally, act locally I suppose. I believe that the measure of a person's life is the affect they have on others." - Steve Nash, former NBA player for the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, LA Lakers and currently a player development consultant for the Golden State Warriors

A good Christmas after all

George and Brenda have had a rough year on the streets of Middle Tennessee. They have relocated camps, been in and out of the hospital and more. Of the two, Brenda has five children who are currently living with another family while they work to get back on their feet and out of the woods, literally. But, the year is closing out in a positive manner.

Brenda recently learned that their young daughter was going door to door selling hot chocolate in an attempt to make enough money for her parents to have a motel room on Christmas. If they have a room, it means that the children get to spend the night with them and wake up together as a family on Christmas morning.

This is where local non-profits come in that all work together... 

Thanks to Barnabas Vision, the family will have a hotel room on Christmas Eve and the night of Christmas (two nights). Brenda and George will then give all five children a ton of gifts, thanks to New Vision Baptist Church on Thompson Lane. The kids will also have coloring books, thanks to donations made at Westbrook Towers in Murfreesboro. 

After I dropped of the gifts today that will be given to their children George said to me, “They already know where these are coming from.” I smiled and responded, “Santa?” He grinned, “Yep.” 

"Nature is based on harmony. So it says if we want to survive and become more like nature, then we actually have to understand that it's cooperation versus competition." - Bruce Lipton, American developmental biologist

14 Year old helping others with $700

The young lady on the left, Stella, saved up her money until she had $700 to help out area homeless. She then donated the funds to Barnabas Vision which used the money to order more sleeping bags and a tent or two.

Today, she gave Taco and Russell a ten man tent. That was the equivalent of giving them a new home. Needless to say, Taco loved the gift. She also handed out about 20 sleeping bags today.

UPDATE: The below video clip of Taco (May 2018): 

MAY 17, 2018: 

I talked to Taco today…

I have received a lot of messages asking how YOU can help Taco, the man I did the short video on who has only 6 months to live due to cancer. You may recall, Taco (Tim Ortega) was headed to Kentucky to spend his remaining time with a girlfriend.

To answer your questions, Taco needs nothing. He has it all.

Amazing things have happened and he missed that Greyhound to Kentucky. But, his sister in Florida saw the video and later sought him. She visited Murfreesboro in the past looking for him about three years ago, but could never locate her little brother.

Long story short, Taco ended up in Florida with her and her husband (both doing great and retired from the Air Force). He was overjoyed.

Taco's sister had a surprise for him the next day of his visit. She took him to the beach that morning where other family members were waiting to be reunited!

The story gets better. Taco was then reunited with his other sister whom he has not seen in about 20 years. She lives in - - I believe Oklahoma. Regardless of the state he is there and he is happy.

Taco told me, “Scott, I have my own bedroom and all the food I could ever need.” I laughed and told him how exciting that was. He then stated, “But Scott, it gets better. She woke me up the other night at 9:30 and asked me to watch TV with her. She then asked if I wanted McDonalds. She picked up the phone and I told her, ‘You can’t order McDonalds, they don’t deliver!’” I could tell Taco started to cry as he explained, “Next thing I know her husband comes in with McDonalds and there was this old man behind him – I thought, who is that?”

The pause was long and I knew the story was going to get even better. “Scott, it was my dad! He’s sitting here with me right now!”

Looking back, Taco thought he was alone in the world. A couple of years after his mother died he secluded himself. Eventually, he became homeless and alcohol took him away for a very long time. He thought his father had died 20-years ago. But, he didn’t. Taco’s father was alive and well.

Taco told me, “Brother, I think I am going to retire here if you know what I mean.”

A man who thought he was all alone is now surrounded by family as he slowly, but happily passes away. His next few months will likely be the very best. Ever.

“One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone.” ― Shannon L. Alder

Life can indeed be a struggle

Homeless and living in a small encampment in Nashville, Tennessee. Despite struggles, he is all smiles and pleasantries. 

"The struggle you're in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. Don't give up." - Robert Tew

A new camera for a local homeless woman

When Laura Yannazzo participated in a past photo shoot at The Experience Community Church in Murfreesboro, TN, she had no idea that she photographed a homeless woman who had a love for photography. But, after finding out about it she gave me a camera to give to the woman who currently lives in a tent that is located in a wooded area of Rutherford County.

Thanks to Laura, the woman pictured now has a camera to capture life as she sees it. I am really looking forward to seeing the images that she grabs with her new camera.

Christmas, it is sometimes the simple things like giving to others who have little, that make it more special.