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My name is Angie Whitehurst and I'm at 1233 First Street Southeast outside of the Marriott Residence with Leticia Brock who was burned out of her apartment on Hobart Street Northwest this past weekend. Today is October 26th 2021. We are doing an interview for Mobilizing Against Homelessness Oral History Project and I will ask Laticia - do I have your permission to audio record you for this interview? Yes, ma'am. And to take a photograph or two. Yes, ma'am. Sure. Yes, ma'am.

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All right, so, can you tell me your full name? My name is Precious Leticia Laywan Brock. And where were you born... and raised? I'm officially for residents of Washington. D.C., I was born here. I was born at Greater Southeast. Now, United Medical Hospital.

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Are you currently experiencing homelessness? Yes, ma'am. Can you speak about that? And for how long and how this situation came to be about? Okay, to make it not too long and short um, actually, let me share a little bit of my back called. It blessed-imony, not a testimony, blessed-imony, because I'm blessed to be living. As far as I can remember, because I was just, I was just I was in a coma.

00:01:51.100 - 00:06:37.400

Do you know what year that was? Actually, I was in two comas. I was in a coma in 2012 and I remember it like the shirt off my back because when God brought my memory back, I was able to figure out what happened to me. And when I got the paperwork from Metro. In 2012, I was released from prison. And in order upon my release, I had made some mistakes in my life. When I was a juvenile. First of all, my mother couldn't, I couldn't say she couldn't really she did the best she could as a mother and and you know, to go to school in DC where I grew up at. If you didn't have on no clothes or shoes of name-brand or something like that, you know, you get talked about in johnned on and I was a kind of girl, I grew up like a big girl. My mother always cooked a lot so I was like, Ma, I can't, I can't fit the clothes that we got. So, I went to the discount mart and I actually steal my clothes to go to school. So I had every morning. She my mother, she did the best she could. So she had stopped when she stopped partying and drinking shit. Went back to the church. How to raise my grandmother. I kind of didn't understand the transition. I was like, man, Ma used to be partying and he's we having fun and then you gotta go. Going to this place. I don't understand what church was. I didn't understand what church was, so she had to go raise my grandmother. So she would go to the church, I would sneak outside and hang outside with the hustlers, you selling marijuana, and I had got hooked on marijuana. So what I would do for my marijuana habit, I will go steal out of the store called Discount Mart. If I was buying clothes, go to school because, you know, my mother ain't had the money and I knew she was struggling so I was selling weed and selling clothes. At this time, little clothes called Parasuco just came out and I was, I was like, I said, I was a big girl. I ain't had the best shape and all that and my mother, we didn't financially have it. When I was coming up, with my brother's shoes to go to school, my brother choose to be a size 12 and I had to wear his shoes. Cause my mother, man she did, my baby did the best she could raise her. So, like I said, I had got caught selling weed. I got locked up and I did juvenile life. And it had something called City Under Siege. So the police officers. Man they was, man. My friend Mario, may he rest in peace, he got shot right there in front of my eyes. And I had a homeless friend named Vincent and if I drop it to you to, that's because at that time, emotionally hurt, I had a homeless, man. He was man, Vincent had to be like in his 60s. But he's to be out there and I can sell weed. So I used to give him the roaches. But guess what? This is man who's named Vincent. He was homeless and he says, I used to sleep outside, to leave my house at 13 years old to sleep outside with him. Well, I said - man. I had a a father coming up. I said - man telling me about life for real. I'm listening to him. He was talking out the side of his face like, yeah, he's called me Katie. He's like Katie, man. He's like, man, Katie, man. We want to be, we go, you can be rich, you remember, she gonna run the world. He's like, man. Um, what you doing? You selling drugs and you don't even know, you're selling drugs. You will get knocked up, you will do some time. But guess what? When you come home from jail, I'm gonna have money for you saved up and I'm a, I'm a save it for you. I'm going to bum money, but I'm going to save this money for you. So guess what? When I got locked up and did, did Juvinile like this, they send me to a group home and I got to jail. My mother came from the church and she said, you know what, Precious? I changed my life. Why did you do this to me? It was enough that we could have did in this world. And I told you if I change. Would you change? I went to school while I was at school, you were selling weren't you supposed to be going to school, but no matter what I did, I went to school and I had, I went to Vincent. I gave him some little weed. He smoke this weed. But guess what? That man will make sure I get to school every day. He was a homeless, man, a walk me to school every day and he never did unto me. Never violated me as a woman. So, what happened is once I came home and did my time, Vincent was dead. But guess what? He had left something for me. He left a bag of money and clothes that he had on. He's with his long black trench coat. He said get it to Katie and gave a dude and he never opened it when I open. It was a it was like, mom is so much money. I couldn't even count it.

00:06:38.100 - 00:08:26.900

So that's how I say, you know what? Okay, I want to be homeless so I ran away because I didn't want to do the group home time. And at that time, I had got molested. And raped in the places where I was saying that. So I was kind of, I didn't trust the government. I don't trust him. I don't trust nobody. So I just stayed out in the streets and that's why I started hustling. I started getting into the world. The violence. I really thought I got into it head on. All I had to do was we had moved from that neighborhood and we moved to another neighborhood, my mother. She take care of my grandmother in Maryland with the church houses at, but I stay with my brothers and sister in law. My brother, Johnny, let me do what I want to do. I have met this, my boyfriend named man's name was Daniel Mack and he took his stuff with me to where I was. So I had the money. And what I did was, I was taking home because of me being homeless and being out in the streets. I was taking homes. And we respectfully flipping houses. I met these husband and boys. All I had to do was drive up to New York and get drugs. I didn't realize what I was really getting myself head into I was driving on a learner's to go with the drugs. I was only 17 years old at the time, like I told her to go juvenile life. So I'm 13 years old to 15 and I had to do. So upon me driving a bit, the New York to all these big Mafia people. I didn't know what I was getting into. I didn't know I was bringing drugs back. I got locked up on the adult charge. How old were you? I, 17 for me to being in the game. I was 17. Explain to me before you go any further. When you talk about a sentence - juvenile life sentence, what is that?

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I had Juvenile Life. Juvenile life is what they do is, they put you away and emancipate you into a system of, at that point, you can't even stay with your mother. You go to a group home stay in a group until you 21. Because I wasn't grown. So I had to say that I had to do all this at this until I was 21 and I escaped the group home. Where did you live? I escaped the group home, I escaped the group home, but once I got grown 18 I end up doing adult time. So I had to go to Upper Marlboro jail to do Maryland time. Once. I finish my Marlyand time for year. I had to do the two years in D.C. for the drugs that I got caught on. And to get out of the situation, I was in, I just took all the time. I didn't tell on nobody, I didn't tell on no connects that I had in DC. I just did the whole jail time. So I end up finishing my parole once I was, I finished juvenile life, I had to do jail time for five years and I kept violating. I kept violating. I kept going back and forth to jail, so I didn't really finish my parole up until I was I was almost 30 times 2014. I finish my parole life because once he wants to do your jail time, you come home, you had five years on paper, anything you do. I don't care. If you don't have no address, you don't hand over to go. You violate. The also a [imperceptible] So I end up doing most of my life in prison. So when I came home, they stated, in or for me to stay on the streets. I had to do a mental health. I had to come the do they say you had to do to comply with mental health. And so what they was doing was overmedicating me. They overmedicated me the lady all out cuz I was talking about because I have no matter what I ever did, I always sung and I rapped. I've sung and rapped and I like the poetry. That was always what I always did in my life coming up. Even when I was in jail, I'd had you should sing rap. We did shows the get the time back. So, so after that, you know, she overmedicated me and I fell asleep on a Metro bus and when I do, because the medicine was too strong. For one, I didn't have to take no medicine. All I had to do what they told me have counseling, they over medicated and she stuck it in my arms and I didn't realize when I went outside, I was going to just doze off anywhere. I fell asleep on the back of the bus. A boy got on. The bus is not even running no more, it's called a U2 bus. The boy got on the back of the bus and he beat me up and broke my nose. You see, you see the dent in my nose and I was asleep so you can see this dent in my nose, with the see, where my nose is, broke my eye, my eye, as I said, God healed, my face my eyeballs and I came to out of the coma. My eyes was hanging out my socket. The Metro driver, they say that he was too, was talking to a lady. He didn't even see the man get on the bus. The man came on, the bus, beat me up. And when I came out of the coma, I had to learn how to walk again. So that was the first coma I was in. So but they still they still tried to perscribe me that medication. Every time I got in trouble, had to go to these mental health hospital.

00:11:55.200 - 00:12:33.800

Do you think the overmedication within the mental health commuity is a bad thing? Yeah cuz sometimes it'd be too too strong for you. It makes you Why do you think they overmedicated you? First of all, because first of all, if you put if you stick them on my arm, I should be in a facility. I should be somewhere where I could be monitored. You don't put me on those streets like this. Sleep or you just sleep, feeling like. I mean it's hard to explain. You can't wake up. Like, um, just can't wake up, can't move.

00:12:42.700 - 00:14:09.000

Do you think a lot people that are homeless end up in the mental health system and end up being overmedicated? Yeah, and then and then, on top of that medication, sometimes these people we are out her drinking. You cannot drink with that medication. You can't drink with it. Drink alcohol doing all these street drug. That's how you snap out. So you see people running around talking to themselves. It's not because it's because that medicine. Okay, but let me ask you another. How, how are you in your current state of homelessness today? Why are we here today talking? Okay. Now, after all the decisions I was getting from the government. They had put us in a place and you know, you can't control what your neighbors doing. You can't control was going in nobody else's apartment. The apartment upstairs had got caught on fire, and this is just happened, just happened, last Saturday. I was laying in my bed. And I thank God, I don't take that medication. Because if I did, I would be oversleeping. I want to be able to wake up, my would have died in the housefire. I heard all this. Boom boom. Boom boom boom boom, and it was just the building up the apartment upstairs over top of mind. It burnt on fire. So the whole building is on fire. So now I'm and then Red Cross. They don't give you the assistance. They don't give you no help. They'll didn't have the finances to put you and house you.

00:14:10.100 - 00:15:06.800

So now you are here at the Marriot for how long? 14 days, they give you, 14 days out there, for 10 days. You back. You lost if you have no place to go. So but the rental place that I'm staying at, they don't even have a phone number where you can contact them at. So, how did I get? First of all, I never even signed a lease. I never even signed a lease. So the mental health provider, who I was working for - my casemanager - she's not even no longer there. I don't know how to even contact her, to figure out how to even get an apartment. When I was staying in a tent. All I know is the lady showed up and see here. These are the keys to your apartment your tents. Where was your tent? My tent is located, I still have my tent, but the government move my tent and um, they threw all my belongings away. First, I was on First Street, then I moved down to L street.

00:15:07.500 - 00:15:30.300

Northwest? Yes, ma'am. By Union Station. I think I walked past where you were a couple of years ago. Yes ma'am, I was on First Street nd actually that's my, that's my home. That was why I stayed at so because I always say, no matter where I stay, I had my tent, I just in case I need to go home.

00:15:31.400 - 00:16:12.220

That's your shelter. That's your guarentee. That's right. That's right. Because even in the shelter's got bedbugs, bedbugs are ridiculous. You think that's why people don't want to stay in a shelter. For one, you get raped in there, the way they treat you, if I know how to defend myself from coming from the streets and be already being in prison. They stay stole my stuff the first day, I got there. I went and took a shower, all my shoes and clothes gone. They broke in my locker, took my money and guess what the staff? Be stating the staff. Look you up and down, like she's a... it is real bad in there. You never know who it's people are sick in there, but the disease...

00:16:17.700 - 00:17:15.470

So what would you say is the biggest cause of home is in Washington D.C.? The biggest cause of homelessness in DC is because first of all, I might not be wanted. I learned this in more than one different case. Now like a lot of people that I know they from group homes. They don't have no parents. Okay, once you in the adoption system. If my family don't want you, they push you out. They still collect your money or they'll collect your money, all all all up until you get grown the emancipator other system. So you left out here, you do. Because you never had no mother and father. So you do from an adoption agency and then I might be, I might be on drugs. You don't want me living in your house. Sometimes parents don't want their kids that they that they let you know blatantly, I don't want you period from the from birth because me and my your baby father not together. Do you think this current change in D.C. called gentfrication... How they rebuilding everything?

00:17:15.470 - 00:18:54.500

...has affected your ability to stay housed, to be employed? For one, listen ma'am, you know coming from my criminal background, of course, you know, I can't get it if I get a job. Okay. I have to worry about my record because, you know, I have a record. I told you. I have a record. People don't go off that nowadays. But can I really afford market rent? No, I can't. With my credit. I don't have, I got bad credit. I got bad credit from stuff I didn't even put in my own name. My identity was stolen. So it's like I can't afford this stuff. Anyway, things are expensive. And then, you know, you get financial help from the government far as food stamps. But so guess what? Me living in the tent. If you don't like me, its alright, a tent aint nothing but $23. I'd rather ever deal with that, and it's not so bad in cold in the tent. And how would you, skipping to the next, work and unemployement. How does the job situation or possibilities for revenue generation affect people's ability to get housing? You're saying because its unaffordable because you have a criminal record. All the places I can afford is dangerous. Why would I move in the neighborhood where I know they're going to shoot you? Or you won't get faught, or you will get bullied out your own apartment. I don't want to live around that. I feel safe in my tent then living around Southeast.

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So that's the only housing that is affordable to you? And you don't want to live there. Exactly. It's too dangerous. I wouldn't want to live around that. Would you say its hard to find work in the city? I think you already addressed the difficulty of finding jobs. Yeah, but it is but you be so tired and drained, I mean, its like and then if I don't got no stable place to stay - how can I go to work smelling smelling and can't take a full shower? Sometimes showers are just necessary. I can't take a shower. I can't. I can't, I ain't had nothing to eat, how am I going to work? I can't eat, you know, that it is only so much being out here. I can't, if I get food fast. Okay, I go by these hot food, all these restaurants, and all that.

00:19:41.000 - 00:22:04.700

What do you think about, you're talking about getting a shower and having the things you need to work, what is it that government social services, how have they impacted homelessness for the better? For the worse? Imma keep it real, Ma. People don't wanna, people don't do their jobs. [impertceptible] A case manager. You very seldom find up and up person who really care about what they doing. Like if say for example I can't keep a cell phone. I don't have no way to call you if you ain't never at your desk and then you tell me, "I'm a meet you. I'll meet you here. And there, I'm gonna do this and that and then you get that out. You gotta an attitude. You don't want to have take me nowhere. I don't, you know, and then I had a case manager, who told me, if I signed a paper for her. She give me a couple dollars, but she wasn't really doing her job. She wasn't she wasn't trained or job help by helping me and telling me and in a lot of things, you know, coming from prison. You don't know about this new world order of cellphone. I'm only know my boundaries. You gotta pay for Metro to get her everywhere. I don't have the transportation to get to the area I gotta go. You ain't telling me that, you know. Do you have a token program to help me with? I mean, what's going on? You know, so it's like people only down care about you that maybe they do. You know, it's like only to their benefit. Like you getting paid off of me, but you're not really helping me. Well tell me how, what do you think about the Welfare benefits - the SNAP, Medicaid, WICK. Okay. Now now listen. Now listen. Now if you got a child. If you got a child because I know girls, who struggle with this, if you got a child, they not even give you that much money for no baby. They give you food. Extra food stamps, but kids are expensive. People are expensive. And you know, if mothers were benefits, you can get some Section 8, you get housing and all that they give it to you, just like that. Well, savings. Mm. I'm a person. I don't have no kids. Some are only you want. My only benefits is coming by way of food stamps.

00:22:04.700 - 00:22:49.510

Do you think you get more or less? Because your needs are unmet because you are childless. There you go. I don't have no kids so I can't get too much. But okay, but but no, but then, if I played it by getting in, to help for mental health, they give me social security check. Come on for real 700, some dollars a month, you know, come on, it's expensive out here to live. So I can't afford no rent with that. If I do, I got to get in the housing program, which is... Okay they make you stay there. What about public housing? Has access to that changed? Okay. Now public housing. That's what I'm saying. But that comes to we put you in the areas where you'll want to be.

00:22:49.510 - 00:24:04.650

So you think public housing in areas that are are unsafe. Exactly. But see now Ma, these programs, now that the government putting out. Now, I heard that these new places and new residences they are building, they got a house a certain portion of low, income. Which the voucher, that's where the voucher is coming in at. If I have beautiful building that take a voucher. Now you are paying Market rent in that building? Why would I want this low income person to come in market rent and but I'll handle credit, you know, my credit gangers. I'm get up in there. No, ain't nobody gonna want me up in the air. So do you think what they're doing, it's better or worse. Or what could they do to change to make it better? To be honest with you, Mam, tell you something. The way is going down. Especially what this is. The pandemic, it seemed like everything about to become communist. Rely on some government or someone they trying to get this stage. And stuff is about to get really hard. If you got somebody who has moved you. I'm moved from another country, another city and I come in and get better opportunities in the person is born in D.C., Like I can't go down and get no ...

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Key Day. Key Day! Hey, you busy. You busy, you busy, you leaving? Okay, where's the tape is running. I'm sorry. Did you want to do any of you will get a fifty dollar Target card? Did you want to do interview and do a $50 Target card? Because our situation? She's in the house fire too. So if she answered these questions, only for 30 minutes and ask the questions and you get your Target gift card. Sorry about what happened. My name is Angie Whitehurst. And you are? What is your name?

00:24:49.100 - 00:25:00.500

Lakeshia Brown. Another Laticia too? No, Lakeshia. That's my that's my twin sister from another mother. I do love her. I get on her nerves she gets on mine, but that's my boo. Alright, okay I'll finish with her and then get you.

00:25:00.500 - 00:25:33.150

Its only 30 minutes. Okay, so I'll let you finish. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Okay. So the next thing we want to theme is we want to talk about the criminal justice system. I think you've talked about all of these questions and already about the policies. Let me ask you has, let me say three questions. Has police brutality had an impact on homelessness? Has the War on Drugs, had an impact? Of course.

00:25:33.900 - 00:27:01.100

Has criminalization of poverty or homelessness been an issue in the region? I'ma tell you what. Yes, man And you have already talked about the about immigration. But I'm gonna tell you something. I never thing now. It's a little better now, but I come, you know, I come from a background where, which, I'm not even being, I'm not saying being ignorant of this point, the brutality of the police didn't just start with George Floyd. It been happening, years ago. Now, to the point is getting a little exposed. So that leaves me that lead me to where I don't, trust no one, if you can't trust somebody supposed to help and it's clearly says on the side "We're here to help." And I know you won't harm. You already lock me up before, and every time I go to you. Unless it's real violent, and dangerous and bad. I can't get your attention. You understand what I'm saying? So, yeah, and then and then I'm gonna tell you something. If I walk us through that, she displays call Union Station. Man, the police bother me so bad stuff.

00:27:01.100 - 00:27:30.400

Is that because you have a criminal record? No, it's because I'm homeless. Every homeless person that coming this mall. They bother you all the time. Get out of here. Don't ask nobody for no food or money, but "Sir my 200 dollars of food stamps ran out. You don't understand. I'm hungry." What am I supposed to do? And the people willing to help me. Why are you keep harassing me all the time. So would you say that the criminalization of poverty and homelessness has been a problem an issue in the region? Yes.

00:27:32.200 - 00:28:45.600

Let's skip to healthcare. And how does homelessness impact people's health? Very bad, because if I can't get no drink of water, you know, eventually my kidneys going to fail me. I might have kidney failure. You understand what I'm saying? If I can't even take a proper bowel movement. Mom. I got back up bowels. I might have to wear colostomy bags. And then, I'm going to tell you something, mom. If I ain't working no good job, you not getting no good benefits with no Medicaid. And the free government medical that they give you because if you got to go to the hospital. Guess what? If you want a hospital and you've been you making a hundred thousand dollars a year, you will get top-notch service. I go into my Medicaid and get treated like a homeless person. I'm gonna get half treated and get put out. And it happened to me before because when I was looking like I told you, I was on that medication to my arms. I woke up at 5:00 in the morning. They they don't see it puts you out before the buses start running. So do you think that Healthcare Services has gotten better or worse? How would you describe it? To be honest, it's worse.

00:28:48.700 - 00:30:12.750

All right. Now let's talk about education. Do you think access to education, has had any impact on homelessness. You mentioned that no matter where you were or what you were doing you always would go to school. So what is the value of, what does it impact that education has on your homeless? To be honest, mom. If I would have, if I wouldn't have went, if I wouldn't have went to jail and prison and I would have went to college. I suppose if I want, they went to Yale instead of jail then I would have a better opportunity out here in life, to be honest, because I've had some type of credentials under my belt, to get a better job and I would know something. Well, the programs that they have now, do you think that those programs help you step up and out of the obstacles that you have? Sure. Because I'm going to tell you some on, to be honest. I'm not going to say everything is all bad. They got good free. If your DC resident, you can go anywhere for free now. You can go to UDC now. You can go to, you know, you go to these different programs that may, you know, it's opportunity, but mentally, can I do this from all the past cash.

00:30:14.800 - 00:31:58.810

Next question, we're going to go to domestic violence sexual violence, but you already talked about all of these things. So the questions are, has physical or sexual violence within the home had an impact on you homelessness? and you talked about that. The next one was says, violence on the street, but that you talked about that. But what is the impact on the Family? How does it impact your family? To be honest, mom, that is always the case. I get treated more love sometimes from my street family than I do my own, my real family because I wanna be accepted, it's like I told you sometimes they might accept the fact that my I want to be, I want to be gay. Because that's not what cigarette, or or two. I ain't welcome to y'all home. But guess what? My street bubble love me. My street father love me, but guess what? Sometimes, That's not always a good road. Now let's talk about current efforts to end homelessness. Are you aware of or do you think of any current groups or anything or strategies that they're taking to end homelessness. Do you know about any of those you heard of anybody? Who's got a strategy or program? And what do you think about it? And would you be involved with them? To be honest, Mom? I have a strategy.

00:32:05.300 - 00:32:43.400

What is that? To end homelessness, you understand what I'm saying, the only reason why I can't really promote my voice because for one a lot of us, we didn't even vote. So guess what? I was, don't matter. Is that one of the ways to end homelessness, is to vote? Yes, vote. So you can have a voice, but guess what? For real for real, if I had me some money. You understand what I'm saying? If I had the financial help, I could end homelessness because guess what? I know what it takes to bring a person inside and I want them to come inside. You understand what I'm saying?

00:32:44.200 - 00:34:28.100

How many people would you need to do that? If you had 50 people? Could you make it work? I sure could. If I had even 25 people, I can make it work. What do you think the barriers would be to make your vision happen? What would make it difficult for people who are unhoused or for people to come together to mobilize? Do you see any obstacles? The only obstacles I would see is not getting the financial help that we need to. Like take for instance, Mom, if I I have back to talk to this man [imperceptible] opportunity for one, let me open up another Saint Elizabeth, but I want to do it in my turn. I want to mental health hospitals, but I wanted to be so pretty. I wanted to I want to set it up in my light. I know what's some mental health people need. So let me open up something like a fun center. I'm gonna open up a twenty four-hour shower meal hall. I want to open up like a fun arcade center. Something to draw people in. And sometimes I'm being out there. Mentally. I might talk to myself because I've been, I've been, I've been alone and show for so long. I ain't have no choice, but to talk to myself, but guess what? I can interact with you because what you talking about. I've been indeed there but I might not talk it out loud. But guess what? I got a way to draw you.

00:34:28.900 - 00:35:40.380

You know what I learned in life even, okay, where I was at. Even when I was in prison, if you gave me a radio, I don't care what kind of music it was gonna be country music, Jazz, could just be symbols. Music. People love music. So I want me a music facility. I want something new was able to express your time, because guess what? I know homeless person right now and then sleep next to me. He can look at me you right now and draw us. That's art. These young boys like rap &. Go Go, you want him stopped hanging on the corner. Let me open up something to draw these babies with this music. Come on, y'all. Guess what? With the incentive? They are come in. And where does the housing and come in? That's where we need that funding from that government mayor. We need that funding for her to open up a couple of buildings that I can fix up beautify, put a couple of music. You don't say I got a music hall for y'all. Come on y'all! That would be your vision for a better world to have those facilities and things.

00:35:41.400 - 00:37:27.010

People will people feel welcome there. Oh, could you cause you got it's just like somebody shelters because you got so many bags. You ain't allowed in my shelf to get out and I bet you feel less of a woman. How you don't know what's in them bags. Is she holding on to her grandmother of vision? Like she got pictures of her grandmother. She got. You don't know why nobody. So give people time to go to through their things and guess what? I want me some outside. Sometimes people don't want to come inside because we've been so, claustrophobic. Give me outside ground like this. Whole place over here, right? This place, right, this field and I put up. Just put up some, take some steal things, put a shelter with top of it, make it heat insulated, but it's still outside. Put some trees up and set tents in their tents, but the tests are not breakable. You won't feel no rain and not like that, but it's still outside. But guess what? That could be my tent ground, but I might have an outside shower. The mobilize, put the Unity Medical truck right here. This truck right here. Immunity. Guess what if y'all want to, come get token from this truck. Go eaten the meal hall when you want to but you still guess what? After you finish this program, just tent program for a year, then guess what? You see, cross the street and see a banana, but that balcony, I will give you the opportunity to save all your money. Guess what? I would even say. If you can put a dollar in there and guess what, while they are they doing that, we're going on an income if I I Yeah because we talk about about employment. Yeah. What would the ideal employment look like? Guess what? That's where my job coming in and And what would that look like?

00:37:27.400 - 00:38:42.370

Walk around flagging newspaper. Street Sense Media. Describe that, how would it all operate? Guess what? While you're working, I'm going to be taking a couple of dollars back, Im'a be opening up a shower meal hall. Okay. Have you missed me a meal? Put it all into. Put a dollar in it. I'm saving them the dollar. I'm saved. That's your money. I'm saving up. So it will be wherever you want to be independent or wherever you have income or not. They could be your money. That that could be your money that I'm saving for you. I can put you in some place. So by me having houses already property, then I have savings. Are you the type that you don't want to be alone? Even though y'all have your own rooms. I'm going to take the sister from the street with you. It's not that I don't want to leave my sister out in the street and the been given over so long. Guess what? That house right there. I'll even have no tiny mobile homes. You and her go stay in the house. But it's up to leave out of this facility if you want to. Do you think that would end homelessness in D.C. and the area?

00:38:42.700 - 00:39:59.020

Yeah, but a lot of people have medical needs too. Say I'm a person with HIV. I might not feel comfortable around you. Or I'm a person with cancer. Everybody had their own facility. Okay, but was there something No, also people sometimes people don't even know how to be women. Some people don't need to be men. I wasn't. That's had some moral classes. Men classes, women classes, how to be a mother. How to be an aunt, how to be just a person in society, where I can go out and some people might be prejudiced. Let's have different cultures coming and talk to each other. Are there any questions that I should have asked? or something else you want to say? No, to be honest. You have any other ideas you like to share you shared so much. It's been a pleasure talking with you and interviewing you. I wish we had more time to chat.

00:40:09.830 - 00:41:52.800

I feel like this, just like my organization called Home, H-O-M-E, homes is where the heart is. Homes is where heart is. My heart, Not mind. It being here with you. Everybody by be out here with you. And guess what housing is a human equal right? Everyone should have housing. I don't care who you is. All lives matter. And if I was a person, even if I was a person who made some mistakes, don't keep pacifying me and beating that over my head because I made a a mistake. You understand. So let me be. Let me come out and show you what I can do. If I come out and mess up. It's like I love to help people. But Mom they be honest. And another thing too. If if I know that you will person that take and steal, you understand what I'm saying. Why would I help you on housing? Because guess what, he doing that for a reason? Because he don't have his needs. If I had a program opportunity of ago, what you need somehow, what you need some clothes, shoes. Would you need food? Come on, baby. Come get that so you don't have to go out and take no shoes. No. So I will also have, you know, I hope I love to help people. You always have - I can say that. Oh thank you mom. God bless you. Thank you for giving this interview.

00:41:52.800 - 00:42:04.900

Thank you so much. You're welcome. Thank you so much.