- Deebo. - Yes.
- [Interviewer] We're here in Miami.
That's your tent behind you.
You and your wife live in the tent.
- Yes. - Tell me about it.
- Well, what you wanna know about the tent, or just?
- [Interviewer] Homelessness.
- Oh, well how me and my wife got homeless,
I met her down in Miami.
I was already down here.
You know, most people go homeless
because of the fact of certain family situations,
circumstances in jail,
certain I guess,
hindsight of what's going on,
you know what I'm saying, on the streets,
you know what I'm saying, before you get to the streets,
things that, like I said, basically,
you know what I'm saying, mostly what people to through,
their family, jobs and all kinds of stuff,
all kinds of stuff can lead you to homelessness.
So it's like, you know, I mean,
yeah, but nobody's ever really never safe.
- Yeah. - You know what I'm saying,
it's always a step away you know except from being homeless.
- Yeah. - But.
- [Interviewer] How long you been out here?
- Probably about what, me probably about eight years.
- [Interviewer] Eight years
on the streets? (agreeable grunting)
- Eight. - Oh my gosh!
- Yeah.
- That's a long time! - Yeah.
- [Interviewer] I hear out here at night,
the other guy we were just sittin' with,
saying that there's homeless people
everywhere out here at night.
- Well, not out here because of the fact that,
like I say, as you can see,
I try to keep it clean as possible back here,
we're not allowed to be here,
but you know what I'm saying God Bless.
They know me and they know I'm a respectable person.
I'd say me and my wife we don't drink,
smoke, or do drugs.
And, when we came over here they were like,
we don't want no tents back here
'cause if we see one tent everybody else will want.
I said, sir, please don't disrespect me like that,
I didn't disrespect you and they said you just the same
as people that you deal with.
I don't deal with most of the people on this street
even though I'm on the street, I'm not of the street.
I have a good mind frame, a good head on my shoulders.
I just got like I said,
messed up situations at the wrong time
and the wrong place whatever.
But, my wife has been homeless for like what,
probably about five years.
She used to be a school teacher.
She graduated from the Gators.
What is that, Florida State Gators.
She got her teacher's license and everything.
But you know what I'm saying,
the dude she was messing with I guess before me,
he was beating on her and stuff.
Basically trying to mess up her whole life
you know what I mean?
I guess off of male chauvinistic, no, pride.
- Yeah. - You know typical.
- [Interviewer] So what's a day like out here?
- Well a day like out here dependin' on what day.
Actually, most of the days are different
'cause you never know who you may stop and talk to,
you never know who may stop and talk to you,
you never know who's watchin', who's not watchin'.
- [Interviewer] But how do you survive?
- Well, we just value our personal safety, Jesus Christ,
like I said I'm not perfect, me and my wife are not perfect,
but we do believe in God.
And we do go by what the Word says
and the Word says trust in God for everything,
and he will give you everything that you need.
And that's basically what God's been blessing us with,
blessing us with things we need.
We've never had to for five, four years,
we ain't had to go to the mission,
Camille's house, Sisters,
the Hat, none of that.
And most of the programs,
they're no good in the first place.
- [Interviewer] Well tell me about that,
tell me is there any support for homeless people in Miami.
I mean, you've been out here eight years,
your wife's been out here five years.
- Well, in Miami per say,
their support only, for those who are favored.
Meaning that okay, Miami is all about the money you got
or who you know.
If you don't know people
or you're not willing to do certain things for money,
nobody likes you.
Nobody's willing to talk with you,
nobody wants to do anything with you.
It's like you're a outcast.
- [Interviewer] So, but homeless people don't have money,
that's even down and out?
I mean who's gettin' help down here?
- Well, let's just say, I'm keepin' it real with you.
Like I said, it's around the hood,
and I like to keep it real, I like to keep it true.
Some homeless people do get money from SSI and stuff.
And most of them, trust me,
I know most of almost everybody out here.
75% of everybody out here.
And I can tell you from personal experience,
most of them, they get checks out of a hundred of 'em,
only twenty of 'em
actually wanna do good things with their checks.
Like get a place to stay, affordable place,
get a job or you know, start off slow, trying to come up.
The rest of 'em only wanna drink, smoke, and do drugs 24/7
and then when they run out their check
they're gonna ask you,
and as soon as you don't want to give them anymore money
they want to get mad at you for not giving them your money.
- [Interviewer] They're lost in their addiction.
- Yes, now others like me
that don't do drugs, drink, and smoke,
you got a whole bunch of us out here,
now everybody's different,
you got some people like to scam people out of money,
some people rob people, some people like to steal.
It's like, me and my wife, we're still here,
you know God bless her,
to me, I'm a very friendly type of person.
- [Interviewer] You came up to me and how we met
and you said, I hope you're not offended,
but you look like Colonel Sanders.
- Yeah, yeah.
- [Interviewer] So, you are a very friendly type person
because you did it in a real cool way.
You weren't trying to be mean or funny,
you were just making conversation.
- No, the only reason for that is because like I said,
I've been to prison, I've been to jail,
I've been to all this stuff, I know the difference
between a person that actually has good intentions,
and a person that has bad intentions.
And, Miami there's a lot of that,
people getting mistakenly
because of the fact they figure this person is friendly
so all these other people, no, it's not always like that.
I wish it was, but it's not.
You got certain people you say hello to
and they try to chop your head off.
I mean literally with a knife or somethin'.
- [Interviewer] Right.
- And then others you say hello to,
they look at you and spit at you
or they'll walk off screamin'.
- [Interviewer] I bet you night down here is pretty nasty.
- Not really, not in an alleyway because like.
- [Interviewer] I meant downtown.
- But downtown, oh yeah, trust me.
- [Interviewer] I can tell you keep this area clean?
- Yes, I try my best I promise you.
But yes, night down in Miami, in downtown Miami like this,
it gets pretty.
What you say?
What's the name for horror movies?
The real name for horror movies?
- [Interviewer] Scary. (laughing)
- Well it goes beyond that, yes, frightening that part.
It's very frightening, even for locals.
You know for those, who just wanna live
and have a peaceful life,
but you would figure know what I'm sayin',
Miami, nobody's really livin' peaceful.
I'm from Miami all my life
and most of these buildings got built off of killin' people,
extortion and all kinds of stuff.
So it's like even though, it might be peace,
it might be peace outside,
but inside is a whole bunch of stuff
that's going on and we don't know anything about it.
And the stuff we do know about
we try to stay far away from.
- [Interviewer] What's your future like?
- Well, my future,
I know if I keep depending on parties like that,
I know, everybody don't look at God as God.
Everybody don't think there's a God.
I do believe there is is a God
because he don't help me out in too many situations,
and my personal savior is Jesus Christ, me and my wife.
And it's like, God has blessed us to come a long way
than what we used to be.
I'm not perfect like I said,
I have struggles just like everybody,
but it's like, we read about it, we pray,
we stood there, we talked to each other about the Bible,
about stuff on Instagram, stuff on Facebook.
Like I said, God blessed me with talent.
I write music I write rap songs, I used to sing,
I don't sing anymore.
I cut hair, I do a lot of stuff to try to help people
and all, it's like, it makes me feel good
when I'm able to help somebody.
Because the fact even though I'm out here,
it's like God uses certain people that's out here
to help others 'cause they won't listen to anybody else.
It's like more people out here,
they figure if you can't tell them,
if you never been through what they've been through
so you can't tell them what they're going through.
You can't sympathize, you can't rationalize,
you really can't say,
oh, that's got to be a hell fire situation.
Because a person never been through it.
So you know, I know even back in the day
when Jesus walked the earth,
he sat down with his tax collectors, the harlots
and all of this because of the fact
that he made all of us
and he knows what everybody's going through.
But sometimes God tests us and Satan tempts us.
But like I said, nobody believes in God,
not too many people believe in God or Satan so.
No disrespect for all those who don't,
but this is how I live you know,
and this is how I survive you know.
- [Interviewer] Well good, if you had three wishes,
what would they be?
- Well, the first wish would be that everybody return
to the normal state of how God first made Adam and Eve,
to that normal state.
Nobody knew sin, nobody knew evil, nobody knew anything.
It'd be peaceful, the animals would be peaceful,
everything would be on point,
you won't have to worry about
people dying over here for nothin'.
People killing over here for nothin',
or people doing this and this
and all this stuff for nothin'.
Everybody would be on peace, everybody would be peaceful
towards one another,
and so you better talk to snakes and stuff
and all this stuff,
and be able to pet lions and stuff,
even though people do that now.
Animals are still unpredictable,
so some of 'em die in the process doin' what they love.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, wish number two?
- Wish number two,
if that wouldn't be able to be done.
I would wish that everybody I walk across,
I'm able to help them some type of way
where they don't take it to the point,
oh, I owe them if I don't do it again.
or something like that.
- Keep support. - Yes.
And wish number three.
If those wasn't it,
just to be able you know what I'm sayin', to be rich.
And the reason why I say that,
like I said God blessed it,
only because Christ.
Me and my wife, we don't drink, smoke, or do drugs.
The reason why I say to be rich,
is not to even be rich,
just to have enough money
to make some of these buildings that's down here,
downtown Miami, that's empty,
fix 'em up for certain homeless people
that's actually tryin' to change.
They can be in this program,
and they can actually make a life
out of what they see as nothing.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, great wishes.
Thank you very much for talking to me.
- Anytime, sir.
(electronica music)