(slow dramatic music)
- [Alexis] I am on my way to meet Kristen.
I've had such an amazing opportunity here so far.
I came here with an objective to help women
because that's what I do.
So, my goal is to be a strong support system
for Kristen with the time I have left here.
- [Alexis] Hey girl. - [Kristen] Hey.
(dramatic music)
- Kristen is a woman from the homeless shelter.
She's 25.
She's three weeks sober
and from what I've heard so far her life has been tragic.
- Go down to the next light and make a left.
- Okay.
I'm having her take me on a tour of downtown Louisville
where she used to use to show me how she lived.
(slow dramatic music)
- [Kristen] This is where it starts.
Like, you can start seeing people
from downtown that are homeless.
Just panhandling, like, for money all day.
'Cause I mean that's their hustle.
That's how they get high.
- Okay.
Kristen seems very open and willing to talk.
She definitely wants somebody to hear her story.
- I was involved with this gang.
- How did you get introduced to gangs?
- My friend was like, "You know, why don't you come out
"for a night and have fun?"
I went out and had fun and I never came back home.
First time I ever done meth.
I left my kids, I left my house, my car, my old man.
I drained his bank account when I left.
- She was sold to a gang owned by the cartel.
- They're everywhere.
- So now, she wants to show me where she used to use,
where the gangs work their corners.
(slow dramatic music)
- If you're from here and you've used down here,
it's really hard to get out of.
- So, did you ever live down here?
How do you know about this?
- When I was a kid, I lived in a shelter out here.
And my mom was out here.
So I always knew down here was really bad.
The cops down here just don't--
- [Alexis] They don't care. - No, not at all.
- [Kristen] But I was involved with this gang
and they wanted me to have intercourse with this female
and I didn't want to, so he grabbed me
by the head of my hair and I had a knife in my back pocket
and I flipped it out and went to go stab this girl
and she was kicking me in my face.
And the guy that was standing beside of me
punched me 'cause I was gonna kill her.
Like, I was scared for my life.
And they wouldn't let me leave the house after that
because they thought I was gonna tell somebody.
So they like held me hostage for days
and then I got on some girl's phone
and got a hold of some people back in Shepherdsville,
and they came down there and they busted in there
and was like, "I'm taking her with me."
- Kristen, she's one of those women
who will literally let addiction take everything from her.
Are you okay with walking around?
- [Kristen] Yeah, absolutely.
- Is this gonna affect you at all?
- No, no.
- Okay, just want to make sure.
- No, absolutely not.
I mean, maybe this will help.
You know what I mean?
- I'm praying to God that's what it does.
I do a lot of addiction awareness work.
- [Kristen] Mm-hm.
- [Alexis] I mean, it takes a lot of courage
just to speak about the problem.
- This lifestyle down here is totally different.
- This is crazy, like it's legitimately
a small city down here.
This is insane, you know?
- Yeah.
It's, see, like look, look.
- Oh. - Oh.
Yeah, watch where you step down here.
- [Alexis] Yeah.
So, have you been homeless a long time?
- Well, we'd been sleeping on couch to couch
and then we came down here
and lived like this for a little while.
(slow dramatic music)
Yeah, just nasty.
Oh, man, I'm so grateful.
It's crazy.
- It's such, and like, at the time,
it almost seems normal, doesn't it?
- It, yeah.
We adapt quick. - Yep.
- But, have you ever, when you were a kid,
had pet rats or anything?
Or a mouse?
- No, but my sister had a pet mouse.
- Okay, well, you know how their cage smells?
- Yeah.
- That's what this smells like.
- Really?
All the time?
- Yes.
- It's probably just all body fluid.
- Yeah, well, they, one day I was like,
"Where do you guys use the bathroom at?"
You know, I was just curious.
- Right here. - Yeah, wherever.
I was like oh no.
I can't do this.
- Were there a lot of females down there?
- Absolutely. - Yeah?
- [Kristen] Yes.
- See, I would never think that.
- Yeah, just nasty, oh.
People pull up on this corner right here.
- [Alexis] Right in the street? - [Kristen] Yes.
They'll throw it out the window
and you throw them the money because you never know,
you know, what they're gonna do or who they are.
- [Alexis] That's true. - It's easier to get away, so...
- Right.
- [Kristen] I would not walk these streets at night.
- [Alexis] So, you don't have to say names
but do you still have any, like, contacts around this area?
- No, it's been years since I've,
you know, messed with anybody.
- [Alexis] I just, I never would have dreamed, like, cartel here.
- And that's another reason why I kind of stuck
with the gang for so long is 'cause I knew
that I wouldn't get messed with because I was property.
- You were protected.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- [Alexis] Do they have, like, blocks that they run here?
- [Kristen] You see stuff on the walls.
Like, you'll see certain signs or symbols
and that's a gang affiliation.
(dramatic music)
That means that they run that block.
They sell on that block and don't disrespect it.
- Don't disrespect it, right.
- Yes.
- That blew me away.
Kristen told me a lot about the cartel
through her gang affiliations, what gangs work what corners
and what signs to look for by the graffiti paintings
and how they mark their own territories.
I would have never guessed that gangs
were involved with the cartel.
So, clearly we're just seeing
that the big guys have a hand in everything
and that would have included her at one point.
(mid-tempo music)
- [Kristen] It's great being sober and being able
to do all of these great opportunities.
- [Alexis] Just goes to show you the gifts
of sobriety once you keep living, right?
- [Kristen] I'm forever grateful.
I am thrilled that Jonathan suggested
that I meet up with Kristen,
and with the time I have left here
I want to make sure she's safe, keep her clean and sober,
and be as best as a support contact for her as possible.
Do you guys want to get out of Bullitt County?
- Yes. - Yeah.
- As soon as I can.
- I don't blame you.
You're gonna be all right.