- [Narrator] Cooper.
- Yeah.
- [Narrator] We're in San Francisco.
- Yes, we are.
- [Narrator] You're homeless.
- Yeah.
- [Narrator] Tell me about it.
- It sucks.
It sucks to not have a place to belong.
It sucks to not have your city
that you love want to take care of you.
I love San Francisco.
I love being here; I love living here.
I've said before that my footprints
are embedded in the streets of San Francisco.
I am San Francisco; you know what I mean?
My footsteps tell a story,
and I don't want them to be forgotten
just because I'm homeless,
just cause I'm having a hiccup in my life.
I don't want to be forgotten.
So I'm gonna do my best to remind people
not to forget the beat of the street.
As I always say, you gotta touch it,
taste it, feel it, be a part of it
to know what the fuck to do about it.
So, San Francisco, it's up to you.
Do something about it.
- [Narrator] Now, you're a disabled firefighter.
- Yes, I am.
- [Narrator] Tell me about it.
- That sucks too because I miss my job.
I'd give anything to go back to, I loved that job.
It was my everything; I loved it.
I loved it so much, almost like I love San Francisco.
I miss it, and I wish I could be back at the station.
I wish I'd be on the truck.
I wish I could do all that, but if what happened to me
didn't happen then 53 people wouldn't be alive
today because of the people I've helped on the street.
So everything happens for a reason.
- [Narrator] You got hurt on the job,
ended up living in the tent.
- Yeah.
- [Narrator] And now you go round helping people.
- Yeah, I do.
- [Narrator] Tell me about that.
- I do what I can to try to gain trust
in the folks that have been wronged by their city.
I provide medical care when they need it the most,
and trust me they need it.
A lot of people that need it
that won't go to the hospitals.
They refuse to go because being judged
or being looked down upon because they're homeless.
Maybe they do drugs, maybe they drink,
whatever they do, and then the sheriffs
kick it inside the hospital.
They run your name; you got warrants.
So it keeps people away from getting the care they need.
So on the street, they call me a street medic,
which I think it kind of cool, is a neat little thing.
I never thought of myself like that,
but I do what I can when I can, whenever I can.
If someone needs help, I'm there,
and they know where to come get me.
It can be any time of day, night,
or I'll go to wherever they are.
But I got you.
- [Narrator] Tell me about homelessness in San Francisco.
- I wish it didn't exist.
I wish it didn't exist.
I wish we'd find a solution.
I wish that something real would happen.
If you want change, stop looking at the same place,
San Francisco, London Breed, city leaders,
everyone in city hall, what the fuck;
do something about it because, so far,
you ain't doing shit.
And you can tell by what's happening around us
that not a fucking thing is being done
except for cops bullying, and people getting
their precious belongings, the last things
they have left on this earth, taken away
and thrown in the trash.
So that's how we feel sometimes, like we're trash.
This structure and stability, the things that we have,
that we hold onto, are being ripped away from us
by our fingertips as holding onto what we have left,
and the city's just throwing away like it's nothing,
like we're nothing, so, yeah, sucks.
Do something about it.
- [Narrator] How can people help?
- Help by giving a fuck, by making it matter.
Just if you see someone that needs help, help them.
Don't turn your back; don't walk over them.
If you see someone overdosing, Narcan,
you should be carrying it with you anytime, 24/7.
Help somebody; don't be the person,
someone else will help that person.
No, you help that person; you help;
you do what needs to be done because
how many people are like you that would have
walked over that person.
Make it matter, you know what I mean?
Make this matter; make people matter.
We're all San Francisco residents.
We're just the unhoused San Francisco residents.
- [Narrator] If you had three wishes,
what would they be?
- If I had three wishes, definitely end this bullshit,
unhoused situation that we have in San Francisco,
for everyone to have a home, for everyone to belong,
for the crows to keep cawing up there.
Two, for heroin to cease and not be here anymore,
and no one to be dependent on that.
And, three, to be inside; I would love to be inside.
- [Narrator] Great wishes.
- I know.
- [Narrator] Thank you very much for talking to me.
- No problem, thank you.
(upbeat music)