- [Interviewer] Bruce, - Yeah?
- [Interviewer] (laughing) Hey, your umbrella.
(Bruce laughing)
You're homeless in Washington, D.C.
- Yeah, in Washington, D.C.
- [Interviewer] You're umbrella keeps on cuttin' in on me.
- Yeah, well, I'm sorry, but it's rainin'.
- [Interviewer] That's alright,
let me get under here with ya.
- It's rainin', it's rainin'.
- [Interviewer] It's snowin', it's not rainin'.
- Oh, it's snowin' now?
- [Interviewer] Yeah. - Okay.
- [Interviewer] You didn't see, yeah, see.
- Well, you know, I haven't been on the internet lately.
- [Interviewer] Well, you can see it snowin' right here.
- Okay, no, I can't see shit right here (laughing).
- So, how long have you been homeless?
- Well, it's been about two years.
I came up here to see my daughter,
and she didn't wanna see me so.
I was a lawyer for 33 years in Corpus Christi, Texas.
- [Interviewer] You were a lawyer?
- Yeah. - [Interviewer] Oh, my gosh.
- Yeah, I was a lawyer.
I guess I still am a lawyer (laughing).
(car horn)
- [Interviewer] And then what happened?
- Well, yeah, my wife died of brain cancer.
My wife died of brain cancer.
God bless her soul.
- [Interviewer] I'm sorry.
- Can I go home?
- [Interviewer] Yeah, yeah, let's cross over.
- That's about my story.
- [Interviewer] Yeah?
So, let's cross over.
- Charlene, the love of my life.
- [Interviewer] Now, you're headed to a shelter?
- Yeah, I'm goin' to New York and D.
Oh, shit,
- [Interviewer] Yeah, be safe.
- Look at this.
Yeah, it's, yeah, I'm gonna cross over.
- Tell me it's snow (laughing).
- [Interviewer] I told you it was snowin'.
- Well, that's what they said.
- [Interviewer] I told you it was snowin'.
- Yeah.
- [Interviewer] So, you're a lawyer, then what happened?
- Yeah, I'm a lawyer.
- [Interviewer] Well, your wife died.
- Yeah, of brain cancer.
- [Interviewer] I'm sorry.
- Yeah, I don't even wanna talk about it.
It hurts me so bad (crying).
- [Interviewer] I'm sorry.
- It hurts bad.
So, who are you?
- [Interviewer] So, my name is Mark.
- Okay, Mark.
- [Mark] And I was homeless for many years.
- Yeah, well,
- [Mark] I almost just fell (laughing).
- Yeah, well, (laughing), goddammit.
- [Mark] The two of us must be a sight, right?
- Yeah, I bet (laughing).
- [Mark] Must be a sight.
- Yeah, I just wanna get the,
- [Mark] Well, the, okay, we got who I,
it says don't go but,
- We got a light.
Second and D. - [Mark] Second and D.
- Second and D.
- [Mark] So, how do you survive?
- I don't even know.
- [Mark] Yeah?
- I come over here to Union Station during the day
'cause I have friends over here.
And at night, Second and D, I got a place to sleep.
But the bed bugs, - [Mark] Yeah?
- Yeah. - [Mark] They're bad?
- Ah, fuck, are you kidding me?
When I got these electronic,
what are we doing?
I wanna cross over.
- [Mark] You're going to cross over there?
- Yeah.
Well, I think we gotta go down the next street.
We can't cross here, it's dangerous.
- [Bruce] Okay.
- [Mark] You don't wanna cross here.
Hey, Bruce, okay, watch it, watch it.
(truck horn)
Come on, Bruce, let's go.
- Yeah, I gotta go that way. - [Mark] Okay.
(Bruce laughing)
We don't wanna get you hurt.
- Well, I figure they can run my ass over.
- [Mark] No, that is not, you are
the most friendliest, nicest person I've met this trip.
- Really? - [Mark] Yeah.
- Where are you from?
- [Mark] I currently live in Syracuse.
- No, shit, are you gonna be around tomorrow?
- [Mark] I will be.
- Okay, well, I'll be down there at Union Station.
- [Mark] Well, can't walk now.
- Yeah, I know.
(police sirens)
Okay. - [Mark] Hold on,
wait to the light, Bruce, wait to the light.
- Okay. - [Mark] So, what would you
want people to know about homelessness that they don't know?
- Oh, shit, I gotta think about that one.
I gotta think about that one.
- [Mark] Okay.
We have some time 'til the light changes.
- Yeah,
oh, shit, it's cold.
I just wanna go back to my bed.
- [Mark] Well, good thing you have a place to go to tonight.
- Yeah, well, that's one of the things.
So, yeah, but it's cold.
- [Mark] It is really cold. - Yeah.
- [Mark] There was all kinds of
police in Union Station just now.
- Really? - [Mark] Yeah.
- Well, a couple days ago, there were like,
there must have been a hundred
(police sirens)
- [Mark] Yeah? - Cops,
and some guy shot himself in the head.
- [Mark] Oh, my gosh.
- I mean, it was like holy shit.
I mean, it was really bad, it was like holy,
I thought there was gonna be a bomb, you know?
- [Mark] Let's go, we got the light.
- Okay. (Mark laughing)
- [Mark] I'm just sh,
- Oh, look at this, it's rain, snow.
- [Mark] Yeah, - [Bruce] Yeah.
- [Mark] Well, yeah, we got,
(Bruce laughing)
nobody's gonna hit you or me with this camera.
- Yeah, well maybe not.
- [Woman] We'll help block the way.
- But it's rainin', it's snowin'.
- [Mark] Watch yourself, you got people behind you, Bruce.
- Yeah, I know.
- [Woman] We'll help block the way
if anybody tries to hit ya.
- Sorry. - [Mark] Yeah, there you go.
- [Woman] No, you're fine, honey.
- Sorry. - [Mark] Take your time.
- Sorry.
- [Mark] So, you made that cane?
- This cane I made.
- [Mark] Let me see it.
- It keeps on changin' because I keep on droppin' it.
- [Mark] That's really cool.
- And things fall off.
- [Mark] And we got one more, (laughing)
and you keep hittin' me in the head with your umbrella.
- No, I mean, I glue these things on,
and I drop my cane, and they fall off.
- [Mark] Yeah, no, I get it. - Yeah,
oh, shit, come on.
Can we go across the street?
- [Mark] Well, it's sayin' no, but there's,
sure, come on, there's no cars.
- So, what are you on, PBS?
- [Mark] Nope. - Okay.
Boy, they've had some problems, haven't they?
- [Mark] Yeah, PBS is good though.
- No, they had some problems.
- [Mark] Did they? - Oh, fuck, yeah.
- [Mark] Wow. - Facebook.
(traffic)
So, you're on what?
- [Mark] I'll give you my card.
- [Bruce] Okay.
- [Mark] It has my cell phone number and my email.
But you can also find me online.
And if you ever want this removed, I'll remove it.
- I won't, I don't, unless you're
gonna lie about me (laughing).
- [Mark] No, it's raw and unedited.
- Yeah, okay, okay, okay.
- [Mark] It's only your story so.
- Well, my story is that I came up here
to see my daughter, goddammit, storage.
And I get off the Greyhound bus, and she goes,
"I don't have time to see you."
- [Mark] And that was two years ago?
- Yeah, two years ago.
- [Mark] Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry.
- You know, I wish I was dead, but,
- [Mark] No, oh, my gosh.
(Bruce laughing)
You can't say that.
- Well, okay, I can't say that?
- [Mark] No, I was there once in my life.
I used to say that, and then I changed it
to I'm glad I'm alive.
- Okay, well, I wish I could say that.
What's your name?
- [Mark] My name is Mark.
- Mark, so, am I gonna see you tomorrow?
- [Mark] I'll come back up, yeah, 'cause you want socks.
- I'll be over here (laughing) that's right.
But I'll be over at Union Station.
- [Mark] Yeah, so if you had three wishes,
what would they be?
- A warm place to sleep without bed bugs.
- [Mark] Yeah.
- I'm a vegetarian.
It'd be nice to have a, yeah.
- [Mark] A good vegetarian meal?
- Yeah, and right now, I'd just
like to be back at Second and D.
- [Mark] Cool. - It's cold.
- [Mark] It's cold.
- It's rainin'.
- [Mark] Thank you so very much for talkin' to me.
You are extremely kind and wonderful.
- (laughing) Well, you are too.
- [Mark] Ahhhh. - Haaaaa.
(Mark laughing)
- I just gotta make it to Second and D.
- [Mark] Yeah, I'll help you, man.
We'll get there.
- Okay. - [Mark] So,
- Boy, I'll tell you what,
- [Mark] We'll make sure you get home
good, safe, and sound.
I can't do anything about the bed bugs,
but I can make sure,
- No, I will, I will, I,
- [Mark] We didn't get hit by that
dump truck so we're doin' good.
(upbeat instrumental music)