Staple Design How old are you? Ali Fifty-seven. Staple Design Where are you from? Ali Chicago. Staple Design Alright, how long have you been in New York? How long have you been
in this predicament, you know what I'm saying? Ali About a year. But I've been in New York since about 1952. Staple Design How do you get by? Ali When you survive, you go to a lot of soup kitchens and eat, you know,
and eat what you can eat, and wash up in bathhouses. Staple Design So what's the worst thing that's happened to you? Ali Ah, worst thing, let's see, just police trying to bother you. Staple Design What's the best thing? Ali Best is chillin you know, on a nice day. Like everybody else. Staple Design Like everybody, right. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ali I can't predict the future, but I figure I'll probably have myself
together by that time. Staple Design How much money are you living off on a daily basis? Ali Sometimes five dollars, sometimes ten, you know. It all depends,
sometimes maybe twenty. Staple Design So what's your favorite movie? Ali I haven't been to a movie in a long time. Staple Design Yeah me either, I don't even go. I don't like them that much but
like do you have a favorite movie you can remember? Ali I liked Deathwish, I like Charles Bronson. I like him and I like
Clint Eastwood, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, I like all those...I like Sean
Connery. Staple Design Alright, so what's your favorite book? Ali I don't really have a favorite book. Staple Design What's your favorite food? Ali Rice and beans. Staple Design What do you do for fun out here? Ali Well, you know, go to the park and work out, play a little
basketball. Some parks have pull up bars, you know, where you can work out. Staple Design What do you think about New York? Ali Well, New York is a big city, you know, like they say, if you can't
make it here, you can't make it nowhere. It's a big city, it's the city that
never sleeps, that's definitely true about New York. New York is a lovely
city, a lovely city, you know? Staple Design What do you think about the mayor though, in your type of situation? Ali He garbage. Nobody don't like him, even the police don't like him. Staple Design Did you go to high school, college? Ali Yeah I went to high school. Staple Design Are you working right now? Where were you working before? Ali I was working for a temporary agency. Staple Design You have any kids? Ali Yeah, they all grown. Staple Design Do you believe in God? Ali Yeah. Staple Design Well what religion are you? Ali I'm a Muslim. Staple Design If you could be anywhere in the world, where would it be? Ali Right now, Atlanta. Staple Design Atlanta? What's your definition of the word 'home'? Ali Wherever I sleep at is home. Staple Design Is there anything else that you would like to say? Ali Well I hope New York gets better, if they would get more affordable
houses for homeless people. That's what they need to do...everybody got so
many people on one street, there's no affordable housing. Everybody want
like $500. Welfare only pays $215. Before they used to have affordable
housing, like back in the seventies. You'd get a room for like, $40 a week.
Today you don't have none of that. They want $60 a day, ain't no more
weeklies. That used to be like $45, ain't no $45 no more, so what happened
is they kicked everybody to the street. So that's why there's so many
homeless people. Staple Design So you still live in the projects? Ali No, I ain't never lived in the projects, but I knew people in the
projects. And in the projects, you know, you got new people, to get in there
there's a waiting list and all...but still it's not no affordable housing.
Staple Design Just red tape. Ali Everything everywhere is like $500, $600 a month. Staple Design That's like $125 a week, compared to $45, that's a lot of money. Ali Yeah. New York is expensive to live in.
ALI ABDUL