Clothing

JAMES THOMPSON

Staple Design So what's your name?
James My name is James.
Staple Design How old are you?
James I'm forty-three years old man.
Staple Design Where are you from?
James I'm from New York, right here, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, all the boroughs besides Staten Island.
Staple Design How long have you been homeless for?
James I been homeless for about six years, man.
Staple Design So what's the story behind that, how did it happen?
James Well I came home in about '93 from doing a long stretch and I was living with my brother at the time. And it was time to like move on you know, I mean movin along. I fell. You know, I came out here, and it seems that I just got stuck man you know, just got stuck. It's like you think you're doing the right thing for people man, you think they're down and out, they not down and out they here to pull you down right along with them. And that's basically what happened, you know? It's like I was talking to you about the Bowery Mission and all these other programs, I dealt with all of them you know? I remember times when they used to give us soup twice a day. For lunch and dinner, soup, soup, soup. You know I went through a lot of problems with them people, you know what I'm sayin? They had to make a change...which I got the change. But then again, it wasn't worth changing because really ain't nobody really wanted nothing but me. You know what I'm saying? So it was my doing and my wanting, you know, but everybody benefitted. Like I told you we dealt with the Discovery Channel, about two months ago, down here in the tunnels. They trying to do a little thing about the tunnel, an autobiography but I feel their autobiography is bullshit. My name is James, you're gonna see me in they autobiography and I'm saying on record their autobiography is bullshit, you know. It's not the real things. It's not the motherfuckers that live down there that they interviewed or that did their autobiography. So I'm puttin that in the stream, letting people know ahead of time, that it's full of shit, and that they also used people. You know what I'm sayin? Ain't nobody really got paid for what they did, you know what I'm saying? Not the type they supposed to have got or help somebody get the fuck up off the street. They ain't help nobody get up off the street. You know. And that was really bad, you know? It was really bad because they ain't help nobody. You know, when you're dealing with addicts, man, crackheads , all you may see is crack. Everybody's in the game for different reasons, you know what I'm saying? I smoke. I smoke crack, but I don't smoke crack every day. And I don't chase it, you know what I'm sayin? But like I said...if those around you see that you don't do what they doin, they gonna make sure you get enough of it. You understand what I'm saying? You ain't gotta pay for it. You know what I'm sayin? If they see that you trying to step back, that you tryin to get out of it, they gonna pull you back in it. Anyway they know how, they gonna pull you back in it. They give you free [unclear], and whatever you want, you ain't gotta pay for that shit. As long as you there with them. They see you, they think you're getting ready to step off on em, you know? That's how it goes you know?
Staple Design What's the worst thing that happened to you since you been out here man?
James The worst thing that happened to me was up on the Bowery in front of the Bowery Mission, you know? I was like banned from the Bowery for life, you know what I'm sayin, because I used to get into confrontations with the disciple brothers. The guys that come in off the street, they join their bible study programs and, you know, they supposed to be runnin the show, you know what I'm sayin? But they have their superiors, that get paid there, that oversees them. A lot of times you know, you see an individual and he's in the disciple program and he living a lie, you know what I'm saying? You livin a lie, and other people gonna see you livin a lie, if I see you livin a lie, man, you cannot tell me anything because I'm not trying to hear you. You in this program, but when you get your little breaks you sneak around, you getting high, and you wanna tell me what to do, I ain't trying to hear you. I'm not tryin to hear you man. You know what I'm saying, because you fake you know, yous a phony, and I'll bring it to you. And I'm a bring it to you. I don't give a fuck who you is, I'm a bring it to you. I'm a bring it to you. For real, I'm a bring it to you. I let you know ahead of time, I'll show you mad respect. I've showed you mad respect. And I'll tell you, I'll give you a warning, and let you know, and I will show you mad respect. I'm not going to get up there and be rippin with you, I'll let you know! And when I get up, you got it. You got it. You know? And then I be runnin. "Call the police." And I got tired of that shit man so one day in the winter time, last winter, matter of fact, they would open up the Mission and let us sleep in the chapel. So a lot of them, they knew I was banned from there and they let me. They let me in because it was cold outside. So I slept up in there for like six nights. Right in the mission. So one morning I was in there, in the kitchen eating breakfast, they had this dude he went through their program, they gave him a job as security. He sees me that morning. I'm walking out of the mess hall, out of the kitchen, going to the chapel, the place for beds. So he confronts me with some nonsense which I felt it coming, you know, he just had to have something to say, "yo James, I don't want to have no problems outta you," and I'm like, I ain't tryin to hear you. I done slept up in here for six nights. People that's over you, they ain't sayin nothin, so why are you sayin something? You know? And I'm like I ain't tryin to hear you, I walked away, I go in the auditorium, and sits down, play the lottery for a minute, you know? Five minutes later, I turns around, I see the police in the back of the chapel. But they wasn't there for me. Somebody called because somebody was sick.
Staple Design Oh word?
James So when the ambulance come, the police come automatically. To take a little investigation, find out what's goin on. After they did that little sick routine, the dude went to them and told them whatever he told them. To more so to draw them to the chapel area. So when I looks up, and I sees them, I gets up, I'm walkin out, you know? So I tell the dude man, you know? You's a sucker man, you know what I'm saying? Because this stupid shit, I slept up in here six nights, ain't nobody sayin nothin, you know what I'm sayin? I'm like, walks out the door, and he comes out the door, tellin me "yo James I get off at four o'clock," and this and that. And I'm like, you know what, fuck you man, you know what I'm saying? And the police, like man, shut the fuck up, you know tellin me like, shut the fuck up. I look at the police and say like, excuse me man, I ain't said nothing to you. Why's you talking to me like that? You know what I'm sayin? I tell the policeman, why you talking to me like that? I ain't sayin nothing to you, you know what I'm saying? And he said to me, you know I can lock your ass up with criminal tresspassing. I said man, you can't lock me up man. I ain't did nothing wrong, you know? And he starts to rippin, and I'm like yo, have a nice day man, I ain't trying to hear you man. I turn around, I start to walking away, and this nigga comes from behind me and punches me in the face, boom. When he punched me in the face, the nigga start masing me. Now, I can't see, but I can feel him. I can feel him, you know? I can't see, I'm one to get vicious. I want to just pick him up and slam his head through the concrete, cause I can feel him. So he got me this way, and the partner got me on the other way and they tussling, they try to get me down. And trying to get me down, you know? And trying to take me down. And not fightin, to not to go down, I'm trying to go down cause I can't see. That fucking mase is burning me the fuck up and I can't see, you know? So they like tussling against one another. So I said fuck it, so I take both of them down, you know cause I can't see man. What they did man...they MS was already there, they got me down on the ground. You know, they cuff me and shit and a nigga's still punching me in the face right.
Staple Design With the cuffs on?
James Yeah, and I'm a ask them...
Staple Design You see his name?
James Nah, but I took care of that. So I tell a motherfucker, man, while you doing that, you's a fucking coward. Man, you know? A coward, you know what I'm saying? The shit was uncalled for. So I felt somebody pouring water down my face, but the shit was going up my nose. It was choking me, and I was telling them, yo stop pouring the fucking water in my face man, just get my up on my feet. Just get me up on my feet, you know? So they helped me get up and shit, and they started to water me down. And I told them to keep that shit outta my face. I could open up my eyes for a split second, and I seen a sergeant. And I seen a sergeant, getting out of his motorpolice vehicle. For a split second I seen him so I was nudgin my way towards him, askin him why the fuck they doin this here. Why they doin this here, you know what I'm saying? But he wouldn't answer me and shit, you know, so they kept watering down my face and shit, you know? Yeah. So they kept watering down my face. So they put me in the ambulance, another ambulance came. They put me in the ambulance and kept watering me down, right. So the two cops that was involved, with the fucking attack, they wasn't in the ambulance. They put these two Chinese police in the ambulance with me, so that I couldn't see them, because this is their beat over here. So once I was able to open my eyes, I see who they is, and they was tellin me um, take this out man. We don't wanna lock you up, we gonna take you to the hospital to see the psychiatrist, you know? You tell the psychiatrist, you know, you just flipped out and you went off, you know? And I'm like I ain't sayin nothin. I hear what you're saying but I ain't trying to hear you, you know what I'm sayin? They take me to Beth Israel and I go see this psychiatrist, and I asked him could I close the door, you know what I'm saying. Because what I'm saying is for their ears only, you know what I'm saying. I told him man, this is what they told me to tell you this is what happened. You know they tell me, they either gonna submit me to your ward or they gonna lock me up. Now I've got a choice of either go to jail or go to the ward for one day and sign myself out the next day. You understand what I'm saying? So what choice do I got?
Staple Design The ward.
James The ward for one day and sign myself out. Or I let you take me in and you boost up some bullshit case on me like assault. I assaulted the officer or whatever the case may be, you know what I'm sayin? So I lose. You know what I'm sayin? I lose, you know what I'm sayin? It's all good though, you know what I'm sayin? I know you wrong, wrong gonna come back at you man, you know. You can live that lie, but you can not live that lie for long, because somebody's gonna know who the fuck you is. When I say that, it's mad Klans [?] on the police force man. It's mad Klans on the police force. Believe that. I know, I did seventeen years upstate and I was up there with them. And them motherfuckers came down here to NYPD to make more money, you know what I'm sayin? And I know it's a lot of them out here on the force.
Staple Design How do you get by from day to day?
James I get by day to day, you know, food and clothes is abundant out here. Whatever you need, you can get out here man. Food, clothing, whatever you need you can get out here, you know what I'm sayin? I got my bike, you know, I'm looking for a job right now. You know? Just move on, you know what I'm saying? That I could move on, you know why? I applied for section 8 and all of that. You know I waited for section 8 for over two years and when it did finally get to me, they denied me behind my criminal record. They told me I had to wait five years after I was off the road before I could get section 8. But you know it's bullshit, it's all about program. It's all about program, it's all about them making money off of you, you know? I need this section 8 but I gotta do it they way, you understand what I'm sayin? Section 8 is affordable housing, you know what I'm sayin? If you not able to pay $750 a month, they may pay $700 and you only gotta pay 50. You know, because you gotta be able to live.
Staple Design Do all your friends get that?
James Those that's on social security, they get like $700 a month and shit like that you know? So they able to live off that but...
Staple Design That's a lot of money.
James It's no money, it's really no money, you know what I'm saying? Then you get a job makin $250 a week, you makin more than them a month man, you know what I'm sayin? You makin more than them a month. You know minimum wage gonna put you over the edge. $715 isn't enough fuckin money to live off, you know what I'm sayin? It really isn't you know?
Staple Design How much money do you get on a daily basis?
James I don't get money every day, you know what I'm sayin? But I get the things that I need. How I get money? I work for my money, you know? Sometimes people come around looking for some people to do odd jobs, you know what I'm sayin? I push a icecream wagon over here, you know, little things. Push my wagon over here, yo, I wanna move a few things, I'm looking for some workers, they come by the Bowery Mission, you know, volunteer. They got these other little places down here, they be sellin silverware, glasses and things like that. Sometimes a tractor-trailer truck comes in, and they need some workers, you know? And you go, even they come looking for you or you could just go ask them, yo when you getting the truck in? You know what I'm sayin? They gonna get they truck in, you go for $40, $50 for that day, you know what I'm sayin? And you try to set things up like that, you know? But everybody's about game you know? Everybody wanna get something for nothing, you know? You work for me, I'll give you ten dollars an hour, you know, shit like that. You know? And the work be heavy, you know motherfuckers can do it two hours man. That's twenty dollars. A nigga bust his ass for twenty dollars, you know? Tractor-trailer truck man, three motherfuckers can do that in three hours, I'm talkin about boxes weighing 60, 70, 80 pounds, you know what I'm sayin? The people that hired you, they gonna give you ten dollars an hour, you know what I'm sayin? So what you gotta do, you gotta stretch the work in order to make money. Sayin that I've got three men, we've got boxes that's weighin from seventy to eighty pounds or ninety pounds. We've gotta loed up this tractor-trailer truck, we've gotta pack this shit in. We could pack that shit in two to three hours, that's twenty, thirty dollars. That's a lot of work, that's heavy shit, that's eighty to ninety pounds, that's a lot of weight man. That's heavy shit man. You understand what I'm saying? But they tell you we'll pay you by the hour, they don't wanna pay you by the load. You know what I'm sayin? People take advantage of you ass out here. That's why a mo'fucker don't wanna do nothin, you know what I'm sayin? They start to be like, damn I'ma sell weed to make more money than that. And shit like that, you know what I'm sayin?
Staple Design Are there more people out here trying to help you, or trying to take advantage of you?
James Everything's about taking advantage man. All these programs for the homeless, man, if they really wanted to help motherfuckers, wouldn't nobody be homeless. Wouldn't nobody be homeless out here man.
Staple Design What's your favorite movie man?
James What's my favorite movie? Man, I couldn't even say man, you know what I'm sayin? I haven't been to the movies in a while.
Staple Design What's the last movie you saw?
James I couldn't even tell you the last movie I seen, man. I couldn't even tell you that, you know what I'm sayin?
Staple Design What's your favorite book?
James What's my favorite book? What's my favorite writer? Robert London. I like to read his stuff. Barry Sanders and things like that, you know, espionage. You know, detective books and things like that, you know what I'm sayin? Even Jackie Collins, Danielle Steel and things like that. I read books like that.
Staple Design What's your favorite food man?
James My favorite food? My favorite food right now is what I can afford, man, you know what I'm sayin? What I can afford man. Right now I'm eating a lot of shrimp fried rice and chicken wings because it's only four dollars, you know what I'm sayin? And it's a meal that fills me up, you know what I'm sayin? It fills me up.
Staple Design What do you do for fun out here?
James What I do for fun out here, I ride my bike man. Ride my bike.
Staple Design Where's your bike?
James I gave my bike to my man to go see his girl in the hospital.
Staple Design What do you think about New York?
James What I think about New York?
Staple Design And the mayor too, particularly.
James You know, to give it all to you in a nutshell, the man did his job. The man did his job. When I say the man did his job, the mayor. The mayor. Mayor Giuliani. The crime wave is down, and you know, he did his job, but I feel he's a fucking racist as well, you know what I'm sayin? But when you talk about the statistics and the crimes and everything else, he did his job man, you know what I'm sayin? The building of the economy, he did his job, you know what I'm sayin? But he's a fuckin racist man, and he picks on the minorities.
Staple Design Where'd you go to high school at?
James I went to John [?] out in Jamaica, Queens.
Staple Design Alright, did you go to college at all?
James No.
Staple Design Alright. Do you have any kids?
James No I don't have kids.
Staple Design Do you believe in God man?
James Yes I do.
Staple Design What's your religion?
James Protestant.
Staple Design If you could be anywhere in the world, where would you be?
James Anywhere in the world? Anywhere in the world I would want to be free man. Free man. Anywhere in the world, I want to be free man, you know what I'm sayin? I wanna be free man, you know what I'm sayin?
Staple Design What's your definition of the word home man?
James Home? My definition of home is the people around me where I feel comfortable around people man, you know what I'm sayin? Where I feel comfortable around people man, you know what I'm sayin? That's when I feel home. I feel more at home in the penitentiary than I did out here man, you know what I'm sayin? Because it's how you live in there man. If we lived it real, motherfuckers treated you real man, you know what I'm sayin? That goes from the inmates to the Klans, you know what I'm sayin? It's how you live man, and I lived it good up in there. I lived it better in there than I do out here, you know what I'm sayin? So it's like we gotta accept a lot of bullshit out here man, from all nationalities, not just the Whites. We gotta accept it from the Chinese, the Blacks, and everything. Everybody got they own little motherfucking attitude problems, man, you know what I'm sayin? And you can't blame...me, myself the way I wanna bring it, I wanna bring it to the extreme, man. Man to man, you know? You think you're a better man that me, then I'm gonna prove the day you can't do that. I can't do it. I can't do it. You know what I'm saying? I can't do it. You know, because if I do I'll go to jail, and I'll go to jail for the rest of my, you know what I'm saying? So I don't do it, I have to walk away. Like they say, it take a bigger man to walk away from confrontation. When a lot of times, you really want to bring it to that person, you know what I'm saying? You really want to bring to that person.
Staple Design I appreciate it man.