A Day In The Park: An Ethnographic Interview

Its spring time in North Florida: eighty degrees, breezy, and not a cloud in the sky. It was a Saturday afternoon and just the perfect day to be outside. I arrived at Bo Diddly Plaza in downtown Gainesville in search of insight of what it is like to be homeless. Nervous, I approached a man with a collection of garbage bags and tattered sheets covering what belongings he had left. “Hello sir, I am a student and I was wondering if you would like to tell your story or explain how you became homeless? In exchange ill buy you a meal or whatever you need most,” I asked. Confused, he declined my offer. Next, I approached a man who looked a few years older than me and was in a wheelchair. I asked him the same question, he pondered for a minute, asked how long it would take, and then declined as well. It took me about three more attempts to find Steve. My focus of this interview was supposed to be on how Steve got to the point he is at today, but I couldn’t leave out the two other homeless men who were sitting next to us while I was conducting my work. Larry and Charlie have their own incredible story, but I was told Steve was the man to talk to. It’s sad, but as Americans, we have our preconceived notions that all homeless are uneducated panhandlers or drug addicts. I was guilty as well. I even admitted to Steve that I had a negative view towards the homeless, impossibly trying to avoid being offensive. The three men I met in the park that day changed how I see the world, but more specifically those considered lower than me in society.

The Interviewee

“It’s a Dog-eat-Dog world out here”-Steve

Steven J. Stone is a 52 year old white male from Orlando, Florida. He has only been in Gainesville for three weeks, but he kept calling it “home.” He is an inch or two shy of six feet with shoes on. His hair was wavy with shades of black, brown, and grey. He had a grey stubble beard with a five-o-clock shadow. His kids, two sons and two daughters, gave him six grandkids. The two girls live in nearby Lake City while the boys stayed in Orlando. He was married twice and admitted to cheating on both multiple times, but he claims infidelity wasn’t the reason for his failed marriages. The whole time we talked, which turned into over a two hour interview, he lit up cheap Clipper cigars one after another; pretty much cigarettes, but two dollars a pack. He also had a six-pack of Bud Ice tall-boys, probably the cheapest beer he could find. As the interview went on he also guzzled these down and progressively got drunker and drunker. He sleeps down by the Sweetwater Creek on days when the Salvation Army homeless shelter is full, or he is too drunk to be let inside. Right after all the usual getting to know someone questions, I asked him why and/or how he became homeless. He said he could sum it up in one word for me: Addiction. He is an alcoholic and is well aware of it. He says that his kids have shunned him because of his addictions which ultimately led him to be homeless. I think that without his family structure, he just didn’t care about being a productive member of society anymore. He never disclosed what he did for a living before being homeless but if I had to guess I would have said he did something above the law, as a side-job. He claimed to have “done things here and there (to make money).” “I used to have it all,” he said, “wife and kids, with a fence and a boat in the backyard.”

Social and Political Organization

“It’s not my world, I just live in it”-Steve

The homeless community is tighter knit then I thought. Yes, occasionally they steal from one another, but I think they have partly realized that they are in the same position in one way or another. With over 1000 homeless in Gainesville, they must to work together somehow to survive. This is shown by the relationship between Steve, Larry, and Charlie. Larry is the eldest of the group at 65. I remember he was 65 because he repeated it more than twice until Steve called him out on it, “we know how old you are, you must be proud of that number ‘cuz you said it ten fuckin’ times.” He had a long blonde pony-tail and was missing most of his front teeth. I could tell he had hearing problems too because he asked me to repeat everything I said louder and he was sitting about two feet away. Charlie was the hippie of the group. He had a pony-tail longer than Larry’s which was completely grey. He had a Willie Nelson look to him with his matching grey goatee. Steve said he smokes crack, but he wasn’t visibly high. He answered almost all the questions I had about drugs and did it with a smile on his face. I had a chance to talk to him on the walk to get some beer, and he disclosed that he was a vet (probably Vietnam) and is homeless by choice. Before then it never occurred to me that people in America really choose to be homeless. He didn’t like having a job and he just “lives off the land.” I’m guessing drugs also played its part. The humor between the three consisted of making fun or calling a bluff on one another. They loved poking fun at one another but it seemed like they were best friends in high school teasing at a lunch table. I tried to explain what kinship was to Steve and if that existed among the homeless. From what he understood it didn’t exist because when it came down to it, it was everyman for themselves.

Sex, Food, and Drugs

“Gainesville is the Spice capitol in Florida”-Charlie

When I approached these three guys I offered them a free meal for their time. As I talked to them more I started to realize that worrying about food wasn’t a huge concern for them. Bo Diddly plaza is in the center of town by the courthouse, and serves as the main “hang-out spot” for the homeless. When they come there they say that there is always some church or school group offering free food. “I have never had to worry about food since I came to Gainesville,” said Steve. “Yeah they pass out clothes sometimes too,” Larry added. When I first brought up the topic, I said “I’m guessing this is your biggest obstacle, but how do you get food?” They chuckled and explained that the community of Gainesville is one of the best places to be homeless in. They were very thankful to live community for helping them get by in the tough times in their lives.

Sex was something these three liked to talk about. Sex stories or future fantasies were tossed into conversation with a casual demeanor by the three men. They all want sex but they also admitted it caused a part in how they became homeless. Steve said, “First I got addicted to women, then because of the women problems I started drinking. That led me to drugs.” Laughingly Steve stated, “You can always have sex with the crack whores, but I haven’t gotten to that point, and I don’t want to.” At one point Steve got up and walked away towards a woman and talked for a minute. He came back on his cell phone talking to a woman asking her to come and spend a night with him. He promised her a hotel room if she came but it seemed like she wasn’t going to come. I asked him about homosexuality among the homeless and he turned to Larry and Charlie and asked, “What do we think about faggots around here?” That statement pretty much summed up his opinion. He asked if I was gay, told me he wasn’t gay either, and said “if they come around, they don’t stay long.”

The drug culture among the homeless was one of the main talking points in this interview. All three admitted to using some drug and all were drinking beer. All three men also agreed that alcohol and drugs was by far the biggest killer among the homeless. I looked at this and figured out it made sense. Gainesville is in Florida where they don’t have to worry about the elements too much, except for the extreme heat in the summer or the low-teens temperatures in the winter. The elements don’t play a huge role. There are also four shelters in Gainesville and sever in other surrounding cities like Alachua, Williston, and Micanopy. Like I said before, food seemed to be abundant. So what is left? Drug and Alcohol abuse. With no stable income and a drug habit, they have to do anything sometimes to fuel their addictions. That usually means smoking or drinking whatever is cheapest. “I’ve done everything out here,” said Charlie, “Crack, Speed, Meth, Spice, and Weed. Whatever I could get my hands on.” Spice, K2, and Fake are nicknames for synthetic marijuana that used to be sold legally as potpourri or incense. It is a mixture of herbs sprayed with whatever chemicals aren’t banned yet in the United States. It gives the user almost like a hallucinogenic high that sometimes gets uncomfortable. It used to be legal in Florida but people were dying and going crazy from abusing it. It states on the bag that it is not for human consumption, but that is the only thing it is used for anyways. The men proclaimed that Spice is the biggest thing among the homeless right now. Steve claimed, “I know a few guys that lost their minds on that shit, never came back from it. It’s sad, people don’t even know what’s in it, and are smoking bags of it a day.” Crack cocaine is also a drug of choice for most of the homeless addicts. Cocaine mixed with whatever the cook wants to cut it with, is cheaper, more potent, and more dangerous for the addict. They told me not to use the bathrooms at the plaza because of the “crack heads and crack whores smoking in there.” Drinking and smoking marijuana used to be all these three men did, but the prices of weed went up too much, so they had to switch to cheaper and more powerful alternatives. These guys seemed to be functioning addicts, but that wasn’t the case for everyone in the park that day. A homeless couple on the bench across from us was clearly high on something. Struggling to smoke her cigarette, the toothless woman kept nodding off and could barely function. The husband was oblivious to his wife, and when we made eye contact, I could tell that drugs took everything from him, because there were lifeless eyes staring back at me. The guys were actually joking at how strung out they were. All joking aside, the three men knew that it could have easily been them on the other bench getting mocked for their addictions.

Religion

“Without him (God) I wouldn’t be alive right now.”-Steve

For Steve, religion plays a big part in his life. “I talk to God every morning while I’m still sober,” he says. Raised Christian, he still follows the faith and claims it keeps him alive on the streets. With nobody else to talk to, he uses his spiritual connection with God at his lows. “God has always helped me,” says Steve, “God got me through the worst, without him I wouldn’t be alive right now.” He has this spiritual connection because of his faith, but it has also influenced his world views and political ideology to the extremely conservative side.

When I asked what he thought of the world today, Steve chuckled and said look around. I looked around the park and I was surrounded by homeless people of all shapes, races, religions, and genders. It was a beautiful day out and I was around people where every single one of them was less fortunate then I am. I realized that I had nothing to complain about, and everything to be thankful for. Steve and I did not share the same perspective about what we were both looking at. He is surrounded by this every day without the chance to call somewhere home. “It’s the end of times man,” claimed Steve, “read the bible and look around. Trust me… the end of times.” His experiences from being homeless changed how he views his religion also. When times are bad for him, the end of times must be coming for everyone else too. He had very few things left to lose, and for me in that moment, I wanted to agree with him. I couldn’t though because I have my whole life in front of me. I concluded that opportunities and the possibility for more opportunities influence your motivation to carry on with life, and where you get that motivation from. He uses God and his faith as a way to get by, but because I have so much to look forward to, I don’t need to rely on God or faith for daily motivation. The possibility of a better future is what keeps me motivated in school, work, and daily life choices. Unfortunately, I feel like Steve sometimes thinks that the only chance he will have at a better future, will be in heaven.

Viewpoint of America

“We cater to foreigners, America is not about Americans anymore.”-Steve

When Americans think of homeless people, they think of dirty low-lifes begging for change on the street. Living outside of Chicago last year I spent time in the city where this seemed to be the case on every street corner. That is an extreme case, but what I encountered that sunny afternoon was a lot more relaxed. It was a homeless hangout spot. People actually come to the homeless in Gainesville with food, clothes, or sometimes money. Comparing the two cities is like comparing the living conditions in America to that in a third world country, with Gainesville being America. Steve was happy to call Gainesville “home,” but America was going to hell in his eyes. Even though the government gave him food stamps, free cell phones, and a place to sleep every now and then, his anti-Obama and anti-America ideals showed their existence in him through his words. Racism was also very evident in the park that day. To my right was a large group of ten or fifteen African Americans playing dominos, being loud (happily), and enjoying the day. “Goddamn niggers over there running their mouths, fuckin’ annoying right,” Steve remarked. Their noise didn’t bother me, it actually added to the ambience of the situation. There was a clear separation of color. Blacks in one corner or scattered about, sleeping by themselves wherever they can find a flat surface. The whites were doing the same or in small groups of two or three like the one I was in. Not one interracial group hanging out in the plaza. “I’ve become less tolerant since coming here,” said Steve. “Yeah they (blacks) cause a lot of the problems out here,” said Larry. “One time one of the niggers pulled a knife on the damn priest who came to serve food because he wouldn’t let him cut in line.” If that actually happened, it takes away their opportunity to get food as well. I don’t share the same beliefs, but their racism didn’t come from nowhere. In the difficult situation they face, their racist beliefs are there because they feel like the black community is in their way of survival. Xenophobia was also evident in these men. Steve wondered, “How do fuckin’ foreigners have a business downtown here right across the street when I’m homeless?” When it comes down to it, it was different choices. Not America or “that nigger running the country to shit.” The foreign business owners risked a lot coming to America. Running a legitimate business and paying taxes doesn’t seem like they are trying to screw over white America right? Most homeless chose to abuse drugs or alcohol and not pay bills. Obviously I couldn’t say this to his face because I was the minority in that situation. I was one of the few in the park that is grateful to live in a country where I can get an education, not have to worry about starving, or being killed for my words and actions. He sees things differently because in his eyes, America has chewed him up and spit him on the street. Steve said, “When it comes down to it, were all humans trying to survive. I’m normal just like you.”

Poverty and Discrimination

“Anyone can become homeless at any time.”-Steve

Upon conclusion of the interview, I asked Steve what was one thing he wanted to make I told others about my experience with homeless people. He thought a while and gave me this quote that will stick with me forever, “People judge us by what is in our pockets, not by what is in our hearts.” Quite a philosophical quote from a man on the streets. It is true though. In America money equal speech, speech equals influence, and the influence is towards the decision makers of this country. The people without influence are those without money. It’s a shame that we look at people less fortunate or less financially inclined, and we think they are less of a person then us. I admit, I never had a good view of homeless until I actually got the chance to know one. Steve loves his kids, I would say, more than anything. Getting to know one another, I told him my story of how my dad passed two years ago, primarily from alcoholism. I think it really hit him hard because my dad was in his forties when he passed and Steve was already over fifty and is an admitted alcoholic as well. He turned the interview on my and began asking me questions like if I “forgive him for leaving me,” and “do you still love him.” I feel like he was looking at me like he was asking his own kids if they forgave him for the choices he made. I told him that it will be the hardest thing I had to go through in life and to never stop showing his kids how much he still cared, even if they don’t seem to show it back sometimes. I said, “At the end of the day Steve, you can’t buy love or happiness, it’s something you have to create inside yourself.” He told me that he never hangs up the phone without telling them he loves them. He is just like any other father that I know. Steve has just had to suffer the consequences more severely than some others do.

Before Steve came to Gainesville, he was homeless in his hometown of Orlando. One of the biggest tourist spots in Florida, it is illegal to be homeless in Orlando. He told me stories of police picking him up and dropping him outside city limits or cops bothering him for sleeping on the streets out of public view. All their benches had bars separating the seats so it was impossible to sleep on them. After a few months of what he called “the worst experiences being homeless,” he got up to Georgia when it didn’t get much better. He hitchhiked back down south where he has been in Gainesville for three weeks. “If you stay out of trouble here, the cops don’t bother you. Don’t go around smoking shit and acting drunk and they leave us be,” said Larry. Gainesville seemed to be the perfect place to be homeless, and then I actually though, this seems pretty glorified and not what being homeless is really about. That led me to “Tent City.”

Tent City and Final Thoughts

“If you want an A+ on this paper, I’ll buy a tent and we’ll spend a few nights in Tent City.”-Steve

Tent City is I spot in Gainesville where most of the city’s homeless actually spend their nights. Steve has never been, but he claims there are over 500 tents in a secluded area off Main Street somewhere. “If you really want a story, we can spend a couple nights in tent city and you can talk to “Mama,”” said Steve. A lady with the nickname “Mama”, and a reputation known to a newcomer to the homeless community in Gainesville, must have one hell of a story. I have chosen a new discipline to follow in school, and things like this are what I want to find out about. Pushing me out of my comfort zone, could I actually spend a few nights being homeless? My interest in how “the other” lives, as well as how far I can push myself will be tested if I ever decide to embark on this journey. Steve gave me his phone number and told me if I was really serious about Tent City, to call him and set something up. I have all the resources to investigate the legend of Tent City, but this still wouldn’t tell me what it feels like to be homeless. The worry about staying warm in the winter could be a non-factor if I choose a warmer month. I’ll bring enough back-up food so that I want starve. If things get really bad, I literally can go home. These people don’t have all these luxuries that I consider basic survival needs.

This definitely helped build my interview skills and introduce me to what a day in the field could actually be like. Dealing with people that don’t really want you there or to talk to you is something Anthropologists have to find a way to get around. I know the real reason Steve talked to me was because I promised something he wanted in return. Nobody wants to recount every painful detail on how they became homeless, or admit to being an addict, but all three men opened up at least a little. Even though I didn’t get the complete picture on life as a homeless man in America, I learned so much about being open-minded and not being prejudice. Being prejudice doesn’t have to be against an ethnicity. Before talking to Steve I had my preconceived notions that all homeless people were harmful to society, but the truth is, it could easily be anyone, you or me included, spending their days in a park.