This started as a road trip from North Dakota, the car started breaking down in Texas and completely went out in Louisiana

July 10, 2016

“People drive by and yell ‘get a job.’ They don’t know our story. We are trying to get a job. People can be mean but there are good people too. It is a beautiful/ugly thing. This started as a road trip from North Dakota, the car started breaking down in Texas and completely went out in Louisiana. We sold it for $600 and bought a tent. We have been going to free campgrounds. It started when we watched the show “Live Free or Die.” The 9 to 5 was killing us in North Dakota. I was working in metal fabrication, and she was working night shifts. We were both making good money, but I was always beat from lifting heavy metal and we never saw each other. We left four months ago to find simple, off the grid living and it has been a hell of a road trip. We have been hitchhiking since we sold our car in Oil City, Louisiana.There were times we slept under underpasses and on the side of freeways, sure we would not get another ride. We came to Florida because we ran into some bad people along our way in the South.  We had some rough experiences in Mississippi and Louisiana and stayed in some places where there were gunshots and murder. We saw a drive-by shooting and retaliatory shooting in Gulfport.”

“I am 25 and he is 27. We were in Jackson, Mississippi and the first day there someone tried to get him to prostitute me and wanted to rob us. They could see we were down on our luck and vulnerable but we didn’t have anything for them to steal.”

“We had $1,00 saved up for the trip but between the car, shelter and motel rooms, that went fast. We were doing yard work and painting in Jackson and thought that would keep going. We lived in an abandoned building, but we weren’t safe there.”

“We went to the Opportunity Center in Jackson where homeless can take showers and put our stuff in lockers. On our last day there, three people were killed within blocks. It almost killed my dream and that is not what we expected of the South. We came to Florida because it had to be better here.”

“We originally set out for the Ozark Mountains, but we have been in Florida about a month. We live in a camp and compared to where we have been, it’s a little piece of paradise. The tent leaks and when it rains, everything we have gets soaked. We have to clean out bugs each day.”

“We bathe in a creek. It is hard to look for a job or feel good about yourself when you never feel clean. The homeless center has a shower, but you can wait for hours and it is a long walk from our camp. We need another shower by the time we get home.”

“Our goal is to get a van. We opened a bank account last week. We don’t make anything out here, but we do save some of what we get. On average we make $25-30 a day. Some days it is only $1. On those days we don’t eat because we don’t want to use the money in our savings. People give us a lot of water bottles.”

“I can’t get a job right now. Someone stole my license in Mississippi. We are working with the EscaRosa homeless coalition to get my birth certificate and ID because my ID was stolen in Jackson. When people see us out here, they think we are lazy, drug addicts, or a piece of shit. The ones who really help us are the ones who have been down themselves. They encourage us.”

“Do people really yell at you as they drive by?”

“All of the time. They hold money and drive down the road or pull up to the red light and count their money so we can see it. They roll their windows up and we can hear the click of the door lock. It doesn’t feel good being out here. He started flying the sign before I did because it is hard to do. I remember what I used to think about people when I was them sitting on the side of the road. We are trying to not get caught in this lifestyle, but what if we can’t get out of it?”

“Do you regret leaving North Dakota?”

“Yes and no. I miss the comforts of a house and shower and the things you take for granted, but it was depressing there.”

“We are on our own. Her family is weird and my family is in jail or dead.”

“We are believers in karma. Some good things have happened to us and some of the bad things could have been worse. We are trying to start a blog to share what this is like. We found a phone the other day on the side of the road and can get wi-fi on it. We have found several phones on the side of the road. I am trying to find a job and filled out about 15 job applications for fast food restaurants and haven’t heard back from any of them. I am a certified CNA. I was a medtech in my last job. I am surprised I haven’t gotten any responses. Maybe they see the address of the Washburn Center, the homeless shelter.”

“Mine is harder, because I have a background and have been to jail. I used to steal stuff and do dumb things. I don’t do it any more, but it is what I grew up with. I haven’t been in prison in over a year and have stayed away from drugs for about six months and those are big accomplishments. One of my first memories of my dad was him bringing me into a house and teaching me how to crack open a safe when I was 10 or 11. About the same time, my mom was getting me to help her cook meth. I thought it was normal until I was 21 and in prison. I realized I have a choice and what was programmed in my head was wrong. I have still done a few stupid things since then, but I have been changing my environment and my thinking.”

“I want to be a social worker. We met when we were living in Washington and he told me about his past and he couldn’t stay out of prison or get work. It is a cycle, you get out of prison and can’t get work because you have a record, so you go back to doing what you were doing before. We went to North Dakota because I knew he cold get a job there.This past tax season was the first time he has filed taxes and he was excited.”

“What do the words “power” and “less” mean on the tattoos on your wrists?”

“She tattooed those words on me. I am powerless when I am on drugs. I am trying to be better because of her. Being with her saved my life.”

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6 Comments

  1. JD Crowe

    Freedom ain’t free but it’s more interesting than factory work. Another soulful slice of life. Lots of stories out there.

    Reply
  2. Juanita Smith

    I wish them well. The odds are stacked high against them. I am ashamed that the south disappointed them but I believe they must have been in a pretty bad part of town when those sketchy things occurred. Maybe they could find work and safety in a beach town now that they are in Florida. Good Luck.

    Reply
  3. Yvette

    Please stay safe! We Love you!!

    Reply
  4. Raven Trujillo

    Thank you Juanita. We are trying our best to stay positive and on the right track. Florida has been good to us so far. We are still glad we made the trip, and know that you have to take the good with the bad. We stayed at a free campsite called Rocky Springs in Hermanville, MS (part of the Natchez Trace) for about a month, and the memories and experiences from that overpower the disappointment from Jackson and Gulfport. In fact, even though we had hitch hiked to Rocky Springs and had no jobs, it seemed more like a camping adventure rather than homelessness. It was one of the best times in my life. Wish we could have stayed longer.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Tell Brandon his son is still waiting to hear from him. We hope Brandon stays safe

      Reply
  5. Barb B

    Brandon and Raven…first I’m upset I didn’t get a goodbye…but all and all please be safe you two. I have some family in Orlando that I definitely can talk to. Remember, stay safe and please keep in touch. Miss you!

    Reply

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