- [Mark] All right, Madison. Madison, where'd you grow up? Where are you from originally? From Tampa, Florida. - [Mark] Tampa, and tell
me about your family. You had both of your
parents when you were a kid? - My mom and my mom's
boyfriend at the time, but then she got married. So it was my stepdad, but my dad, we were gone
'cause he went to prison when I was a kid. - [Mark] What did your
dad go to prison for? - Domestic violence, yeah. He was an alcoholic, drank a lot. - [Mark] How was your childhood? - I got moved out of my
parents' house when I was 13, 'cause my stepdad used
to, you know, molest me. And so my mom chose me to
leave and my stepdad stayed. So they put me in foster
care when I was 13. - [Mark] And how are things after you went to the foster system? - I would run away a lot. Ran away to the streets and stuff 'cause I didn't wanna,
I didn't wanna be... If I couldn't be with my parents I didn't wanna be anywhere. - [Mark] Yeah. - You know. - [Mark] And when you ran
away from the foster system, where would you go? - I'd go like with pimps or with... cause pimps, they, you know, they were... They knew how to maneuver me. I was under age. And so they knew how to like keep me away from the police, and
that's where I, you know, wanted to be, was low profile. - [Mark] So sex work
started early for you. And how about drugs? Were drugs part of the
picture back then, too? - Yeah. Cocaine, crack. Not heroin just yet. Until I was 19. - [Mark] And who introduced
you to those drugs? - The men, the pimps and stuff. - [Mark] The pimps? - Yeah. - [Mark] This was in Tampa? - Tampa, Georgia. And I mean, yeah, we would
travel all on the East Coast. - [Mark] And you came
out to LA at which point? - When I got out of prison when I was 23. So 20 years, 24 when I was 20, almost 24 I moved out to California. - [Mark] What were you doing in prison? - Residue on a spoon. I got caught with residue
of heroin on a spoon. They gave me three years,
reason for that was because they put me on
probation for three years and I couldn't stay clean
long enough to pee clean. So they kept on arresting me for, you know, not going to
probation and stuff like that. So they, so they took me to
jail and I pulled a rehab card. So, but I ran away from, to rehab. I ran away when I got to rehab. So, I told the judge, I said, I won't be able to stay
clean if I'm not, you know gonna in a program, but
something like that. And so you might as well
just send me down the road. So that's what he did. And I did two years, 11 months. And I got out when I was 24. So I went in when I was right before right before I turned 21. So I spent my 21st birthday
in jail after that. - [Mark] And then you
came to LA after that? - Yeah, eight months later. Cause I moved to Indianapolis
with him, my prison pen pal. He was like a father figure. And so, yeah, but I got on heroin when I was 19, which is a good
thing that I went to prison because that's when the
heroin fentanyl epidemic came. And when I got out of prison,
all my friends were dead. So it was kind of a blessing
that I went to prison. - [Mark] And do you
have any friends today? - No. - [Mark] You're just kind of on your own. And where do you live? You're in a tent. - I live in a tent. - And you, do you still work for the pimp or are you on your own? - No, I stopped messing with
that when it, since I was 18 but someone there has been, you know, people trying to get at me, but I know just to brush them off. - [Mark] And doing sex work, have you, have you had some guys that have given you a hard time
when you get picked up? Had some bad experiences? - No, not really. I think that's why I've never been raped because I go along with it,
you know, and I, you know if I feel like it's, you know, bad or if I'm getting to staying there too long and I feel like he's going
to do something to me, then I find a gateway to
where I just run away. You know, when he's like,
when I'm not near them. But other than that-- - [Mark] Escape. - I, I go along with it. So. - [Mark] And today your drug is what? Today you're using heroin? - Yes. - [Mark] So you've been
arrested for what kind of stuff? - For GTA, taking my extra daddy's car but I returned it, but they,
the state picked it up. And then I got, when I was 17,
got six trafficking charges. But the state said that
I was the youngest ever in the state of Florida
to get these charges. Which, I mean, I don't know
they were offering me 30 years, but it took five years to, to beat it. I beat it when I was in prison. - [Mark] So you were sex trafficking? - Yeah, I was sex trafficked when I was, when I was a young kid, you
know, when I was younger. And so I thought it was normal,
you know, recruiting girls - [Mark] Oh I see, so that's how you got the sex trafficking.
- And bring them on the team, you know. So I thought it was normal. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. And then when, when I had
gotten a little bit older like 16 then I hadn't, I was staying in this foster home for a little bit and I had convinced my
bunkie to run away with me. And so I was telling her my elaborate, my my lavish life, you know,
so, and she liked it. So that's how I got her, you know and I was showing her how
to do it, taking pictures and how to post and all
that, stuff like that. And I ended up leaving,
leaving the pimp because he he started to put his
hands on me, you know? And so she didn't want to go anywhere. So I was like, okay, fine. Stay with him. Well, I called her the next
day when I was already away from them. And she's like, "F you I'm
keeping all your stuff. "And he treats me good." And that was the last
thing I heard about her until like months down the road, I found out she gets caught up North and because he's beating her. And then she tells the police that if it wasn't because of me, she
went and did all that stuff. So that's what made them
charge me with sex trafficking and procuring someone under
the age of 18 for prostitution, which I could have been
charged as a sex offender because I was, I ran away
until I was after 18. So they drug fouled me. So, but she was only like a couple months like two months younger
than me, but I dunno it was kind of retarded. But I ended up beating it too because they were offering me 30 years. But my lawyer was like, no that doesn't mean it's not
like I put a gun to her head. You know, I didn't make
her do nothing, you know. I could see if I like, you know, you know it's just when I was taught
and learned to teach. So I thought it was more normal. You know? - [Mark] Do you still have self contact with your family at all? - My dad passed away when I was 18 from overdose methadone and Xanax and my mom, we don't have
a really great relationship because of my stepdad. - [Mark] So how do you
spend your days now? What do you do? - I go through town. I just live life really. I don't sleep until I pass out. Cause I don't know
what's gonna like happen. And I just... I don't know. I just was trying to figure out Like where my life is going to lead. You know? - How do you, living this life, how does it make you feel? I mean, do you get depressed
or do you get scared a lot or. - I'm not scared, but I am like lonely and like really naive. A lot of people like get
over on me and stuff. - [Mark] It's very, I mean Skid Row is just a tough neighborhood for anyone, but someone in your shoes,
it must be really tough. Do you think if you had better parents you might've steered clear of this. And do you, do you see the connection between the childhood you had the sexual abuse and the drug use from your dad just kind
of led you into this? - [Madison] Yeah, I think
if that never happened because it still affects me to this day. Like, I can't, so now I can't move on. Like, because of that. - [Mark] Are you close to your dad? - No, I got back. I was, he actually got custody of me when I was 16 and
right before I ran off again and it was sad because I
was dating boys, you know and I didn't want to be
around him much, you know? Cause I was like dad, you
know, growing up, you know and now I think back and I
feel like, I feel like crap because like when I was younger
I was like, daddy, daddy you know? And when he got custody of me, he he thought of me like back then, you know? So like he thought I didn't
like him or something. I'm sorry. Thanks. - [Mark] Do you feel in some ways maybe you're just like
following the footsteps of your of your parents living
similar, a similar life? - Yeah, my dad on my
dad's side it's really bad because my grandmother,
she was a prostitute. She got AIDS and she passed away. And my dad, he lived a pretty drug life but my mom she's straight. She's, she's good. She smokes pot, but she's a hard worker. - [Mark] How do you think
living this kind of life has changed you? You you've been doing
it for quite a while. How old are you now? - I'm 26. - [Mark] 26, do you think
living in the streets has changed you or can you not even see the other side cause you've been doing it for so long? It's all you've known since you were 14, is that what you said? - 13. - [Mark] Is there anyone in
your life that you trust or - I don't have anybody. I have no family over here
because I moved out here with a ex cholo boyfriend,
but he was abusive. So I had to run away from him. But other than that, I
don't hang out with anybody. I have people like acquaintances,
you know, but as far as like close friends where
I can run and talk to, no, I don't have anybody like that. And, and that's, it's
bad on me because I don't have anybody to talk to
and I keep it all inside. And then they'll like, once I'm blooming then I'll just have like
a crying day, you know? Like because everything's built up inside. - [Mark] It's gotta be
very hard to deal with. Do you have children? - No. - [Mark] No kids. Where do you see yourself
being in like five years then? Do you see yourself getting
clean from heroin or? - I feel like there's something that this isn't the end of it. That there's so much
more to, you know, life. But the past year I haven't
been able to see my future. Like I feel like I don't
have long time to live. That's what I felt, you know, with this whole corona going on, it like really added
into what I was feeling but I just, I can't picture it. I used to be able to picture it but I just can't, I
can't picture a future. - [Mark] Do you ever feel
suicidal or anything like that? - Yeah, but I don't think on it, you know But lately I don't know. I don't really think about it. It's going to hurt. I don't really know. - [Mark] And you're a survivor. - Yeah, but I am scared of death. That's one thing I am scared of, to die. - [Mark] And living here on Skid Row have you had some bad
things happen to you here? - No. - [Mark] You haven't? - No.
- [Mark] Good for you. You're lucky. - I know a lot of people,
like a lot of big, big homies. They pulled me to the side
and they said the whole many years that I've been down here you're the first person
that I've seen able to walk on all the streets. And I don't know if it's
because I'm like a tourist, that's what I say. Cause I'm not from here. You know, I'm from Florida,
but I don't disrespect anybody. I just walk on the street
just like everyone else. You know? Cause I, I thought about California. This is why I thought about California in that I wasn't going to be able to wear this Navy
blue shirt down the street. You know that's how they projected
what California was like. And so I got here? And then I'm like, okay It's pretty, it's not that bad. - [Mark] Do you miss Florida? - I miss the beaches, yeah. - [Mark] What do you, what
do you wish was different about your life today? What do you think would
help you the most right now? - What do I think would
be different you said? - [Mark] What do you like, what would help you the most right now? You're, you're in a jam
kinda, living homeless and addicted to drugs and
doing sex work for money. And it's just, it's a
tough corner you're in. I'm just wondering what
would it like if there was one thing that could
change things for you what, what do you think that would be? - To not have told my pastor about what was going on at home. - [Mark] Yeah, dealing with that. Is that what the drug drug use
has kind of like numbing you from that pain? - I forgave my stepdad and I just haven't forgotten
my mom because she, like, she doesn't believe me, you know? And I wish I could take
like a lie detector test and give it to her and walk
away and never see her again. - [Mark] So your mom doesn't believe you? - [Madison] No, that's
why I can't move on. I know it sounds stupid,
but it's just reality, that's how I feel. I feel like I'm stuck in that. I'm just stuck I haven't grew up. I haven't, I'm just stuck. - [Mark] All right, Madison, well thank you so much
for sharing your story. I hope you, I hope your
life gets a little better. I hope you figure some, some way off off of Skid Row and get out of here. Thank you very much.
