- [Interviewer] You went
to the hospital for what? - Heat stroke - Heat stroke? Today? - Yeah. I tried to make it back
faster, but I couldn't. - That's okay. I'm here. You're here. - I made it back alive. Let's put it that way. - Yes. So, Tammy, where
are you from originally? - Here. L.A. - You're from L.A. And how long, how long have
you been living on the street? - 41 years. - And what, what were the circumstances that got you down here? - Bullies, homeless, mental
illness, in succession when I gave up meth. - Mental illness? - Yeah. - The bullies bullied me so much that I ended up with depression. - Do you have a family? - Nope. Not as far as I'm concerned. - What do you mean, not as
far as you're concerned? - In other words, they're
a bunch of assholes. - Say that again, please. - They're a bunch of assholes. I had bullies in the family, bullies at school. You know, everything's
negative it brings you down. - What do you do for money here? - I panhandle my benefits. - Do you get the government stuff? - Yeah. Why do you think I pay for this? - Yeah. Nice tent. - Yeah, I've got to back it up when I can. - I can. - And where do you go to eat? - I cook right here. I don't- I can't eat most of the food they have. - You cook here? - Yeah, I've got a stove over there. (laughs) - Good for you. - I take care of myself . The best I can. - Is this how you pass the time? - Yeah. - Nice. - Can we grab a soda on the way? - Sure. I'll grab you dinner, too, if you want. - I'll have the same thing you have, how's that? - You'll what? - I'll eat the same thing you do. - There you go. I think that means we're dating, Tammy. Do you have friends here on the street? - Nah, I don't consider
nobody out here my friend. That would be totally whacked. - So, you have contact
with anybody outside? - No one. - So, it's just you all by yourself? - Yeah. - Do you get lonely?
Depressed? Anything like that? - Not from that. It's when they lie to me
and try to steal my shit. That's what gets me. Here. - Beautiful. I'd love to start. - Sorry. I missed you. - It's okay. - But I'm okay. I got my head- You know what I did? After they jumped me I laid back down and said fuck that and
stuck my head in the sink and shook my head off
and bucked out the door. I just had to be by myself, my way. Cool off as I go. - You're a survivor. - Yeah, that what I learned
to do with heat stroke, cool off quick- but I took it slow coming back. Took all the shady sides of the street, which is what I forgot, you know? - What's what's the worst thing
that's happened to you here? - I'll just put it this way. Some guy tried to attack me in my tent when I told him no, go away. Shit like that happens all the time. - Yeah. - Hey, these guys out here think they're the boss of everything. - You've been raped here? - No, the one that tried got stabbed. - What's that? - The one that tried got stabbed. - Oh, is that right? - With a pen. - Good for you. Good for you. - He's lucky I didn't get
me knitting needle out. (laughs) Or the crochet I had would've been worse, the Afghan hook. It's like I have crochet hook. I have a knitting needle about that long. - That'll hurt. - Yeah, but there's
more going out than in. - Oh, that's right. It's
got a hook at the end. - There was a point in
time when I've thought society was so dysfunctional, it might've made me normal. - Yeah. Yeah. You're not too far off there. - Sorry about that. - About what? - They say a high IQ comes
with a mental illness that was along for the ride. - Yeah, I buy some of that. - I heard it on a radio talk show. I was flipping through trying to find some rock
and roll and I heard it. - Tell me about your childhood. - It was only the worst
nightmare and that was it. - Why's that? - Adoption. - Oh, you were adopted? - Yeah. - At what age? Like right away? - Three and a half. - Three and a half? What happened to your parents? - I don't know. I found out my brother died
on the way to the hospital from something or another
that happened at the home, and I decided not to find out anymore. I dreaded it was abuse. - Did you ever have contact with your real parents after that? - No. - Never. - Never even bothered. I got about three paragraphs
in my bedroom and tossed it. Yeah. - Oh, you didn't even read it? - The brother I would have had died and my other sister had Down Syndrome. - Really? - Yep. - You're lucky one. - Nah, not really. They're better off. (laughs) She gets taken care of and he don't have to suffer about nothing. - And you have children?
How many children? - No kids - No kids? - Nope. - I thought you said they're all assholes. - That was your family. - Yeah. - Never married? - Four times, they was real assholes. - Oh, you were married how many times? - Four. - Four times? - Yeah, jerk magnet is what I figured. - What's that? - Jerk magnet. - You're a jerk magnet? - Yeah. - You're funny. - There's the easier,
softer way of putting it. - Okay. - What's the harsher way of putting it? - It was son of a bitches. - Yeah, I like jerk magnet. That's a good one. - Hey, at least I found
a way to laugh at it. - Do you have plans for down the road? - Not really. - Just muddle through until
it's my time to go see God. Because that's all we really do anyway. - Yeah.
