Slab City - The City With No Laws

when exclusive [Music] I can't take no loss I don't even know what it costs I hit the ground then I go off yeah hit the ground didn't go up I can't take no luck well we've heard our first explosion [Applause] we leave the bustle of Los Angeles and take a four-hour drive through desert and desolate land to arrive at a spot known as Slab City it's Freedom it's like a little city in itself the city with no laws this plot of land was once a military training facility known as Camp Daniel however when that closed down in the 1950s it became a city comprised of artists Nomads squatters outcasts and retirees it's a place where anything goes in one moment you may find yourself walking past clear signs of arson and the next you may find yourself sitting down with a peaceful old man talking about the meaning of life people come here to escape the rules of society and to live a life of Freedom today we explore Slab City [Music] okay we're here at the Slab City gift shop Let's explore what do you think brings somebody to slap City typically everybody's got their own personal reasons what brought you here it seems like an artistic I just knew somebody that was staying out here how often do people with video cameras show up here like every day really yeah that's why usually charge 100 bucks for an interview yeah okay what do you mean by that all right well thank you for showing us around and no worries how did you get the nickname Daddy because you take care of people yes pretty much I always have a bed and we've got food for people it is the best and worst place I've ever been what's the best aspect I have more friends here than anywhere else guess what I did five and a half years ago I got on my bike I rode here from New York City no way what's the worst thing about Slab City there's an evil Rumor Mill that will say things about you that are not true I've been accused of murder here where are you guys from you look pretty Milwaukee wow Milwaukee Wisconsin I actually love Milwaukee I helped open uh the spin ping pong Club there used to work with Susan Sarandon what's your life philosophy everybody dies not everybody lives do you feel like you're living yeah I think in 100 years I she died they died am I gonna say this [ __ ] right here that's a good quote my last paint job was a college professor really what do you do for work now I was too busy work not too much work to do to get a job no this is what I do I'm always working they're an alternate currency here or how do people you need money to survive here but uh generally we barter or cut out the middle man so I always say money is not wealth money is a measure of wealth it was a girl here she had a straight razor I say that I give you five bucks for that straight razor she's like yeah you gotta want your money I said I'll give you some she said yeah sure I'll take it I gave her the straight razor he sticks her hand up on the road here and goes you want some to a lady riding behind a bike and she's like I got cancer thank you so much I mean we do live on a little bit of money but less than 50 a month before I was a professor I was an engineer I'm actually pretty well known AI researcher I lots of talks online and all kind of stuff from my my old life definitely going to be hard to gauge how much of that was true oh no he's definitely made all that [ __ ] up I talked to Susan sunette and open up a paintball place in Milwaukee so he was the engineer a bike deliverer he saves lives professor and known AI researcher Daddy's a YouTuber so far you can already tell this is a place with characters all right so we see a sign stop donate speak let's see if someone wants to talk we saw the sign we wanted to speak with somebody tell us where we are right now me right here in Slab City on Bill Road where'd you come from Prince before you came here Cowboys at Columbus Ohio how did you find yourself from Columbus Ohio to here like I was having you know family issues at the time so I was like yeah I just wanted to do something different I think I was just scrolling on YouTube and I was like you know what I really want to check this place out because I kept watching the video so honestly I've packed like a two pair of shorts two pair of shirts and the socks and I just drove across the country what does your family think when you made this move it was definitely like some awkward feedback from it you know you feel freedom here but then you miss like so it's like what's going on back inside you missed like restaurants things like that things like running water you don't get that here so I imagine psychedelics are an integral part of community here as you can tell by some of the psilocybinar I'm interested to see what we will find in terms of spirituality psychedelics and things that people put in their body let's explore so if we're looking at this map folks we see the range the skate park Oasis the Hostile there's anything in particular stand out I think the skatepark let's say the cross made out of bullet holes yeah I feel like that's the most dangerous part of the area no I put racism back there I promise can you tell us more about that I don't know they're all about the good people just can't live in society how long have you been in Slab City off and on since like 2016 so it's seven years and what brought you here I got pulled off the front train in Yuma I used to ride trains oh yeah I don't anymore kind of live here for the most part my boyfriend at the time had been here before and we came over I get meningitis okay that's a pretty serious thing I know just after being homeless for years I'd rather be at home free out feeling homeless on the streets where have you lived homeless before oh yeah like from New York to L.A this is home this is the best place to live what do you love about Slab City and what's not so good about Slab City due to the lack of judgment everybody comes here from different walks of life can you tell me about your story as far as how you ended up homeless and how you ended up here grew up in a Southern Baptist Church home in Texas that's my mom when I was young raised by a single dad I had grandparents you know they tried you know it was rough it was in the 80s and 90s got pregnant at 19 got married I had a few kids from Marriage my kids are all three in college now and I did the right decision by you know letting myself her dad I was present for another eight years after that I had a mental breakdown to set my ex-boyfriend's car on fire do you guys never come here they do Patrol they have to patrol really and they don't want to stop they want to patrol through and leave if they get called out here they have to come and that kind of pisses them off are you still in contact with your children did they say Mom we're worried about you or Mom we're happy for you no they just want me to be happy does everyone get along pretty well around here oh no some people act like they're still in high school I mean you just stay away from each other you have everything here you have in any other small town or big city how many people did you guessed right here 500. really and the scenario is going to go down to about 200 300. because it's so awfully hot right as you can see this recycling isn't a strong priority around here hi partner on the lookout for something what's your name Papa cat Papa cat yeah and what are you looking for a jar for nuts and boats nuts and bolts you guys need a tour guide I think at that moment we're just kind of wandering around and bumping into folks part of the requirement if you go my tours you have to micro dose yeah you know because this is a strange place so it helps you kind of ease into it I do it too we can go and I've got some mushrooms in my knapsack we can all micro dose if you want to do that or to use a micro dose we're talking about do you need a tour guide at the moment I think we're gonna just pursue this on foot but where are you guys from We're from Milwaukee Wisconsin you're from Milwaukee too 33rd North Avenue no way what was it like growing up in Milwaukee I was in the ghetto yeah age six I had 22 in the straight razor yeah and he was wiping from my neighborhood how long did you live there for and when did you leave Milwaukee engines how to weld not to shoot yeah how the heck did you start out in Milwaukee Wisconsin and find yourself here how old are you now it's free and you broke yeah what do you love about Slab City I know you should be uh Camp Zumba a military base what's the worst part about Slab City yeah Cowboys would like to burn through hot Burn School House yeah we've seen an alarming number of burnt down structures and cars here are you still in contact with anyone back in Milwaukee any friends and family yeah we have a video conferences I guess would you say you're at a normal childhood yeah I was a nerd so is this trash or treasure to you treasure some things I can pick up and make things out of how would you describe yourself in three words nerds introvert self-reliant how would you describe Slab City as a whole in three words get a little dumping crazy what's the crazy side of slap City I hear people shouting in the background oh this is glass is this you've any used to you yeah it's usually coffee creamer in this thing what advice do you have to the youth and to the people watching this get education and don't let nothing bother you and don't follow those sports figures why is that I can't tell you a monkey a Boston basketball if you can't stand a monkey to build a bridge uh 99.5 not even nuts and where do you rank on that scale for here are you a one out of ten not very nuts a 10 out of 10 very nuts I'm a nerd I didn't mean nerds out here I heard some coffin in the background I don't know if someone's doing drugs right now are you religious man hey I don't know I'm leaving that [ __ ] guys you ever meet a guy like pop a cat ask him some questions you'll learn something like talking to people in this kind of population is it's very hard or short the truth from delusion oh what the well we've heard our first explosion here is someone blowing up a car I'm timing I'm here with I'm at mine's cash is that a solar panel you got there that's his solar panel not mine what are you trying to do with that uh he runs his laptop and stuff on it how do you guys figure out how to do all that I don't know what brought you here brings material they talked about it where did you come from come from the East Coast if you were to describe yourself in three words what would you say nice polite but uh I like to seclude a lot will you say your introverted heart probably [Music] looking for a place with a Red Roof I think I see it Down Yonder well hello there we were requesting around and we were called come to the place with a Red Roof are you okay if we ask you a couple questions and are you guys feds you don't look like dogs we don't have any wires on our chest we are just that's what a guy who has wires on his chest would say and now you saw my nipples which I don't know if we can continue the conversation sorry man okay I'll try and focus what the heck can you tell us about this place that we're at it's filled with interesting people I've met a bunch of them so far you haven't met them all are there a lot of nomadic folks here that come and go well depend on their parole situation yeah are there a lot of former uh inmates here that's what I've heard yeah yeah you get really nice wonderful people and you get some who uh you'd rather not meet how do you describe yourself in three words uh-oh uh-oh uh hungry thirsty mobile are you happy sort of kinda yeah this is a happier place than most can you tell you more about that you don't need an expensive lifestyle to be here what is your life philosophy right now it's food shelter you know the basics that's all you really need this might be going down deep territory but what would you say the average person here their home life was it good was it really tough oh boy you got a mixed bag I'd say there is evidence that some people have been through a lot [Music] [Applause] [Music] more and more in life enjoying the really simple things like feasting your eyes on this I've never met God I don't know him but this certainly makes me wonder about him the question is is any liquor drink here I don't know when you were a wayward traveler the Inn the pub was the place that you gather at night have Community have a drink maybe fill your stomach with some some nice local food so let's explore this place and see what it has I notice a lot of crosses and Christian imagery here as we drove in what percentage of people would you say here are Christian well it doesn't really matter because like um I believe that all their beliefs intersect with Christianity I think Christianity is about feminism and agreeing really that's a take that I've never heard before but I'm just a gay cat girl for Jesus you know someone's got to be right what makes you say that Christianity is about feminism if you had two opposing interests that don't necessarily go the same direction like let's say this is how man moves and this is how God moves right Victory by the cross is just finding the intersection of those two things so I think that it's an obligation of Christians to find ways that all of the other Fates would go to their Heaven too you know in uh Eastern face like it's possible to have multiple paradises you know like if you have a certain person who reaches Enlightenment and they're like can create a paradise it's perfect for them they can take people over that one you know like uh but I have a friend who knows for Buddha and I have a friend who knows Jesus and I have a friend who knows the devil are you happy yeah yeah were you ever really not happy enough I grew up feeling like I grew up in Hell where'd you grow up Albuquerque and what made you think it was hell oh suffering you know like my parents were alcoholics so they were absent and I've been transgender since I was one but I couldn't start until long after I've already left my family is there a an epiphany moment that you remember like I started finding out that I was transgender by doing mushrooms all over you when you do mushrooms I was in college I was like I don't know maybe 21 23 is more like but you knew when you were three four five as well right like I knew but the problem was that people um told me that it was wrong like at one year old my own family called me a pervert and there are no perverted one-year-olds how did you even do manage to move in a way that made you perverted when you were one what I knew was that like my body was the same as other girls but then like they would be like what's that you know but I've had dreams since I was a child that I was a girl you know my gender is complicated I've experienced parts of masculine and feminine identity I always tell people that I've Been Love and War you know so what was it like growing up in a house out with alcoholic parents they just weren't really there are you in touch with them at all today my mom's dead and my dad uh still drinks alcohol like my mom's still here what led you to of all places Slab City oh literally my father appeared not my dad my father told me to come here he said come here with your friend Marco Polo let's start a war who's Marco Polo and why you want to start a war uh well so my friend Marco I call him Marco Polo because jokingly I think that he's a reincarnation you seem like you got a lot of going on in that Brand New York these videos are the first kids I've seen in Slap City we have kids everywhere like um they have Community here I want to be able to have them get education and stuff but a lot of people here are just against mainstream Society I have really surreal experiences like dying and cutting back to life repeatedly uh is that in your in the dream world no like waking life like if something would kill me I just stay alive have you ever been killed before like literally like yeah I mean like I've gone to Hell the devil told me to eat some black cherry Mike's Hard Lemonade and I felt myself come back to life of all things demo could have recommended it I feel like he could have made a better choice we're going to continue our tour of the area and I appreciate you talking with us have a great day take it with a grain of salt yeah so this is California Ponderosa it's a family-run place the lady that owns it she has Teenage Kids the school bus picks them up right here collab City in three words it's a unique place I guess yeah two is good enough sometimes and what led you to this place you could be anywhere in the world right now and we're here together in Slab City I'm having a midlife crisis well better than a quarter life or a third life right what led to this midlife crisis so covet happened right changed the whole damn world yes and then right about a year into it my last child grew up and moved out of the house I got rid of my house and all my things and I bought a motorhome and now I stay here in the winter and how does that change your life I feel a whole lot better yeah yeah was it terrifying to make this leap yes [Music] can I first say that it smells Golden Delicious back here delicious so what is it like being a kid in Slab City I've only been here for about a month and I like it so far what's it like being a chef in Slab City it's different what's your favorite thing from the kitchen my favorite thing probably the snitch schnitzel over the chili you live a vastly different life than the average kid your age oh yeah what are the benefits where the pros and cons of how you're living right now you don't really have to worry about like the city and all the noises coming around you don't hear cars a lot how would you rate the community here I mean I like it I think the overall Community pretty cool yeah a lot of people come here because they don't have a place to cut like live we really got booted from their family disowned so yeah they so they start something new like would you say you're happy most of the time yes and are you happier here than you were in other parts of your life or less happy how would you say it about let's see this would be the second place I'll like the first place is being back in Germany family too back in Germany are you German by I'm first generation German American really no the worst part is the summer summer sucks because the heat and it goes it's pretty much crazy during the summer as a kid navigating this world I don't know if you can tell but a fair amount of the inhabitants have a strong habit of different drugs what is you think about taking drugs whether you're going to stay clean or whether you're gonna I don't think I'd ever do drugs my mom was a huge drug addict what was the drug she liked all of them all ones all the white ones and like tassels is there any other thoughts you guys have or want to add to the camera oh I'm just visiting she's an Airbnb guest here you can book an Airbnb yeah there's three of them if you're not me asking what is the Airbnb in Slap City go for well depending on the place really here I think it's 33 dollars I think we should eat I think we should enjoy the community and we'll see you guys in just a couple minutes if I gotta go to the bathroom should I just find the best Bush available or there Damian will you show them where the bathroom is actually anywhere you are you need to know a potential exit strategy if you have to poop urgently and I'm gonna figure that out here are the pigs from this [Music] I'll see you guys in a second what would be your Yelp review of this I liked it honestly but I feel like better than a porta potty some nice wood instead of like a harsh plastic contract so if we get food poisoning from these mushroom burgers this is a safe bet I think so yeah like what do you do for fun around here man uh go to skatepark plugins how many other kids are your age around here four or five you're a chill dude you know that do you think he could have a french fry you think that'll disrupt us you know I'm even gonna give him the most juicy Mushroom on my plate shop can you sit good boy what have we learned here at all our time at the slab city folks it's quite a welcoming Community it seems like a lot of people really just value the sense of community that they have here the ability to be kind of be alone and just away from the hospital modern world definitely a lot of introverts are here but what's interesting about an introvert is if you get them talking it's hard to get them not to talk anymore have a good night there's one thing I learned from Slab City it's this I met people from New York San Diego Milwaukee Columbus Ohio and when that teaches me we are never stuck okay you get to choose what your next step in life is going to be you get to choose your path action is the ink that writes the story of your life and uh we get to choose what we believe in some people believe in that over there some people take some substances and see lots of Visions you only have one life be sure to live it be kind be nice be thoughtful and listen to each other we have a lot to learn I'll see you next week [Music] [Applause]

Channel: Tommy G

Views: 1,039,016

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Id: BA_obVrleto

Length: 20min 4sec (1204 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 21 2023