My brother Butchie passed away this week of a heart attack at the age of 44. Like me, he had been homeless for a number of years in Oakland. Unlike me, he had recently received housing. I’m saddened beyond words that he is no longer here to take advantage of it. I currently camp under 880 in West Oakland and have for many years been part of the Wood Street Commons community — see below for links to a couple videos about our community. Our motto is “Homeless Helping the Homeless.” We feed, clothe and care for each other, but one thing we struggle to help each other with is large, unexpected expenses. I work several part time jobs, which covers food, gas, phone bills and other basic expenses, but I do not have money to cover the funeral costs. At the moment I can barely keep my head above water. Butchie was my only living family member in the area. One brother disappeared many years ago and has never been seen again. Then my other brother, who was disabled and used a wheelchair, was killed by the Oakland police. My father and grandmother passed away around the same time. I could not cope with these losses and became suicidal. This is how I became homeless. My mother is still alive and lives in Louisiana. I am crushed, but I am determined to not let her lose her last child. And I am determined to keep living because I’ve dedicated my life to changing the way people on the street are treated. Too many of us die out here. We are profoundly misunderstood. I do not have much of my biological family left, but the family I’ve become a part of on the streets of West Oakland has given me a reason to live. They have literally saved my life. https://youtu.be/TwGRFInT8gc https://youtu.be/XKi-0-aVzFk
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