Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Profile Profile: Golden Billups, homeless guy
Posted by Jordan Hickey on Wed, Aug 15, 2007 at 12:30 PM
Golden Billups, a 48-year-old ex-con 10 years without a home, sits with the other untouchables, lining a ramp under the Downtown Connector. Perched on a water jug, he hesitates before answering a few questions.
What were the last three meals you had? You know, when was the last time you had something to eat, and what did you have? It's been a while -- I'm on a water diet. That's basically the food around here (Billups gestures to the water jug he's using as a chair). I went to this church Sunday, had a frozen dinner [two days before]. All of the churches, they closed. All of 'em went on vacation, so it's been kind of rough. You gotta walk five hours to get a bite. For the past month, you eat what you can get. You see that bucket over there (He gestures to a shopping cart piled with various items, multicolored bags, blankets, clothes peeking out the top), that's my house ... lot of people 'round here getting drunk, smoking crack.
What would you do if you were mayor? You see that big old empty building over there (Billups points to the Atlanta City Hall East building) could fit all the homeless in Atlanta, all kids and everybody. It's all money; they don't care nothing about the homeless, the city. The programs, they fall through. I'd open that building, put in some schools, need to put in some bathrooms. That parking lot, (He gestures at the lot behind him) that's the bathroom, people pissing and shitting over there. [The mayor] say she cares about the homeless; she ain't doing nothing. That's what needs to be addressed: affordable housing. Ain't nowhere to live. Go to a matchbox room, [and it'll] cost $500. Lots of people got checks but can't go nowhere. Got to get somewhere to pay rent, somewhere it ain't sky high.
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
How long have you been homeless now? About 10 years.
Have you ever been to the shelters or soup kitchens? Is there enough room? Yeah, there's enough room and food ... Peachtree-Pine -- they had crabs.
Pinching crabs or the itching crabs? The itching crabs. They had to spray everybody; I got me some blankets and out I go. It's worse out here.
What are you going to do when winter comes? Hopefully I'll be out of here before winter.
(Billups tells a story about how he was in prison for a year.)
Got a whole damn better service in prison. There ain't nothing for an ex-con, they let you out and give you $25 and out you go.
Why were you in prison? Boosting.
What's boosting? Lifting ... You get four misdemeanors and it's a felony. [I] got out with the anticipation of going forward and stuck! Daddy was an alcoholic. I didn't get no inheritance -- I got a habit. They keep that money going, make money off putting people in prison. Lots of things the city says it'd do, it ain't doing.
(Billups offers a man on a nearby bench a drink of water out of his jug.)
Is there much camaraderie among the homeless? Like, you just gave that guy some water -- do you guys sort of stick together and watch out for each other? We know the only person we can trust is a person on the street. The big churches, they don't help out -- baloney sandwiches, that's it.
(Billups walks us over to have a look at his belongings held in the shopping cart and starts to tell us how he's going to improve his situation.)
I was gonna do it, and I'm on my way.
What's the craziest thing you've seen out here? (Billups turns away and starts snickering under his breath.)
Come on, what are you thinking of? [There was one night], I was laying on the ground and I look over [at the nearby couple], and they were fucking (starts laughing). What'd you think this is? A hotel? (He continues to snicker).
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