Audio by artist gerald_james

Gerald James said his health benefits thru the Veteran's Administration is what's important to him.

"I'm having a few problems, but some of them have been resolved."

James said he's been in Columbus about a month and a half.
"I'm OK w/ it. But Dayton was much better...because they (people w/ the VA) cared about me more. Columbus is supposed to be the capital, but they are a bunch of you-know-whats. But I'm dealing w/ it. I'm alright."

He said he was staying at a Volunteers of America shelter here in Columbus but got kicked out for getting drunk the other night. When asked where he planned to sleep that night he said, " I have no idea, but I'll be alright."

He said he gets his meals from soup chickens and shelters and from "different places around town."

For a moment James turned his head to look at a child who was kicking her legs and singing as the adult w/ her waited for a bus.

" I have a daughter. She's 10, in Battle Creek, Michigan."

He said he loves this nation but thinks it's "going to hell." Perhaps it's my own limited comprehension, but I couldn't get much from his explanation about why our nation is heading in the wrong direction. You can try listening to the short audio file if you're interested.

James said he gets along w/ everyone he encounters on the streets, including the police. He agreed w/ me that good relationships are what make life worth living, and that it makes sense to try to find common-ground instead of focusing on things that can divide us.

"I don't give a woof woof if you're Black or White. You're my people. So I care about you...You're just like me. I'm human and you're human."