AMANDA

PHOTO BY RANDY BACON

AMANDA’S STORY

I’m from right over here in Felony Flats, Oklahoma. I was raised up there, and all my family is there, about fifteen minutes away from this very spot. They’ve got my back for sure when I need it, in good times and bad. But I guess I don’t know if I’ll stay here in Oklahoma City for much longer. I want to go back to the country. I’m so tired of the city. There is a peace about the country that I can’t find here.

I’ve been in this homeless camp for only about a week. Before this, I ran a camp on I-40 for about three years. That was my own. I would come over everyday and make sure people had extra tents set up so people would stay there, and I would feed everyone else. At the end of the day I would cook for everyone at the camp. I learned how to cook for those people, through trial and error. I like to cook fried potatoes with onions, fried peppers, and jalapenos. As you can tell, I really like to take care of other people. Help people.

All of my homeless friends out here, we’re actually like a family. That is what I want people to know. This is my family. We are a strong family. And I finally get to be happy. But I really wish people would see that we ain’t bad people, just because we don’t have a house. We ain’t nothing but some people trying to figure out who we are. I’m trying to change everything about me, and be respectful and happy. I am not giving up.

I’ve got my dreams and I’m happy to be getting back to where I was. For me, that means having my family back, getting my kids. I may even have another one someday, but I want to make sure I am in a better place with my life. It’s a possibility in life. I’ve got one kid in Arizona and the other lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. My mom and I don’t get along. Money makes her world go round. And if she can’t accept her kids, something’s wrong.

Yes, I have problems and stuff that I’m dealing with, but I’m okay. Like I said, this is my family. We are a family out here. Life is a blessing.