On July 15, Emerald Photo Editor Tim Bobosky spent the day with Greg Sakradse, a 16-year-old, homeless member of the Eugene community.
Greg grew up in Connecticut and went to public school from kindergarten to second grade, at which point he was home schooled until sixth grade by his mother. Greg said that his dad never approved of his home schooling, even though Greg’s mother worked part-time in an Emergency Room and took summers off in order to be his teacher. Greg had mastered algebra by fourth grade and was already studying philosophy.
In seventh grade, Greg went to the Connecticut Friends School. There, he had 12 people in his class, an hour of “fun reading” every day and in-depth conversations with teachers about any topic.
According to its mission statement, the Connecticut Friends School “seeks to create an environment that challenges and enables students, teachers and others in the community to realize their intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual potential … guided by the Quaker principles of integrity, equality, peace, community, and simplicity.”
While attending the Connecticut Friends School, Greg went to anti-war rallies as field trips.
Around this same time, Greg started smoking marijuana.
Greg said that he “never really learned much math” at the Friends School, but he appreciated that he was given the freedom to learn whatever he wanted. Once he got to high school in Ashland, the structure was so different that Greg had a hard time adapting.
At Ashland High School Greg had 300 people in his freshman class, and an average of 20-30 students in his classes. When one teacher asked why he didn’t come to class, Greg answered, “I was too baked.”
Greg left Ashland High in December 2004.
When giving reasons for dropping out of high school, Greg said that none of his friends attended high school. His social group was mostly out of his age group; Greg said he socialized with friends in their late teens, early 20s or older.
In Ashland, Greg said he partied, stayed up all night and was drunk a lot. His parents would yell at him, prompting Greg to leave for days on end. Both of Greg’s parents are ER doctors.
Greg met his girlfriend Tehlor, 18, while living in Ashland. Tehlor later attended the University to study journalism but dropped out after losing her financial aid.
Tehlor and Greg wanted to use this summer to get settled in Eugene, because Greg says that Ashland is too small for him to find a job. Greg and Tehlor lived out of Greg’s car, a 1998 Chevrolet Metro, for their time in Eugene.
“I can’t get work because I’m 16,” Greg said.
Tehlor and Greg first tried moving their belongings into the front seats so they could sleep in the back, but that ended up being too cramped, and too much work to deal with every night. Eventually, they began sleeping in their reclined driver and passenger seats.
Greg’s goal, after getting a place to live, is to start a production company and host electronic music events and parties.
“There is an okay rave scene, but it needs better drum and bass. Too much house and trance.”
The first step, he said, is to have an outdoor party September of this year, “with college students fresh back with their parents’ cash.”
Greg would like to travel Europe, North Africa and the world in general without having to ask for money; he would like to be a good enough disk jockey to be able to work clubs during his travels.
During the summer, Greg and Tehlor eventually applied for food stamps; they each get $150 for food per month.
The stamps cannot be used for restaurants or alcohol, but they can get sandwiches and sushi. On account of living in a car, buying small quantities of food at a time was the key, as well as paying attention to how fast certain foods spoil.
“Living in a car we don’t have a fridge, so we have to buy food that you can eat right away.”
Soy milk keeps for a few days, and avocados are like the vegetarian’s meat, according to Greg. Greg buys an avocado every morning.
When “spanging” – asking pedestrians for spare change – Greg gets all kinds of comments.
“Get a fucking job” or “change comes from within” are some of the more memorable.
At the rest stop just north of Eugene on I-5, Greg said, “Much like a politician, I lie for money.” He then revealed his spanging sign that said: “Stranded! Out of gas and cash, Trying to get back to Ashland any thing helps.”
The sign can quickly be changed to read: “Trying to get back to Seattle” if Greg thinks the other side of the freeway will be more fruitful, or have fewer rest stop attendants shooing him away.
The sign backfires a bit when a hitchhiker heading to Roseburg tries to negotiate a ride south. The hitchhiker asks how much gas money he needs to get him a seat in Greg’s car. Greg thinks quickly to avoid exposing his set-up, telling the hitchhiker that he plans to stay in Eugene tonight, and is therefore unable to offer a ride south for any amount of money.
At one point, three teenage girls offer Greg a ride. When he tells them that he has a car, they give him $30 and good wishes.
People give Greg, water, food and money. One rest-stop attendant even gave him advice on how to make ends meet telling him, “It’s not right to come out here and ask for money.”
Greg says about one in 30 people give him money.
Greg said that spanging at rest stops is strange. He pointed to a familiar face at his current rest stop. Some people claim rest stops as turf, and Greg said he has been kicked out of locations by fellow spangers.
Rest stops are one of the few places where one can sleep in a car and not get hassled by the police. According to a rest-stop attendant, it is okay to park in a rest stop for 12 hours. The attendant also said that about 10-15 people per week come to the rest stop to ask for money or gas.
Greg said that he has reaffirmed his belief that “money has absolutely no worth in terms of human happiness” from his experiences living in his car with Tehlor.
“My parents have all the money in the world but they are the most unhappy people I know,” he said.
Greg went on to assert that peoples’ value should be based on education and the work they do, rather than how much money they make.
“We are living in a car, and we are happier than we have ever been,” Greg said. “We can take our money-making abilities anywhere we go, since it’s just holding up a sign.”
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