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Vendor Writing: The Contributor's First Vendor of the Month
The Contributor’s First Vendor of the Month
BY MAURICE B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
[For this issue of the paper, Contributor vendor Maurice B., interviewed Tom Sweet, a former Contributor Vendor who helped get the paper started in 2007. Maurice's questions are in bold and Tom's answers are under them. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]
Hello, yes, today’s Sunday, July 31 2022. I’m Maurice Ballard, known as the Bucket Man, and I'm interviewing Tom Sweet. The very first vendor [of The Contributor], the very first…
Vendor of the month.
Vendor of the month. Um, Mr. Sweet, could you give, in your own words, what is your history of being a vendor?
Well, I wasn’t just a vendor. I was part of creating The Contributor, with Tasha [Lemley, Former Contributor Executive Director], and [others]. We used to have our meetings at the Downtown Library on the second floor in the atrium before we got the [Downtown Presbyterian] church involved. But that was in 2007.
And how did y’all end up going to the church?
Well, the library asked us. We were having our meetings there at the atrium and it was gettin’ big, lot of people involved. And they asked us if we could find another place to have our meetings. This was before the first issue came out. They said we’ll give you a couple weeks, we’re not pushin’ it, but find another place. So that’s when we found the Downtown Presbyterian Church and Tom Wills.
OK. Then therefore, after so many years, how did the paper begin – begin getting coverage?
Well, we talked about what was gonna go into the paper. And what the purpose of the paper was for.
And what was the purpose?
Well, the purpose was to help homeless people get off the streets. OK? They were sellin’ the paper for a dollar, but they were buyin’ the paper for a quarter. So 75 cents went to the vendor… The content was artwork, stories about homelessness –
By homeless individuals?
Yes. And they also had poems, songs, comics…
OK, OK. What year did it start?
2007.
I myself am a vendor. When I came in 2016, I seen all they were doing was selling papers.
That changed, though. It was started to help the homeless.
And that’s what it still does. It helps the homeless, but they have to narrow things down and let individuals know so they’ll understand that it’s not only just helping the homeless, OK, just to make money and allow you to go out and do it on your own. They’re assisting individuals in finding homes. Finding some kind of housing. Things like that. They’re also helping out individuals with mental illnesses, and things. The resources that you’re able to reach out and go get, just needing some assistance, and being a part of The Contributor by making money that’s good enough, but when they got into political issues that you backed off of, at the same time what it’s still doing as those political issues, is opening up avenues for individuals to be able to have a housing program [at The Contributor].
There’s a housing problem. There is no affordable housing. They want $1,400 a month for a one-bedroom apartment.
[laughing] I’m homeless again!
Understandable. But at the same time, just a suggestion, if you go back to the Contributor, if you just go back –
I have an income.
Huh?
I have an income.
OK, but at the same time, you still are able to… get assisted income with the Contributor, and… they will help you be able to get on, like, a Sec. 8 voucher.
I’m not dealing with Section 8 ever again. I’ve been displaced twice in seven years.
Oh, you’ve been displaced?
Yeah. I lived at Mercury Court for four years. The building was falling apart, I had two months to find a place, couldn’t find a place, wound up homeless. And then, uh, my rep. come out to my camp, sat on a five gallon bucket, got on the phone, did all this stuff and got me into Village West. I was there three years. Guy from New York comes and buys up all the buildings and the property it’s on, didn’t wanna rent to elderly, to disabled, the veteran, anybody that was on a fixed income in Section 8 had to go.
Oh.
We lost over 120 Section 8s over there. Poof, gone. So, you know, we’re losing affordable housing. There is no affordable housing. And I can’t – I don’t make $1,400 a month. Income… how am I gonna pay that for rent? I’ve got an application at Mariavilla Manor on White Bridge Rd. Nice place, too. But it’s a waiting game, I’m on a list. And that’s not Section 8, that’s run by the Catholic Church. But I’m not dealing with Section 8 anymore, that’s a joke.
All Section 8 does is give you a voucher, OK? So you can afford rent. But they don’t protect you from being displaced. They don’t help you look for an apartment. Even if you’re disabled, you’re on your own.
But they’re displacing the elderly, the disabled, the veteran, anybody on a fixed income on Section 8, there’s no affordable housing. There’s an 84 year old lady living in her car. It’s ridiculous, man. It’s a little sick, man.
