Nowhere

In this episode Austin is back, and we discuss the recent criminalization of homelessness across the nation, starting with the Grant’s Pass Supreme Court decision and the billionaire founded Cicero Institute that offered an amicus brief in the case and has introduced model legislation across the country to criminalize homelessness. We start off explaining the supreme court case and then getting into the Cicero Institute founded by Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of military tech company Palantir (with Peter Theil). We explore some of the manifestations of this criminalization around the country including the attempt to build an “accountability center” in Utah that would force labor on homeless people. We talk about local criminalization. We talk about the laws and executive order that have made it easier to commit people to institutions involuntarily. Moreover, we discuss the larger picture of why the ruling class has such a vested interest in criminalizing homelessness, also looking into the past to see how almost identical laws were introduced in the early 1700’s in New York City when it was run like a feudal kingdom. We talk more about the past and the similarities between then and now, and how capitalism continues to create the same conditions over and over. With all that we get a little off topic and philosophical towards the end, but I think it was all valuable conversation. I’ve been incredibly busy, but I plan to keep doing more of these! I have another media project I’m working on so stay tuned for news about that. POLICE ATTACK RESIDENTS OF HOOVERVILLE This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

Austin is back again for another episode, this time to discuss narratives around homelessness online. We get into some areas I wasn’t expecting as much but I think was good discussion, we talk some about the background of the interviews I did with Donny, what ethical storytelling might look like, as well as the narratives pushed by short-form videos online. We talk about the wider lens of it all, the idea that cities are dangerous, and how dangerous these narratives are (the federal gov using some as excuses to occupy entire cities). It’s a wide spectrum, and we go through a few videos to break down what is there (and what isn’t). From non-consensual videos of feeding people on the street, to the inherent issues of Soft White Underbelly, to a content creator that just solicits women on the streets, it’s all bad! With a little (no pun) Joe Rogan thrown in on top. I talk about some of my experience of being gawked at and videotaped while in Slab City. (episode picture from a YT video w 17 million views about “dangerous cities”) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

Austin was with me at the dirty kid memorial gathering in New Orleans, and he’s a friend from my days when I was still traveling. He’s a fellow ex-dirty kid, and he is currently working in the non-profit sector in Las Vegas, where he is from, and works on policy around homelessness. Austin talked about his time in the occupy movement, grief for movements, the public grief of those slain by police, and his own personal grief for the recent loss of his father as well as friends who were fellow travelers. We talk about Grant, who Austin was also friends with, and how to remember him. We talk about the different ways we mourn people, how we come together to mourn others, especially those living on the street. We both talk about losing people close to you and not having the space or time or ability to mourn them, when survival of one form or another takes the main slot, and how addiction can play into that. We talk about processing death and needing to have humor, and the necessity of having hope for the future. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

In this episode I interview Dr. TJ Payne, an independent investigator investigating the unsolved murder of 21-year-old trans man Poe Black that happened in Slab City. So far Payne has talked to family and friends and even traveled to the Slab City area to conduct interviews. Poe Black was a young artist who came to Slab City from Tennessee, seeking community and refuge, arriving at the Flamingo camp that is home to queer folk in Slab City. So far, it is unclear how much Poe’s murder was investigated by local police, but pretty clear that it has been lacking. This story stood out to me not only because I lived in Slab City myself, but because it highlights the harm that already marginalized people can face, and the lack of justice that is a system wide issue. Payne is doing the work to make sure that Poe isn’t forgotten and hopefully finds justice. We talk about the investigation, the wider issues it highlights, and what ethical true crime is. You can read the writings of Dr. TJ Payne at their Substack Personally Curious where they have written about the investigation as well as writing about psychology and personality disorders, and more. You can DONATE to the investigation by following this link: Investigation Into the Unsolved Murder of Poe Black | Fundraising by Fractured Atlas This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

Just a short update here, nothing too crazy. Going to be pausing for a minute (not too long) also talking about plans for the future, stuff I’m excited about. Moving away from the weekly episode drops towards my older format of publishing episodes as I made them. A lot of it is contingent on finding interviews and stories I think are worthwhile, and taking a minute to get inspired again and refill my creative gas tank. There are a couple interviews in the works now both of which I am really excited about. Good things to come, including a second person I hope to bring on a bit regularly WE SHALL SEE, MORE TO COME, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING TO THIS YOU’RE ALL AMAZING AND I LOVE YOU f**k the government and may all your sunsets be beautiful This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

In this episode I go into some recent news around homelessness including the shift in the federal department for housing and urban development away from housing first which has been show to work, Trump’s executive order to make it easier to involuntarily commit people on the street, and the 1,300 bed forced labor “accountability center” they are building in Utah where people experiencing homelessness will be interned for arbitrary periods of time. All of this s**t brings up other questions about just what we’re doing anyways when it comes to homelessness, the cancer of capitalism spreading into the public sector, and also a dash of hope for the future. articles: Trump administration overhauls homelessness policy : NPRUtah’s 1,300-bed homelessness “accountability center” tests Trump-era crackdown | NationofChangeDonate to the show This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

Audio in the episode from the memorial itself starts off rough for the first few minutes and then becomes more clear. I traveled down to New Orleans to attend to the annual memorial gathering where people come together to mourn those they lost over the last year. By a stroke of luck I was able to get audio from the gathering from a device that I was carrying that happened to turn on a few minutes before the memorial started and then recorded for an hour after my main device didn’t work. The memorial took place on the banks of the Mississippi river where we took turns taking cardboard gravestones, we had written our friend’s names on and threw them in the fire, while talking about the people we lost. It was a bit chaotic, which is to be expected. Here is a link to pictures of the permanent art memorial sculptures in the same area:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NVecc9oEr7m95yzfIPHsQv_MqWlRswOa?usp=sharingMusic by Robby Lascola (RIP) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

This episode is a lot! I interview Tyler, who lived and grew up in Grand Junction CO and experienced homelessness there, about his experiences and knowledge of the Chicken Whackers. I have also included audio from an interrogation video I FOIAd from Grand Junction Police Department from an older case where a man convicted of a stabbing talks about him being set up and the existence of human sacrifices and ceremonial killers, saying that it is the Chicken Whackers. I include all the research I’ve done over time, and Tyler is actually able to inform me some about the origins of the Chicken Whackers. If this is all gibberish to you, this is in reference to an experience I had in Grand Junction while on the road, one that I was interviewed about on the paranormal podcast Otherworld. I can’t explain everything that happened to me that night, but I believe it involved this group that some say is urban legend—but others personal experience would say otherwise. The rumors are always the same: psychological warfare, rape and sacrificial murder, elaborate stalking, mysterious disappearances. This episode has a lot, including even a story or two from when Tyler was hopping trains and also personal paranormal experiences he has had not directly connected to the Chicken Whackers. This episode is a long one, but I edited it down as much as possible. Happy Halloween.We go over theories, actual events, and stories from other people. Listener discretion advisedHere’s my substack, and you can also donate to the podcast here. Also email me at [email protected] if you have any other tips, or your own experiences.https://www.northerncoloradohistory.com/noco-klan-timeline-1920s/https://95rockfm.com/grand-junctions-melrose-hotel/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

I interviewed Lolo, a former traveler who started the memorial gathering in New Orleans that is attended by people from the nomadic subculture I was part of, frequently referred to as “dirty kids.” A subculture full of train-hoppers, hitchhikers, rubber tramps, you name it. Many people in this community either aged out of foster care, were kicked out of their house for being queer as a teen, ran away from an abusive home, and survived many other adverse experiences to end up as a dirty kid. Usually something happens to make someone homeless, and then they run into dirty kids somewhere like their hometown and hit the road with them. Lolo talks about her own beginnings in this episode and the difficulties of trying to mourn the frequent losses of these makeshift family members that happen on the road. Overdoses are very common. Lolo explains how this inspired her to start the memorial gathering, which I will be driving down to New Orleans to attend and attempt to document with audio and video.Donate to the show here or subscribe at my Substack This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

Grant is the one on the left of the photo attached to this episode—(substack post)I’ve been working on this episode for a while. Originally, I was doing like a “memorial” episode, but instead I am just focusing on the only thing I can anyway, my experience with Grant. So, this is more of maybe an ode to him and the connection we shared than it is an attempt to memorialize his entire life. I was incredibly close with Grant for the 3 years that I spent most of traveling with him. Losing him was incredibly difficult. This episode has memories as well as writings and some poems I wrote shortly after I got off the road, when I was still processing the loss and in a lot of pain. I tried to include just moments with him, snapshots of what it looked like for us on the road, as well as a couple stories. This episode does jump around, you can think of parts of this episode as a kind of collage more than any chronological recounting of our time on the road, though I do cover meeting him of course and losing him. One of the main reasons I’ve been reluctant to share about my own experience of homelessness and moving around is because I felt like I needed to make this episode first, because Grant was the context for my travels, when I met him after the first five months or so of my traveling. I attempt to explain my unique connection to him from life on the road, and it feels as if it all falls a little short, but I tried my best.I end it on the story of us getting arrested and split up in Mexico. Thanks to all who listen.If you want to support the podcast, you can donate to my kofi account, or just subscribe and leave a 5-star review and share with your friends! MUSIC: Poison, by Stick and Poke (attempted cover done by me)Luke OtwellGuitar instrumental under poem: Rolling skies by Ollie_Elmes -- https://freesound.org/s/749660/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

This episode is about my own story, mostly looking back at the end of my traveling, when I got off the road, and then also looking back at the beginning. It is mostly about my time spent in Slab City. I keep forgetting in my effort to interview other people that I have my own story that I still haven’t really shared on the podcast, just kind of referred to it here and there. I hope to share more similar episodes soon. Unlike other episodes, I didn’t write this one out, I essentially just recounted these parts of my life through the perspective I have now. I figured with my trip coming up at the end of October to cover the dirty kid memorial gathering in New Orleans, it was as good a time as any to start looking back at the time in my life when I became part of that nomadic sub-culture. This episode kind of sets the stage for the rest of my time spent traveling. I’ve been reluctant to make episodes about these times because I know I would be mentioning Grant, and I wanted to give him his own episode with high production quality, so I’m back to working on that. All I can really do is talk about my experiences with him, so it will be about my own story but also Grant, because he was there for most of my traveling. I talk about this some in this episode, but I don’t meet him until after this time period. Want to support the show? You can subscribe to my Substack to receive emails when I post a podcast episode or write an article, you can donate to my ko-fi, or also subscribing on your podcast app of choice (apple podcasts, pocket casts, spotify) and leaving a 5-star review helps a lot! Please share with your friends! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

This episode looks at national news around homelessness, from Oklahoma’s sweeps led by the state to the mass shooting at a Minneapolis homeless encampment. I also talk about other violence that I have heard of while doing outreach locally. In this episode I analyze this news and how it is portrayed and debunk claims that I often hear in person and that are perpetuated nation-wide from media and politicians on both sides of the aisle; like the idea that people choose to be homeless, and that they don’t want help. I also look at ideas in America that people need to somehow earn their right to exist, that it is our job to judge whether they are worthy of basic human rights, along with looking into US media’s portrayal of homelessness and total lack of any analysis that looks at systemic issues, always putting the impetus on the individuals. If you want to help support the show you can donate here Thank you so much for listening, a good way to support is to just subscribe on your podcast app of choice, leave a review, and/or share with your friends. Subscribe for free here for more episodes and access to my articles This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

As a continuation of my lil series on the commodification of human connection, we go to the next logical step, which is the automation of the human connection. You don’t even need the human! This is a fascinating interview with anthropologist Isabelle Fioroni from the University of Helsinki who has been doing an ethnography on individuals who use AI for different relationships. We talk about the history of mourning the dead and how we find new ways to do so, including AI versions of past loved ones, about romantic relationships, therapeutical relationships, and more. Her perspective as an anthropologist is fascinating. I think the important thing is to have compassion when looking at these cases, because who can blame anyone in this world for seeking connection wherever they can find it. That being said, we talk about the harms also. I will do another episode on AI that goes more into my own critique and analysis of these technologies as a whole, and looking into people’s more recent spiritual and religious connections to AI. click here to: DONATE TO THE PODCAST The best way to support is to subscribe and rate on your podcast platform of choice, and share with your friends! Thank you all! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

This episode is the first part of a very mini series I’m working on about technology and the commodification of human connection. I decided to do this episode because I wanted to try to define what we’re up against when we try to build community in the real world, and why it is more important than ever. A lot of research and writing went into this, as well as playing a little more with the audio form so I hope it’s a little entertaining.We’re told we’re more connected than ever, at the same time people are more lonely than ever. This is a look at how tech like social media and algorithms have addicted us, isolated us, all while selling the idea that they are actually connecting us. I look at the history of this technology into the modern day and how over time capitalism and monopolization has taken are desire to be together and used it against us, creating a disease of lonliness while at the same time selling us the “cure.” Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: a comprehensive 2023 study by the surgeon general, 72 pages This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

In the intro to this episode, I cover what ICE has been doing on a national level, how what has been happening is unprecedented, etc. If you want to skip to the interview, it starts at 8:30.In this episode I interview Nick about his resistance of ICE with a group of people in Portland. He has been arrested four times, maced, tear-gassed, flash-banged, attacked by counter-protesters, had his phone surveilled. We talk about the differences between what him and his friends are doing and protests like No Kings. We talk about what it has looked like on the ground there, and some of the logistics of a long-term resistance like this. We talk about what it’s like facing brand new ICE recruits, and the other local battles that are happening on the city council level to try to get ICE out of Portland. I think one of the most important take-aways from this is confirmation that we are not powerless, and also the importance of working with other people.HERE IS THE GO FUND ME LINK TO HELP THEM KEEP FIGHTINGAnd here is a link to Nick’s substack where you can find his writing on Accelerated Christian Education as well as videos of what has been going on in Portland. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

Our Streets Collective protested homeless sweeps in Pittsburgh by camping alongside community members experiencing homelessness, after attempted collaboration with the city where they were mostly used for PR. In this episode I interview co-founder Sam Schmidt. They are a mutual aid collective that does not get government funding, or any grants of any kind. They advocate for those in need and help members of their community who are unhoused, incarcerated, or just hungry. “We’re just neighbors … there’s a difference between charity and solidarity,” as Sam says in the interview. They are part of a network of different mutual organizations, and they do a food distribution outside of the local jail to help people coming out, and they have even had people who were in jail do a sock drive for those unhoused. Most of all what they do is exist with the community, they give space and facilitate discussion for people to be able to share their personal experiences, and they fight for people based on those needs and what they are going through at that time. As a collective, they are doing something with and for the community every day of the week. LINK TO YOUTUBE VIDEO OF INTERVIEW“The only metric for success here is the experience of homelessness. So if my people are suffering, then we're going to keep showing up.” -Sam Here is a link to their website’s donation page if you want to help them, as well as their Patreon where you can subscribe and donate to access pieces written by members:Donate — Our Streets Collective Our Streets Collective | A mutual aid collective serving Pittsburgh's poor and unhoused | Patreon This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

Okay this one is a shorter episode with essentially a single topic, you guessed it. Trump said he is deploying the National Guard to DC and has plans to round up Americans experiencing homelessness and send them to an undisclosed locations. In this episode I talk about how the Supreme Court decision last summer is allowing this to happen, and how our good ol’ friend Joseph Lonsdale has been furthering this goal with his Cicero Institute, and the video in which Trump laid this out before he was even elected. Why? AI automation, smaller middle class, bigger wealth gap, larger poverty class, more people on the streets, they have to do something about it. Cheap exploitable labor? We’ll see. Criminalizing the existence of people experiencing homelessness along with Trump’s July executive order that makes it possible to involuntarily commit people has all been working towards this goal. Now ICE is tripling, bringing in new recruits as they get contracts with the military tech company Palantir (Joe Lonsdale co-founder), we didn’t think they would be using ICE on just immigrants did we? More in the latter part of the episode about how corporate media right-wing and left-wing has made things like this even more possible and laid out the authoritarian tools for any f*****g idiot to come along and pick up and use. Whups! Who knew that was the logical conclusion of dehumanizing an entire class of our fellow Americans?2023 Video of Trump on homeless policy:Agenda47: Ending the Nightmare of the Homeless, Drug Addicts, and Dangerously DerangedKlippenstein Nat Guard leak:https://substack.com/home/post/p-170741299Trump signs order to make it easier to remove homeless people : NPRAlec’s Copaganda Newsletter | Alec Karakatsanis | Substack This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

This episode goes off topic a bit here and there (my fault), discussing conspiracy theories and the KKK in Colorado, but mostly it is about Vachel Lindsay, a poet from my hometown who traveled the nation in the early 1900’s without money, trading poetry for room and board. Ian is actually a Vachel Lindsay expert, having been involved with tours at the Vachel Lindsay house since he was 11, as well as featuring in a documentary and other videos/interviews. I happen to be playing Vachel Lindsay in a local short play also. Vachel came up with a concept of the “Church of the Open Sky,” one that accepts all creeds and encourages one to travel far and wide and then come back to their home and put in work to make their own “hearth and neighborhood the most beautiful, the most democratic, and the holiest in the world.” The concept is not about God but the world around you, and for many reasons (some you might guess) I feel a kindred spirit with Vachel, and many of the things he wrote about over a hundred years ago are things I’ve been thinking about when it comes to local community. Here’s a link from a video where coincidentally my sister Rachel (then working for NPR) interviews Ian about Vachel as they tour the house: A Tour Of The Vachel Lindsay House with Ian Winterbauer This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

This is a very exciting episode for me, I talk with Peter Hough, pastor at the Alton Mission in Alton, IL. I found Peter through searching for winter survival practices for people experiencing homelessness and found about the OWL program he helped launch (Overnight Warming Location). But in the first half of the episode he talks about what having a congregation of people in poverty and experiencing homelessness looks like, and also what building community WITH those members looks like. Peter speaks about the difference between the transactional nature of targeting people for a mission or to be fed and instead eating with his congregation. From that simple starting point, he has been able to build community around the Alton Mission. Peter also talks about the difficulties with starting OWLs, and how invoking the religious liberty and tradition of helping the poor helped him convince other pastors to open their doors to people experiencing homelessness on freezing nights. Even then he still struggled with police and the city trying to stop them. The whole conversation is a very inspirational look at what building community in such crucial ways can look like. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

In this episode I talk with my friend Ian (poet/author/monk) about finding community locally. I speak about my own experience with finding community in recovery, and Ian speaks about the moments that led to him to seeking community at our local Buddhist temple. Ian has become involved there, working around the temple, driving monks to other temples for ordination ceremonies, and has received teachings from the Sayado and essentially become an assistant there. Issues with mental health led (along with a strange dream) led Ian there, and we wrap up the episode talking about mental health in our personal lives. Ian also explains the different Thai amulets made and worn by Buddhists (including himself) that can contain different pieces of human material, and how a symbiotic relationship with a ghost works. Please rate, review, subcribe, all that jazz. Find my writings at nowherepod.substack.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

In this episode we discuss recent events like the Bitcoin conference in Vegas attended by JD Vance, the SEC cases dropped on different crypto people and the open season of financial crime in the US, the United Arab Emirates welcoming Trump’s World Liberty Financial crypto company and using it to pass 2 billion dollars through. Also: the Big Busty Bill and how it redistributes wealth to the rich while furthering the authoritarian reach of the government and their ability to control detention centers within our borders. We end with clips from an interview with Peter Theil, co-founder of Palantir, the first and largest military tech company that uses AI and data harvesting as surveillance and has been aiding ICE as well as the IDF in Gaza. He speaks on this and Armageddon, while also not being sure if he even wants the human race to endure. We further this discussion and talk a bit about Theil’s other talks he has given on the Anti-Christ as well as the wider eschatological views of Silicon Valley and powerful religious politicians, including the “Armageddon Lobby” that has supported the state of Israel because it is needed for the final battle of Armageddon, and a cow ranch in Texas that is trying to create the perfect red heifer for a ritual to fulfill a biblical prophecy of the end times. Peter Theil Interviewhttps://www.wired.com/story/as-trumps-family-crypto-business-gains-steam-ethical-concerns-mount/Article by Emile P Torres: https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-endgame-of-edgelord-eschatology/ New theme song is by me using an assortment of free sounds/musicWelcome to Season 2! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

This episode starts off with a background on the ideologies of the far-right tech elite that have gained more and more power in our country, acting out decade’s long plans such as the “Network State.”Joe Lonsdale co-founded Palantir, the Silicon Valley tech company that has countless contracts with the US military and recently used AI to help the IDF automate genocide in Gaza. Lonsdale’s Cicero Institute has affected legislation across America, including the Supreme Court Grant’s Pass decision that removed constitutional protections of homeless people under cruel and unusual punishment. They offer law-makers a cut-and-paste template that takes funding away from housing first initiatives that are shown to work. Cicero-backed laws passed in Kentucky make it easier to involuntarily commit people, as well as extending “Stand your Ground” laws of firearm self-defense to cover people living in homeless camps, which could allow citizens to shoot people experiencing homelessness. Lonsdale’s 8VC firm has investments in private prisons and his Cicero Institute has advocated legislation that allows new private prisons to be built and empowers governors to bypass elected Attorney Generals and appoint their own “Special Prosecutors” to fight “public lawlessness.”First article talked about (not vox): Groups Confront Billionaire’s Institute Pushing Laws Criminalizing Homeless2nd Article: Inside the Right’s War on the Homeless This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

In this episode I interview Nicole, who was in foster care and became homeless at a young age. She was homeless in my local city Springfield, as well as a period of time where she traveled to Memphis and eventually made it back to Illinois. She talks about her struggles with addiction and the services that helped her in Springfield as a young mother, and how she was able to get through nursing school while in transitional housing with her son. We also discussed the stigma of homelessness, camping bans, and how community-based action is needed to help address the issue at hand. Nicole is co-host of the podcast Sunken Press, a podcast based in Alton that has had a focus on local issues including homelessness. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

In this episode I speak with Colleen, who was Donny's fiance and lived with him on the street up to the night when he passed away from freezing temperatures. They were together for 12 years. We talk about how she is doing now, how rough it is trying to survive during the winter, and how she met Donny. We both discuss that there needs to be more done in the wintertime to ensure people have what they need to survive. To support the podcast, subscribe on your app of choice, leave a review, and share with your friends. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

Donny tragically passed away from hypothermia a couple days before receiving housing and getting off the street. This episode revisits some clips from his interviews, and I interview Pastor Steve from the Washington St. Mission, the religious non-profit through which Donny was connected with a case worker that linked him with housing. Pastor Steve performed a memorial service for him, as he does for many others in the community. We talk about other recent deaths and the difficulty of navigating those as part of his job, his interactions with Donny, and more. Listen to the episode titled "Donny" first for his full story from his point of view.SUBSTACK: roaddogs.substack.commusic: Luke Henry on SpotifySupport by sharing this with your friends, leaving a review, and subscribing on your app of choice. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

In this episode I cover the surge of homeless sweeps since the Supreme Court Decision that removed constitutional protection from being criminalized for being homeless. I talk about several different investigations that cover the multimillion-dollar private industry around sweeps in CA and also the deplorable conditions of shelters as well as the aggressive sweeps that even jail people for being homeless. It ends with an interview with the editor of The Challenger Street Newspaper in Austin, TX, and we talk about the importance of building community. Stop the Sweeps Flyer from itsgoingdown.orghttps://www.typeinvestigations.org/investigation/2024/04/16/swept-homeless-sweeps/ Article covering millions in private contracts to carry out sweepsAtlanta City council votes moratorium on sweeps after Cornelius Taylor is killed in a sweepStudies on ineffectiveness of sweepsStudies about sweeps causing more overdoses and deathhttps://calmatters.org/housing/2025/02/california-homeless-shelters-purgatory/ Investigation into California Homeless Sheltershttps://calmatters.org/housing/homelessness/2025/02/california-homeless-encampment-sweeps/ Investigation into Sweeps in CAhttps://projects.propublica.org/homeless-encampment-sweeps-taken-belongings/ Propublica project "Swept Away" documents items lost This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

This episode is about me, my struggles with searching for "freedom," and becoming lost along the way in addiction and relationships. It's essentially a summary of the defining moments of my life leading up to the time I finally left home and society behind for Slab City. This kicked off a 3-year journey of homeless wandering via hitchhiking and living out of different vehicles that would take me all over America, through every state but Utah, and briefly into Canada and Mexico. It's about why I chose to leave behind a life of relative stability for the unknown. Why I chose to live Nowhere. Music in this episode is by Luke Henry and one song by me. If you want to support this podcast please subscribe, rate it and leave a review, and share it with your friends! Title of this episode comes from a 14th century poem by Hafez called "Dropping Keys." This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

In this episode I interview Pepper, who has traveled via freight-train, hitchhiking, vehicle, and bicycle off and on for the last 17 years. He was passing through my town, traveling by bicycle from Wisconsin down to St. Louis. He has struggled with heroin addiction since his early teens, and he shares with brutal honesty about his struggles in the past and recently. He also talks about the trauma that comes from living in and around hard drug use, and about a shooting he was witness to that killed two people and injured one and was reported on globally due to the political implications. He's been based out of Homer, Alaska over the past two years and has spent the past summer (and others) fishing on different vessels. Music used is by Luke Otwell (Luke Henry on spotify). You can follow me at roaddogs.substack.com to read more about my own travels and struggle with addiction and updates on the podcast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

CW: Addiction, Suicide, Childhood TraumaThis episode consists of a series of interviews with Donny, a man from my local community who has been experiencing homelessness over the past six years. He was a union electrician foreman who was injured twice while working on laying fiber optic along a railroad right-of-way, his second injury put him out of work for good. This was the early 2000's, and his doctor prescribed him three 80mg oxycontin daily, the drug pushed by Purdue Pharma that is considered responsible for kicking off the opioid epidemic in the US. We talk about how the medication led to heroin, prison, and homelessness. All music is by Luke Otwell (Luke Henry on spotify) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

Theo is part of a traveling subculture whose way of life is traveling. Living and sleeping outside and traveling with little to no money. I talk to him about he got started traveling, and what the last 4 years of his life on the road has been like. He longboarded hundreds of miles around the US, as well as hopping freight trains. One of those freight train rides was almost his last. Support this show by subscribing, reviewing, and sharing! This show is a labor love. You can also donate at https://ko-fi.com/keeganotwellMusic by Luke Otwell (Luke Henry on Spotify) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com

Welcome to the podcast Nowhere, featuring interviews with people living on the fringes of society, on the road, and those currently homeless, living nowhere. I'm the host Keegan Otwell and I was homeless all over the USA, traveling for three years. You'll hear a little about that, but I'll also be exploring the fringes of the human condition, our spectrum of beliefs, and places where science greets the unknown. Look forward to interviews and episodes about the paranormal, spirituality and new frontiers of science, human connection and AI, and conspiracy theory culture. Humanity in one weird nutshell. I'll be asking some of the biggest questions that have chased us through history, while having a core focus on helping people tell their stories who otherwise might not have a voice.“Nowhere” is a place where reality itself is questionable, where some people live and even die, it is the night sky that throughout history has inspired us to ask the really big questions, who are we? What happens when we die? Why are people still suffering? Why is it so hard to find connection in this hyper-connected world? Where are we now? Nowhere, it is our address in this vast incomprehensible universe that we’re hurtling through right now. It is beautiful, and it is terrifying.Music by my amazing brother, Luke Otwell (Luke Henry on spotify)Check out my Substack Road Dogs to learn more about my personal journey with homelessness, addiction, and recovery.Want to support Nowhere? You can donate to ko-fi.com/keeganotwell to "buy me a coffee." Honestly anything helps, I'm currently doing this solo and purely out of love and passion. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nowherepod.substack.com