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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 2013)
Street roots 14 Oct. 11, 2013 The Brahma Bull BY LEO RHODES and I spent one summer with them. C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N I S T When I moved in, the first thing I noticed was adopted at a young age, yet I still in my father’s house was a big beautiful remember my adopted parents telling glass Brahma bull statue. I soon got two , me they were my new parents. Then jobs and started meeting my biological asking if it was OK, I family. Meeting them and my father answered, “yes.” They answered a lot of my questions, even ones I were pleased; next hadn’t thought of before. During dinner and they told me I could after, the three of us (grandfather, father, change my name if I and me) would talk about my life. Leo Rhodes wanted to. They gave Sometimes my father would talk about me some examples of family history. One night he started talking other names I might about how he and my grandfather were be interested in. When they finished I told cowboys. He talked about taking care of the cattle them I didn’t want to change my name. and camping under the stars. I sat there They kept at it. This time I didn’t wait until they stopped. I interrupted them and listening to his stories, and then started looking around. I focused on the oil lantern sternly said, “No my name is Leo and that’s with its faint hissing sound and soft glow. what it’s going to be.” My parents looked at My father didn’t make very much money, so me shocked, and then started laughing a he used the lanterns for light. I smiled to little. Then my mom said, “OK, what about myself as I thought how fitting it was; it kind your middle name, Francis.” I quickly of set the mood for the stories my father replied, “I wanted to change it.” Both was talking about. Soon my father started parents looked at me deeply. My mom telling me about herding cattle. All of a asked, “Why?” I said, “Francis is a girl’s name and I don’t want a girl’s name.” With a sudden his eyes lit up, “When the cattle get spooked by a rattlesnake there’s no concerned look on her face my mom calmly stopping the stampede and you have to ride explained that Francis was my grandfather’s it out.” He acted like he was on a horse, name, and he was a cowboy and rodeo reins in hand, standing in stirrups, leaning clown: a real tough guy. forward, and whipping his horse, left, then My mom tried a few more times to right, back and forth. “YEE HAW!” he change my mind, but I stuck to my guns and exclaimed loudly. I started laughing at him. she finally gave in. “OK what do you want to Then I noticed my grandfather looking at change your name to?” she asked me. the Brahma statue, like he was in a deep Without skipping a beat I replied, hypnotic state. I started to focus on the “Matthew.” Both parents started to think statue. My father’s voice started to fade. I about it. My mom started mumbling, “Leo felt a light touch on my arm. I turned to face Matthew Rhodes.” She said it a few times my father and he stood there smiling then looked at my dad. “What do you proudly. I smiled back at him. I smiled was think?” she asked him. He thought about it because my father, grandfather and I all a little and said, “Sounds OK. Leo Matthew have the same smile with dimples. Rhodes. Yeah, sure.” Calmly my father told r^e, he and his two My mom turned to face me with a sisters gave my grandfather that statue on puzzled look, she asked, “Why Matthew?” I his birthday. Then he said, “You know he smiled at her then said, “That’s my best was a rodeo clown?” I had forgotten what friend’s name. Matthew.” Of course, we had my mom had told me years before. My to tell Matthew’s parents. His mom father told me my grandfather was famous. screamed with delight then came to me and People came from all around to watch him. gave me a big hug and kissed me on the I looked at my grandfather, he never cheek. When she told Matthew, he looked moved, he just kept looking at the statue. very uncomfortable; he didn’t know what to My father went on to say, “What the crowd do or say. It was kind of awkward. I mean, wanted to see was your grandfather’s trick, we were just kids; we were in preschool or which was, as the bull was charging toward kindergarten. your grandfather, your grandfather would Growing up was very hard. Knowing I was adopted, it was like I was stuck between run toward the bull. The bull’s head would be down and just before the bull picked his two worlds. So I told myself one day I would head up your grandfather would jump on seek out my biological family and spend the back of the bull’s neck. Then he would time with them. I knew that would answer run down the bull’s back and do a flip off some of my questions. Eventually, I found the back of the bull. Just before he landed my father and grandfather, living together, I ^ Leo Rhodes is a street activist and homeless advocate. He is also a vendor with Street Roots a nd a regular conributer to the newspaper. on his feet, he would grab the bull’s tail. So when he landed on his feet the bull would be pulling him and he would be waving to the crowd. Your grandfather almost made the big circuit. He was real close when a white cowboy made the trick famous and claimed he started it.” My father also told me that someone wrote a book about him. My grandfather s nickname was “The Arizona Kid,” which was also the name of the book. To this day, I still haven’t jound it. My father continued, “Then some time later your grandfather was on his favorite horse when a drunk ran into both of them with his car. Killed the horse and paralyzed your grandfather.” I didn’t know what to say. All of us just stared at the statue. A few months later my father’s house was broken into. The first thing that I noticed was the Brahma bull statue was missing. Things were thrown all around. They really trashed the place. I went to my drawer where I had stashed some money. I was shocked it was all there. About that time my father came in, he asked, “What happened?” “Somebody broke in” I told him. He started taking inventory then asked about my stuff. I told him my stuff wasn’t touched. He looked at me real quick, stood there thinking about it then said, “OK.” My father called the cops and filled out the paperwork. A few weeks later my father and I were at a dump and saw the Brahma statue all broken up. For years I’ve been talking about the hardships of homelessness, the struggle to survive in the weather, and getting one’s life together. Sometimes, they find work and others have to deal with emotional problems. With those big struggles some seek shelter, and others find comfort in a tent, away from everybody and everything. Then all of a sudden their stuff is taken or trashed. Pissed, the homeless person has to start all over again. The homeless know they can’t call the cops, because it’s the cops or the Department of Transportation that either stored or threw their stuff in the dumpster. This happens all over, enabling homelessness. With not enough affordable housing or shelter, where is the justice for the homeless person? Over the years a few of my friends’ houses have been broken into, and some of them got their stuff back. Watching the news, I see other peoples places being broken into. They call the cops. Some get their stuff back, others are still waiting, but all are grateful believing they’ll get justice. « % ... to the health care you know and trust. 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