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LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 12.14 59 Greig doesn't like being idle. It bugs the hell out of him. Mama made him like this. She was on the school board in Indianapolis. Mama ensured her three sons would get what the white boys got by working hard for it. His dad worked at the post ofce and on a trash truck for 22 years. Greig's worked since he was 12 years old, frst as a hod carrier for his bricklaying uncle. Has been a barber, concrete pourer, cook. Made $10 per hour as a paid protestor holding those "Shame on You!" signs. (George did this for a while, too.) Spent 25 years in the meat department, the position he's interviewing for now. Greig's father said, "Learn everything you can learn. Once you learn it, nobody can take that away from you." Here's what Greig thinks about changing the world: "You can't change the world. Te world is what it is. What it's going to be. It's fucked up, yeah. But you can't live for the world; you've got to life for yourself. If an individual could change the world, it would have changed long ago." rowing up in Paducah, Tammie was scarred by both her mom and step-mom, aka "step-bitch." Mom would put cigarettes out on Tammie's back. She says the step-bitch horsewhipped her. She even killed Tammie's pet goat, Sugar, had it slaughtered and served for dinner. Gives new meaning to "Please pass the sugar." Tammie married her frst husband at 15 years old to escape the horrors of the house. (Dad signed the papers. It was the '80s, she says. Didn't really matter then.) Later on she met her "shitty" second husband. A bright tattoo of swirling hearts and stars covers scars he left on her arm. Once separated, he stalked her, and eventually she had to get her name changed. See, Tammie used to be Donna. Donna had a four-bedroom double-wide, two acres in Paducah, and four kids, who don't talk to her much anymore. Tammie graduated from vocational school a certifed carpenter. Used to be able to put a stack of shingles on each shoulder and walk roofs fearlessly. But doing this for 20 years messed up her back. She says she has 85 percent slippage, When Tony gets back from the scrapyard, the shopping cart is empty. Yesterday, he and Tammie were walking in Clifton and found some appliances thrown in an alley. Tey stripped the fridge for its wires. Melt wires, you get copper. Tammie says copper goes for $2.50 per pound. Some of the Campbell Camp crew think this is why they had to move. Copper. Two or three people would break into Marshall's Auto Parts on Adams Street, steal junked car parts for copper. Radiators are full of the stuf. Tey think Herman Marshall, the owner, got pissed and complained to District 4 Metro Councilman David Tandy. (Marshall declined to comment for this story.) A Tandy aide says the councilman received many complaints. "Residents in the surrounding area complained about indecent behaviors in the camp," the aide says. R.J. Corman's Rush says LMPD made the company aware of several serious safety incidents that occurred on the property. Lt. Shawn Hensler, of LMPD's frst division, which patrols the waterfront and central business district and deals with the homeless in those areas, addresses resident complaints: "Biohazard everywhere," he says. "Litter and debris." Sometimes big wood chunks or beer cans on the track, which could cause derailment. Hensler says he hasn't had a complaint since the break- up. Sean Burke, the operations supervisor at nearby Tasman's, the hide-processing plant, has seen the campers walking by. He's had stuf stolen from his building, including a $5,000 AC unit, but he can't be sure who did it. Burke can't tell if less has been stolen from him since railroad ofcials broke up the camp. Now he's careful enough not to leave out anything of value. Tony holds up the receipt. Tey all gather around, see how much they earned from the scrap found in Clifton. Te total? $14. reig got the call when he was at Sunday morning's service at nearby St. Joseph Catholic Church. He thought it was Jesus calling. Almost. It was Sam's Club. He put an application in on Friday and already a call. Praise Jesus! Hallelujah! Even though it's on Blankenbaker Parkway, 12 miles away from camp, it's the only place that's contacted. If he gets the job, he'll bike there until he can make money for a bus pass. herniated discs, a crumbling spine. She's 45 and can't lie fat on the cot in her tent. Flat is not an option. Getting a job without a diploma or GED? Also not an option. A co-worker of Tammie and Chris', at the formerly named Paula Deen Bufett inside Horseshoe casino, thought he had sold them a lemon. Te driver's side door was jammed on the Mercury Topaz, so he gave it to them for $500. It ran good for a long time, longer than they expected. Ten the brakes gave out and it cost way too much for the couple to fx it. When they couldn't get to work at Amazon in Shepherdsville, they both lost their jobs. No buses go that far. After losing their apartment in the West End, they got as far as Campbell Camp. Now Chris is in jail. He's at least $25,000 in the child-support hole on a kid that he says isn't his and keeps getting locked up because of it. (He tried to get on Maury in 2000 but says the show's producer said the situation was too complicated.) Te judge says Chris needs a paternity test to prove he's not the biological father. A lawyer representing Chris must stand before a judge and request the test. Chris just wants justice, but he can't aford it. One afternoon after rain, Tammie's packing her bags. Everything is soaking cold. Sadity's now in foster care. Tammie couldn't continue to watch her dog freeze. "When I had a home," Tammie says, "Friday was her bath night. She'd jump in the tub and everything." Tammie even lost the silver "peace and love" ring she'd had for fve years. Somewhere in the mud. She says nobody should live like this. She burns the clothes she can't wash the stink- bug smell out of and shoves the rest in a fuchsia suitcase. Still, she can't get herself to leave. rouble lives next door, at the front half of the camp. In a nook some 100 yards and many tree limbs away are their tents. Camp Spider tries not to associate. Every time Trouble stumbles over, somebody pushes it away. Tammie says Trouble drinks and fghts. Trouble lives next door, at the front half of the camp. Every time Trouble stum- bles over, somebody pushes it away. G G T Continued on page 99