El Paso’s Playful Homeless Man Making a Living with His Banjo

There are some homeless people in El Paso that use their god-given skills to improvise on making some quick cash.

17-years-ago I met a homeless man that made and sold hemp jewelry. He would hang out at the lights by Redd Rd. and Viva Ford. It was 2005 when I bought my hemp bracelet that had a few brown beads with a twisted design around a thick metal wire.

He was only charging $1 for every piece of jewelry he made.

I would still have that hemp bracelet if an ex would have returned it after our breakup. That is another story, for another day.

Another experience I had with a homeless man making a living in El Paso happened by the Circle K off N. Mesa St. and Thunderbird Drive, while I was pumping gas. When I was filling up, he came up to me and started talking about writing and how he enjoys it. He was selling his poetry on crumbled sheets of paper that contained his beautiful words.

Many El Pasoans share their encounters with the homeless around El Paso. I witnessed one of these encounters while I was scrolling through Twitter a local photographer Julian Villagrana captured a homeless man play for some pay.

I have spotted the banjo man walking around downtown with his dog and his moneymaker instrument. I really admire how some homeless people in El Paso try their best to make somewhat of a living.