David Ross, one of the founders of M.O.V.V. (Men of Vision and Valor) has worked hard the last few days on the case of Terry Price. Rumors were rampant on the street that he had died. Through the help of the homeless we were able to locate Terry’s backpack. David and I searched it and found some names. We called in to Chrissa and she started finding phone numbers for the names.
I started calling. One name led me to his sister. She was not aware that her bother had been injured. As you can imagine she really went through a hard time trying to find him and not knowing if he was even alive.
A man who heard someone calling for help found Terry in the river. We reported that two children found Terry but further investigation discovered it was by their father. There was so much speculation. No one knew where he was and rumor spread that he had died. That’s when we dispatched a team to find him and the truth.
David Ross was quickly recruited and the search began. Terry’s friends kept stopping us on the street for any news we had. The hospitals couldn’t confirm or deny that he was or had been in their facilities. Hippa laws would not allow that. Mean while the search continued at any means possible. Many sources were called and some offered “off the record” information.
We soon had Terry tracked down to a hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. As plans were underway to find more information, Terry appeared back in Martinsburg with a broken neck, broken back, split sternum, and other injuries. Some people were in tears when they saw him.
I told him I had been working with his sister and I was sure she wanted to talk with him. I dialed the number and told her I had someone with me that wanted to talk to her. I handed him the phone and gave him some time alone. There were tears in his eyes when he handed the phone back. He told me his sister was sending money for him to go back to Washington DC so he could be with her.
A few minutes later his mother called my phone. She wanted any news I could give her. I could feel the pain of a mother that was desperately trying to find information on her son. She didn’t know what to say when I told her that he was right beside me. I handed him the phone again. After speaking with her he looked at me, “My mother said ‘Thank you’,” he said.
One of the few joys of this job is seeing a relieved mother and a happy sister who are finally able to rest.
Peace in a family once again.
A small crowd had gathered to see if it really was Terry. The homeless tried to hug him. Some cried. David Ross pulled up. “I’m going home! It was close Dave,” he said as David approached. Dave talked to him from the book of Psalms: Coming up out of a pit, putting him on solid ground. Terry listened and agreed. “I’m having nightmares every night about this fall,” he confided in David.
I know Terry will be okay. He is returning to his family and he has David Ross to help him. This is good news for Terry. The local homeless community will miss him. They will miss his smile, his encouragement, and his compassion.
This story has ended on a happy note, but this project has not been an easy one. I would like to take a moment to set the record straight on some things about this film. I have been asked and sometimes even mocked about when the film will be finished. This is a very complicated story. It is a national story that requires a lot of research and travel. It takes time to follow all the leads. Time is money.
We have gone broke several times. So far we have financed this project out of our own pockets with the exception of a two investors and one license agreement. I have worked and lived with the homeless over the last two years. All of my money and savings has been invested into it. I work seven days a week and on many weeks have worked over seventy hours.
I don’t mind that people think I’m crazy – maybe I am. I just am tired of being told I’m not doing it right or I’m not doing enough. I have been advised to step back and stop moving the story in the direction it is heading. I guess I may have lived too close to the flame but I do believe that we can do better. I do believe that every homeless person deserves help. Meanwhile the homeless are still hungry and in need.
I have reduced our monthly cost on this film to $7,000. That may seem like a lot, but remember we are recording a complete stand-alone CD album. We are writing a complete stand-alone book and we are filming nationwide. Besides we only have about two more months to go.
So what have I done? Why am I not finished yet? Well, I have shot this film, oversaw the contracts, oversaw the music production, wrote a book, travelled the nation, researched the issue, shot the stills for a gallery exhibition, met and lived with the homeless, and many more small tasks. How much is the outside investor amount? $3,500
I know I might appear to be upset, but it’s hard to witness the hardships that the homeless go through knowing that much of it we could end immediately. People are dying out here. Can we go back and say the same thing we have been saying for years? “Soon we will have a cold weather shelter,” “Soon this will be fixed,” “Soon you will be treated fairly.” Soon, soon, soon…
I believe that if you could see the homeless in this condition it would change your mind.
I think a homeless man who was interviewed while Terry was still missing, summed it up best when he stated: “It’s messed up Jeff and you know it is! I’m so sick of it, I’m so sick of the **** rhetoric of we’re going to do this or we’re going to do that and nothing is being done. Or we got a plan for this. How many more people have got to die before someone says there is a problem?”
Listen to the conversation here: interview
*Warning! This clip is unedited for content. It does contain offensive language.
Here is what I know –
1. People don’t always survive this. People die out here.
2. The public needs to be educated about this issue.
That is where the film comes in. Am I doing this to win an Academy Award? No. This film does not even qualify for nomination. Why have I put everything in this? All my money and time? Because my camera is the voice of those oppressed. I am not God’s gift to the homeless. I am not their savior. I am just an average Joe letting them tell their story to my pen and camera. The film and book are their voice. The voice that will reach mass audiences. The voice that changes things and saves lives!
I need your help. If you would like to donate to this worthy case you can do so by clicking on the Donate button on the top right of our blog. If you can volunteer email me at filmmaker90266@yahoo.com. If you can invest in a Limited Partnership call me for details at 304-676-4200 or McCoy@oceangateentertainment.com. Investors recover their money first, then it’s a 50/50 split between investors and the production company. If you can help raise the funds needed to finish this project or would like to work as or with a producer contact Ryan at rhardy@oceangateentertainment.com.
We can make a difference.
7.21.10
DJ McCoy
