I used to work in public housing. Crack addicts are a breed all their own. I was the carpenter, and my job was to go in after they were either evicted or left the property. You cannot imagine the sights I have seen. Some houses look as if they just got up and left for the store and never came back. My concern was what happened to the kids?? Three/four bedroom house has to have kids. Open the refrigerator if you dare. NO one opened the refrigerator, we ducked taped that joker shut and moved it outside.

There was one horrible job that my manager refused to put me on. I can't tell you what was in that apartment, but the other two apartments had to be relocated due to health concerns.

Need I say my manager liked me? LOL! ONLY because I was one of his best workers and did things to make him look good.

Clothes, furniture, TV's, all left behind because of crack. There would be signs that told the story, crack containers all over the place, they were called 'caps'. I would open draws in the kitchen and they would be filled with caps, one gallon jugs filled with these tiny caps in all different colors. Weird stuff.

Once I went into a house with the people there and realized that it was a dangerous place, so I got out my drill and did a complete lockset (installed a dead bolt on the front door) in less than five minutes.

Another time I went to this apartment building, 2nd floor unit to patch holes in the walls. The man opened the door, I stepped in and my jaw dropped. I thought it would be a few holes. There were holes all over the place, in every room, on both floors. This was a new renovated apartment, there shouldn't have been any holes in the walls. I was alarmed that I was there by myself with a nut on drugs and this was before cell phones. I drove back to my shop and told my manager the situation, he said it was nothing he could do because the request came from downtown, and I had to do it. Okay I said to myself they don't believe me that this joker is crazy.

I returned with a sheet of drywall and a 5 gal container of compound to patch the holes. I made about 30 painter's patches, and patched about another 30 smaller holes.   All the while this joker was talking to me about the 'voices' that talk to him at night and won't let him sleep. Geez.

I made this joker my 'friend' and told him that if they start talking to him that night he has to let them out! That I was sealing them up in the walls and I understand how they can get on his nerves. But if he lets them out they will leave. Why did I tell him that???????

Fast forward one week.........the ENTIRE contents of ALL three apartments was in the back yard. The building was stripped down to the bricks inside, all the kitchen cabinets, staircase, doors, sinks, toilets, bathtubs, windows, EVERYTHING was in the back yard. The two other tenants in the building also tried to inform the office of the goings on and they ignored them, so they moved. They had to because the joker started to dismantle their apartments while they were still living there!!

I was requested to return to the apartment to secure the building, the manager from downtown that insisted that I go back to that apartment alone was there visibly upset. LOL!!! I was shocked that someone on drugs could work that hard and do that much work in one week!!!!

It costs nearly 350,000.00 to repair the damages. End of story. I have a load of stories that are so funny!!!