1500 Followers on Steemit: How We Made it Here While On the Run

In less than a year on the platform, we've reached the milestone of 1500 followers here on Steemit.  The other day we were discussing how long it's been since we've shared any bits of our story, so we're using this post as a reminder to show people how we got here, both on Steemit and in real life.  

As we talked about in our recent Anarchast episode, we crossed the border illegally on the run from the United States governement for cannabis crimes.  There's only so much we can share on that topic during such a short interview and honestly its a mammoth of a topic.  Our first post here on Steemit shares the true and thrilling story of our crossing the Mexican border, now nearly 2 years ago at this point.  It was our 5th anniversary, but we were too freaked out to pay much attention to that fact.

The arrest was a reminder of what was important and due to the general corruption of the gooberment. For example the prosecutor in our case calling us a flight risk and requesting no bail while letting violent people go free. We decided to run for the mexican border rather than face that much time if we decide to fight or 100’s of thousands in fees if we decided to take a plea.

We made a choice that most people just aren't willing to make at the end of the day.  Then we went PUBLIC about it, risking our own personal freedoms once again to share our story, hoping that it hits home to people and gives them the kick they need to get out and get free, before something happens. There is STILL to this day the chance that we could be arrested, deported to face our charges back home. We are still on the run, that hasn't been handled by any means.  We've done our best to tell our story in a way to reduce the chances of that while still being brutally honest about what happened.

So why are we on the run? As many know, just about everything in the United States is illegal at this point, especially things concerning cannabis and it's production. Long story short, we just had a lot of things on us that we weren't supposed to, according to the law books.  We wrote a post awhile back explaining what our charges were and what all of that meant.  

In reality, we were in possession of some items in our car that the government has deemed illegal, either by themselves or in combination with each other.  While we recognized we were traveling with illegal materials, we didn't quite realize we were driving around a car full of felonies. 

The judge who would have been sentencing us is on record saying "YOU COULD HAVE KILLED PEOPLE" to a kid who got 4 years for just one of the charges we had, the assembly of chemicals charge.

We were charged with five felonies each, all concerning cannabis and producing the popular essential oil we lovingly call dabs. 

At the time we weren't aware, but apparently just having butane and cannabis together will get you a Felony 3 for Illegal Assembly of Chemicals.  This law was recently put into effect to go after dab producers and meth cooks, as the other chemicals listed as illegal to have together are all chemicals used to cook meth.  The fucked up thing about that is many of the chemicals used to make meth are common products found in households, so a charge like this could be pegged to anyone that had two or more of those chemicals despite the purpose for them.  With the way this law is written, just having a lighter and weed together could get you this charge, as the law doesn't even specify how much weed or butane you need for the felony charge. 

There was nothing fair about our case.  The assembly of chemicals charge was a new one that they had been exercising to the fullest extent.  I met several women with the meth version of that charge, one of them just for giving a hitchhiker a ride that happened to be carrying a meth lab in their backpack.

It wasn't long after our release from jail before there were talks of heading to the border.  It was clear that they weren't interested in compromising within our case and we didn't have the money to force them to, so we decided to fight with our feet, running to the Mexican border. It was a long shot.

This is the house we took over in Detroit, a place I miss very much.

Prior to our arrest, we had found freedom in Detroit, Michigan in the squatter community known as Fireweed Universe City.  Nestled up against 7 mile on the west side of Detroit, it's literally the free-est place I know of in the United States.  Its the type of place where you can take over an abandoned mansion if you've got the gumption to fix it up and defend it.  I posted this post about How to Live Free in Detroit a long time ago now, sharing photos about the house we took over in our time there and the neighborhood.

Due to the bankrupt government, the citizens are used to living in near anarchy, left to handle problems on their own.  This has caused an extremely interesting dynamic in the now nearly empty crumbed Detroit.  While it's been through a lot, Detroit is actually on the comeup in many ways.   The people live their lives without government, using the golden rule to govern their lives, as the government is too broke and useless to do so.  It's possible to live with no income very easily there, as I found out in my few months there. I feel Detroit is probably one of the best prepared cities in the States for a financial or governmental collapse, as they've already experienced it.  

The first step to living for free in Detroit is to take over a house, like one of the one's pictured above.  You'd have the best luck on W Goldengate or W Robinwood St off of Woodward, as it's the most publicly known and accepted community.  It's the type of place where you can pull up, express interests and get a tour of the nearby abandoned houses in decent condition from existing community members.  I know that's how things were handled when we came to visit and check the place out.  All it takes is finding a place that fits your needs, that happens to be in condition you can handle. 

In this post, I shared details of the house we chose and our entrance into that community.  I didn't realize it at the time, but my time in Detroit was a primer for the freedom I would experience in Mexico.

There's only one place that I might have liked more than living here in Acapulco, and that is none other than the Dirty D, Detroit, Michigan.  I lived off of 7 mile and Woodward, in the now nearly abandoned hood for less than 6 months, but it's the only place in America where I've felt even an ounce of the freedom than I experience here in Acapulco.  The freedom comes from the fact that Detroit is bankrupt, so the people there are getting used to living without government as the government was too broke to function for a long time.

We were sadly robbed of most of our possessions from our house in Detroit while we were held in jail for several weeks without bail. While it is a growing community it's still in the hood, with W Hollywood right next door STILL to this day (most likely) covered in drug dealers and prostitutes.  You leave a house full of stuff unoccupied in a neighborhood USED to people literally abandoning houses full of stuff for a few weeks, it's going to get looted.  And it did.  

We were gone for about 4 weeks with the arrest, the jail time and everything.  Within a week, our house was broken into and everything of value was stolen out of it.  We had friends and neighbors watching the place, but from what we were told it was as soon as those people were gone and busy that we were robbed. From what we can tell, these same "watchers" did a lot of the taking before they left the neighborhood, probably due to the fact that we were returning.  They took everything everything from: computers, to generators, personal belongings, tools, grow equiptment. We don't have a total in terms of how much money was lost in terms of value but we know that it was a lot, basically everything we had. 

Our house looked like many in the neighborhood, only the difference was the personal items, pictures, papers clothes and such strewn about were our items, not some unnamed stranger's.  I will say its a crazy experience adventuring through abandoned houses in the hood and picking through what's left, the remains of the people who once lived there.  It's even crazier when you walk through your own house, and see your things strewn about haphazardly in the same way, without care.  It looked as if we had been gone for months or years, not just a few weeks.

Most people have a preconception of Detroit and what life is like there, just like they do of Mexico.  Actually having lived there, I know the true reality of Detroit.  I see the reality of Mexico every day I live here, and it's not what the news is telling you.  What I've found is both are amazing places full of strong amazing people.  Both places are not without their problems, but I still have yet to hear of ANY nice place on the planet without some problems.  

So while we lost everything to that neighborhood in Detroit, it was due to the arrest and we recognized that.  We kept safe haven in that hood for 6 weeks while on the run and I'm glad we did.  We had the opportunity to stay longer, but supposed better work prospects sent us west to Oregon...where we were stranded. 

 This is easily one of the craziest things we had ever done, just having traveled cross country with a stranger, while on the run, only to be left alone with all of our stuff behind a grocery store.  We were now at the mercy of friends of our contact, who hadn't inspired much confidence in is thus far, considering she wouldn't answer her phone when we needed her most. 

Crash Land into an AnarchoCommune

We knew that Oregon's trimming season was still in session, so we figured there was plenty of time to make some money before heading south to Acapulco.  The intention was never to cross the border with nothing, although we were prepared to if we had to.  We intended on having at least enough money to support ourselves for a little while once getting here. 

People on the west coast really only do business with their friends, wheras on the east coast you might develop friendships with those you do business with.  It's about who you know on the west coast, but you can get a job if you can prove you can do what's required in Detroit without much issue. It's a completely different mindset.  On the east coast, job terms are made clear before you ever start working, including pay.  If your boss isn't happy with you, they send your ass home and find a replacement capable of doing the job for the pay discussed. 

West Coast V East Coast

Long story short, we eventually had to leave that commune with a truck with a blown engine, a puppy and all of our belongings headed for the border.  The plan was to spange our way, that is beg for money.  After interacting with travelers from the West Coast in Detroit, we were under the impression that it was a good place to be a hippy, asking for money and free rides.  Boy we we wrong. 

Acid told me my best route would be what's called crack spanging.  It got the nickname from crackheads, as they've got the confidence to go and ask anyone for money for drugs, supposedly.  It's really just going up to someone giving them your spiel and asking for extra cash.  If you're convincing and they've got it, they'll give it to you.  It's not as easy as it sounds however, especially in today's economy.  Even if you're totally honest and people feel for you, half the time they just don't have it.  Many people opened their wallets expecting to have something for me, only to have literally nothing.

I walked for 9 hours that first day and I made 35 dollars.  I'd heard stories of people making several hundred in just one, so what I was dealing with was discouraging at best. 

John spent the day considering our options.  He priced bikes, bike trailers and bookbags.  At one point we really considered biking to Acapulco and we actually discussed it a bit publicly on facebook with people already here.  There were discussions of having to walk, or swim.  As it stood, we had no vehicle to get us there so we wanted to have all options considered. 

I've heard the saying that the poor give because they understand what it's like to have nothing, and that's true in many cases.  This woman had less to give than many of the people that I asked for money, yet she had done more than anyone else had in that day.  We didn't tell her we were on the run, as we were honestly too scared to. 

Crack Spanging and the Nicest Taco Bell Employee Ever

We got the truck issue handled with a little monetary help, but what's crazy is we purchased it from an ex-cop with an EXTREMELY nosy wife.  We share the whole tale in this post, but long story short there were many things that could have gone wrong with the apprehension of that truck. We got lucky.

While I waited for Tammy, she grilled me.  Evidently, she was a native Mexican and she wanted the specific area we were headed.  I had looked at a map, so I knew Chula Vista was near the border so I told her that.  I didn't realize why she was so anal about it until later.  She got the nickname nosy for a reason.

It was at this time that he mentioned he was a former cop in San Diego, so it wasn't something that should have happened.  He struggled with what to do, as it was technically illegal to sell the truck, but he knew we needed it and he honestly wanted to be done with it. He took us to the house and just copied it.  In the other room, his wife argued with him for almost 15 minutes on how it should be handled.  It seemed he wasn't interested in appeasing her, and she came out to essentially grill us again.  It was bad enough to where Tammy asked "What the fuck was that lady's problem?" when we left. 

And then there's one of my most fondest memories from our on the run adventures, our day with Auntie Tia and her crazy prophecies.  This woman was just a crazy homeless woman in a parking lot in San Diego, and without us telling her anything she had gleamed we were headed to Mexico. We never once told her where we were headed or why we were there, but she seemed to understand a lot. 

Many people are put off by interactions with homeless people, often because those interactions can be uncomfortable for many reasons. Many people don't like being faced with having nothing, as it's really something that is very scary to face.

At a certain point she even gave us a dollar with tears in her eyes, saying she knew we needed it.   She refused to take it back, and that dollar did help us in our journey.

One time she went on a five minute rant about police, ending by saying that the area we were in would be safe at the time from police.

"When you get to Mexico, go to Tecate. That's where I'm from. Teh-Cah-Teh. Remember that. You'll be safe there"

It got so weird that at one point John looked at me as she was wandering around the parking lot, using a palm leaf as a broom, and asked "Did you fucking tell her we're on the run?"

"They'll take care of you down there"

Auntie Tia and the Tecate Prophecy

I will point out that some of the most memorable people we encountered in our dash to the border were Mexicans, which we took as a good omen.  I knew when I was spanging that if I saw a Mexican trucker, to run for him and ask.  I never had one turn me down, even if they only had a few extra dollars to give.  This woman helped us pass one of our most stressful days waiting to cross the border, and I'll forever remember her and her Tecate Prophecy.

We've shared with you the story of our Dabber Dog, Rebel, who's life we saved with cannabis oil twice now.

As soon as the dabs wore off, he was up, throwing up with explosive diahrreah.  The one night we went without dabbing him, he probably threw up over a hundred times.  And when he wasn't puking he was pooping.   Eventually we said "Fuck it" and we started dabbing him.  He stopped throwing up, then eventually relaxed as he received more and more until he slept comfortably.  We kept him dabbed and while he'd wake up to eat and drink, for most part he slept.  

We got him in Oregon, bringing him over the border, through Mexico all the way here to Acapulco.  As we speak, he's in trouble for running off to play with street dogs.  Such is the life of a Rebel Dog, the unvaccinated, unlicensed anarchist pup. 

Since making it to Acapulco, we've been working hard starting businesses to both survive and thrive in our newly freed lives.  Eventually, last August, we got on Steemit where we could really start sharing our tale.  Since then, we've posted everything from recipes to information on life here as well as our story, doing our best to give you all a well rounded view of things here.

Last February, John and I drove all the way down the coast through Mexico from Tijuana to get to Acapulco, much to the surprise of many mexicans we encountered along the way.

Every night on our journey through Mexico, we camped on the side of the road.  Sometimes, we had the opportunity to pull off of the road for a little bit, but generally we were literally on the side of the road.  We never had a problem, and were only encountered by the police once. 

20 Things to Consider When Driving Through Mexico

We mentioned in our recent 

 that we were nearly hit by a train on the way to Acapulco, and that's the truth.  We were saved by an ambulance with a bunch of Mexicans in it of all things, in the scary Sonora desert.

As we drove only a total of 5 minute after getting off the tracks , John noticed a light far off on the tracks heading our direction."Is that what I think it is?!!" he exclaimed. I was in disbelief and determined it wasn't because I was trusting what the nice mexicans in the ambulance told me. I also didn't want to accept how close we were to losing everything.  "Maybe its a truck, coming to investigate what's stuck on the tracks" I offered, really hoping it was the case.  As we moved closer however, it became clear that it was a cargo train, headed right for where we were parked on the tracks.  Had we not been helped by those mexicans at the time that we did, our truck and everything that we owned in it probably would have been destroyed and we both would have been stranded with no food, no car and no money.    

They managed to get in front of us once before this, only for us to swerve around and speed away.  This time they stopped, got out and started running towards the car.  John immediatly threw the truck in reverse and squealed his tires, backing up.  I've always wanted to flick off a cop, so I did.  According to our english friend who was with us, the fat one noticed and smiled, as he chased us down the street. He probably reversed for more than 1000 feet down that side street, dodging cars parked on either side of the street.

Don't Stop for Cops!

I could go on and on to share old posts but I think you get the gist for now.  In the days to follow, I'm going to make dedicated posts to reshare our older posts with our newer followers.  Part of our success here comes from the fact that we've got a hell of a true story to tell that is our lives and we're brave enough to do it even though we face prison time. 

The fact is we could have come here and started over, to live a quiet life with new identities with much less chance of apprehension by the authorities.  We made the decision to go public long before we ever crossed the border, although we waited until we were here before we did. 

So stay tuned for flashbacks as well as more posts sharing where we're at now, nearly two years since we were first arrested and charged with felonies for a victimless crime.  

Thanks for following and supporting, until next time!