This story aired in the May 29, 2025 episode of Crosscurrents.
Lots of unhoused people carry “street names”: Monikers they choose, or are assigned by siblings, classmates, or their “street family” of other unhoused people. Many of these nicknames have a specific story or purpose. And while the concept of a street name is sometimes associated with crime or violence, they can also be about safety, self-esteem, and identity.
This is the third installment of Sidewalk Stories, a collaboration between Crosscurrents and the East Bay’s Street Spirit newspaper where we hear from unhoused people about how they survive and build a life outside.
Sometimes, street names are private, only to be shared with trusted folks in a person’s inner circle. But other times, they are colorful, and out there — and often become the handle by which a person is known by their wider community. This month we hear from unhoused folks in the East Bay about what their street names mean to them.
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Story transcript:
JIMBOW: My street name is Jimbow, uh, it's spelled J. I. M. B. O. W., not B.O., Okay?
CADILLAC: Street name is Cadillac.
REPORTER: And where'd you get that name?
CADILLAC: Way back in the day. Seventies.
D-BONE: De-Bone that’s… You know. It's not my government name, but it's a name that I obtained.
JUDE: I just used my real name. My name is Jude.
REPORTER: And why don't you have a street name?
JUDE: I just never, nobody gave me one.
SUPERSLICK: Well, my street name is Super Slick, but some people call me slim.
SPECIAL K: My street name is Special K.
REPORTER: Why?
SPECIAL K: I got the name playing Pop Warner Football, a coach. We had all our nicknames on the back of our jerseys, but I took the name, it stuck with me. It was something that says, "you successful, you good, you valuable, you strong."
DAVID FRAZIER: Well, my street name is David Frazier, which is my actual name, 'cause I'm a legend.
REPORTER: That’s cause you're a legend, how come some people…
DAVID: Well, because I was a jock in high school and Junior High.
REPORTER: So what's your street name?
SOUND MACHINE: Sound machine.
REPORTER: And why is that?...Okay you’re pulling out a dollar bill and holding it up to your mouth.
SOUND MACHINE: [Uses a dollar bill to mimic the sound of an ambulance driving by]
REPORTER: [Laughs] that is amazing. Where'd you learn that?
SOUND MACHINE: To be honest with ya, I taught myself.
REPORTER: I've heard people refer to you as Mad Marc, or Mad Marc’s castle. Where'd you get that nickname from?
MAD MARC: That nickname? Well, one day I had this motorcycle… I was just, uh, revving my engine and raced up and down the street a couple times and, and then I came over and I opened the beer and gave everybody a beer and he said, he's a madman! We'll call him Madman. And Madman Marc, you know, Madman.
SOUND MACHINE: Ready for a cop car to fly by?
REPORTER: Yeah.
SOUND MACHINE: [Uses his mouth to mimic the sound of a cop car]. Handcuffs. [Mimics the sound of being handcuffed]
MISSION: So, one of my names is Mission and so they know me like in the Haight Ashbury district is Mission…because I'm always in a hurry. I'm always on a mission.
REPORTER: What is the purpose of a street name?
MISSION: So there's a lot of things. Um, one, like I said, if you're not trying to really be seen, sometimes being homeless and traveling is illegal in itself. So it's not like you're really trying to leave like a lot of like trace behind.
I run with a person that is actually like escaping violence. So, you know, it protects her from perhaps being tracked. So, yeah, I can't give away my name because helping her puts her in danger.
DAVID FRAZIER: Some do it to change the name, don't want their name to be out there in the streets, doin what they doin. And then some just do it to because it sounds good to 'em.
SPECIAL K: And so the nickname is something that gives us confidence. It's a alter ego.
I draw power from Special K. Special K protected Kevin. Growing up, when I needed to fight, when I needed to face the hard thing, I called on special K. If I needed to talk to a girl and I was a little intimidated, 'Special K go talk to her.' When I needed to go to class or do the right thing or listen to my mama, I'm Kevin. Period.
