{"id":20037,"date":"2023-05-18T12:24:28","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T20:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/?p=20037"},"modified":"2023-05-18T12:24:52","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T20:24:52","slug":"bring-love-to-monmouth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/bring-love-to-monmouth\/","title":{"rendered":"Bring love to Monmouth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by. Jude Bokovoy<\/span><\/p>\n

Tyrone Spates, known as the \u201cJesus loves you guy,\u201d is one of Monmouth\u2019s newest residents. Standing on the four-way intersection connecting Monmouth Avenue and Highway 99, Spates proudly wears neon clothing and shirts that read \u201cJesus Loves You,\u201d as he dances and waves for residents to honk and smile at.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Q:<\/b> What\u2019s your full name and mission?<\/b><\/p>\n

A:<\/b> Tyrone Spates, just to let people know Jesus loves you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: How long have you been in Oregon, where else have you lived?<\/b><\/p>\n

A:<\/b> I\u2019m from Memphis, Tennessee, and I\u2019ve been here three years \u2014 Salem and here.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: How long have you been doing this?<\/b><\/p>\n

A:<\/b> For three years \u2014 since I got here.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: What inspired you to do this?<\/b><\/p>\n

A:<\/b> I was in prison. I got in the wrong car, and I get 23 years in the penitentiary. And I had open heart surgery\u2026 April 8, I didn\u2019t eat, sleep or take a dump for two weeks. So you know I was in bad shape. I picked up the bible, and I went right to Matthew 7:7 and guess what it says; \u2018ask Tyrone and it will be given, seek Tyrone and you will find, knock and the door will open onto you\u2019. I said \u201cLord, don’t let me down here.\u201d And when I called Him, the mic camera said \u2018special report to medical.\u2019 When I called Him, they called me (in). When I called, he came runnin\u2019 for real. And when I got out of prison, I said Imma tell everybody to the end of the world, that You (Jesus) loves me, and you love them too. And that\u2019s what got me doin\u2019 what I do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: What is your goal later in life?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

A:<\/b> Well, I was homeless for three years. I got me a housing voucher in six months and I couldn\u2019t find no where to go with my voucher. It\u2019s like (having) winning a lottery ticket but can\u2019t cash it in. Lord told me go call Miss Capi Lynn. She works for the Salem Journal newspaper. She\u2019s my angel, my brother said \u2018she\u2019s your vessel.\u2019 God used her for a vessel and got me off the street. February 15th my voucher was over with, I called Miss Capi, she said \u201cbaby we\u2019re going to do something about this.\u201d She got me right here right now. I stay right there (proudly stating his address) and I got a housing voucher. The whole house is functional, everything been given to me, brand new. And everybody ain’t giving this to the homeless. My mission is to get me something like a food truck to feed the homeless. It\u2019s (there\u2019s) not homeless in Monmouth, but they homeless in Salem. There\u2019s a lot of homeless people in Salem, up on the bridges. So I go where people don\u2019t even go, where churches don\u2019t go. See people using drugs, they need help. I pass out sacks of food, peanut butter sandwich, a bag of chips, a cake and a water bottle. That will go a long ways when you’re homeless. I understand, I used to get it myself, I know how much it would help a person out. I try to do it everyday, I try to record myself doin\u2019 it, but it\u2019s hard when your passin\u2019 out a sack lunch and trying to record myself and do all that at one time. So I just pass out and only let God bless me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: How do you know Miss Capi?<\/b><\/p>\n

A:<\/b> I used to stand outside the Salem Journal for six hours every day and wave at traffic. And I was just doin\u2019 it everyday. I just love to do it. She said can I tell your story? I said sure. She put me on the front of the newspaper. There was a big ol\u2019 article about me. She just told everything about me you know. You know I told her about you, (Spates told Capi). I\u2019m going to make sure she puts in that you’re my angel, you\u2019re going to be in the paper too ma\u2019am. I told her last night that I was going to meet you today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: What\u2019s your newest blessing?<\/b><\/p>\n

A:<\/b> Now He blessed me over here at the Chicken House (Kentucky Fried Chicken). I put the application in, she said Tyrone you got the job. From 4:30 p.m. they close at 9:30 p.m. so I don\u2019t know what time I get off. Today\u2019s my first day of work. I\u2019m a dishwasher so I\u2019ve got to watch a tape and then wash the dishes. <\/span>It’s been 26 years since I\u2019ve had a job. So I don\u2019t know how it\u2019s gon\u2019 go, I really don\u2019t even know. I can\u2019t wait to get up there, my brother said \u201clet your first impression be your best impression.\u201d So I\u2019m going to try that, go with all black on (unlike his typical neon attire accompanied with a Jesus Loves You shirt). I<\/span> wasn\u2019t getting nothing out here at first. I was just waving, people give me donations sometimes. I sell Jesus Loves You shirts, I ain\u2019t got no more shirts because my funds have had ran out. So when I get some funds I\u2019ll sell more Jesus Loves You Shirts. I give a lot to small kids to inspire them to tell your mothers you love them. My mama held me by the hands. She said son I love you and kissed me. Six hours later she was in the hospital, she had a blood clot in her stomach and she died. I never got the chance to tell her that I love her, and it hurts me everyday. That\u2019s something I\u2019ll hold for the rest of my life. She told me that, but I never got the chance to tell her that. I tell everybody, tell your mother you love her, cause look to your right, look to your left, somebody won\u2019t be there in a minute. People don\u2019t like when I talk like that, but that’s the truth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: What inspired you to sell T-shirts and what colors do you provide?<\/b><\/p>\n

A: <\/b>Well, I can get any color you want. But they say I got to get with the program I got to get black and gold, yella, I want to get all the colors this week. I got size small to a 4x. For $20, and I make $6 off a shirt (0.30% profit) when I sell them. I love standin\u2019 out there and makin\u2019 people smile. I turn your frown into a smile. It takes so many muscles to frown, your whole face stressin\u2019 out. You\u2019ll live longer (if you smile) for real. He (God) ended up blessing the (t-shirt) business. All the blessings delayed, not a blessing denied. So if you’re asking for something and He hasn\u2019t given it to you, just wait he gon give it to you. It took him three years to give me mines. I\u2019d been homeless for three years, my brother said \u201ccome back here\u201d I said \u2018I can\u2019t go back this is my home.\u2019 If I come back down there in six months, real talk I\u2019d probably be dead \u2014 Memphis is warzone for real. I\u2019m so glad to be down here. I can take a walk around. In Memphis, when you park your car to fill up for gas, they jack. So when you fill it up, they take the car. I can\u2019t go home, this is my home up here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: I heard that The Sippery is going to sell your shirts, is that true?<\/b><\/p>\n

A:<\/b> Yes! I\u2019ve got to say something about her too. I sold the lady a shirt in a big ol\u2019 black truck one day. The next morning she called me and said this lady right here Tyrone, she wants to meet you. And you know I didn\u2019t know. She said \u201cI own The Sippery honey you can come into my place and sell your shirts.\u201d I said what? She said \u201cyeah.\u201d I didn\u2019t want to miss it because I want her in the paper too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Do you like it when people honk at you?<\/b><\/p>\n

A:<\/b> I love it. It\u2019s different here than in Salem. Why I say that, is \u2018cause in Salem, if you have an old white man and you an old white woman, she\u2019s got to ask her husband. I watch them, she asks can I wave at him? He say yeah, she goes crazy. But down here, mhm, they don\u2019t do none of that. They wavin\u2019 off the top, it\u2019s different around here. It don\u2019t take a lot to make me happy. You know sometimes it takes cars, money, not me. I just see people smilin\u2019 and I\u2019m happy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Q: Do you see yourself stopping at some point?<\/b><\/p>\n

A:<\/b> Yep He\u2019ll (Jesus) be back in a minute. Imma stop when he gets back. It ain’t much longer of me doin\u2019 this, no talk, real talk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n



<\/p>\n

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu<\/span><\/p>\n




















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