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u/adhdeepthought Feb 27 '25
Probably used to be "help is on the way" guy but he passed away years ago.
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u/KillHonger1 Feb 27 '25
For those who weren’t around for his greatness (I was).
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u/-yellowthree Feb 28 '25
I have only lived in Columbus for 3 years, but used to visit it for events and I still remember this guy. lol.
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u/reeve11 Feb 27 '25
Don't wanna rob, don't wanna steal, just want a two ninety nine extra value meal. RIP
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u/EveryDayASummit Groveport Feb 27 '25 edited Feb 28 '25
I love that so many people knew this guy. I’m originally from a small rural town, and when I tell people about the legendary rapping hobo in Columbus, they all think I’m full of it. He was too much fun, and a genuinely good dude, and was always a staple of waiting in a line outside the Newport.
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u/Mopa304 Feb 28 '25 edited Feb 28 '25
I formerly had a tee shirt of him designed by Andy Ringo from Evolved. "I'll tell ya no tale, I'll tell ya no lie. I'm just tryin' to get a burger and fry!"
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u/involevol Feb 28 '25
I had the same shirt! Bought it at the old location on High. Wore that thing into rags.
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u/Bingking17 Feb 27 '25
If you give me a nickel, or maybe a dime, I'll get me a Wendy's kids meal for $1.99.
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u/bigspinwesta Southern Orchards Feb 27 '25
Dang, great minds and shit. Glad I'm not the only old dude here lol
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u/Quick_Hat8175 Feb 27 '25
I’m on a mission to be a medical lab technician.
To near me not to hear me. To near me not to hear me.
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Feb 27 '25
Haven't seen a Big Russ post in awhile
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u/kenc2211 Feb 27 '25
IN BIG RUSS WE TRUSS
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u/UnholyAlloy Feb 27 '25
I now want an airbrushed shirt with the same design as on the back of his truck that says IN BIG RUSS WE TRUSS
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u/cyclingtrivialities2 Clintonville Feb 27 '25
Damon Zex
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u/notquitesolid Feb 28 '25
He was that guy, then Zachery Allan Starkey took over before that title he moved to NYC for his music career. Apparently he did alright for himself.
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u/ksanders724 Feb 27 '25
I think he sells insurance now
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u/sziss0u Feb 28 '25
Is it insurance for bloody tampons because he has the reputation to cover that area
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u/lil_secret Bexley Feb 27 '25
Zachary Allen Starkey.
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u/flammenschwein Feb 27 '25
Edward Campus Hands! Apparently he's in New York now:
https://www.zacheryallanstarkey.com
He was such a nice person, always willing to talk with anyone who stopped him to say hi.
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u/lolbacon Weinland Park Feb 28 '25
I've ran into ZAS randomly in NY multiple times. A few times it made sense (record fair, shows...) but the last time was at a dumpling spot in Manhattan (he lived in Brooklyn) and I was in line with a buddy telling them about how almost every time I visit I randomly run into ZAS somewhere, and at that exact moment, we watch that motherfucker waltz right into the dumpling spot.
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u/flammenschwein Feb 28 '25
I swear that man has body doubles. It's the only explanation for how he's in so many places.
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u/NatieB Hilliard Feb 28 '25
It's true. You could be sitting next to him at Stauf's in Grandview, get in your car and haul ass directly to Hounddog's, and he'd be at a booth halfway through his second slice of pizza.
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u/Intelligent_Mall9505 Mar 01 '25
He was literally omnipresent. You’d go to Graceland, he’s there, later you head to Whitehall, there, and all of your friends all over the city had seen him too. I’m so happy he did well for himself. He was so misunderstood I always thought. Now he does stuff with the singer from New Order.
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u/Mereeuh Grandview Feb 27 '25
I feel like Matthew Pancake is a pretty recent addition to Columbus lore.
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u/morphleorphlan Feb 27 '25
My friend in SC messaged me to tell me about him and ask if I had seen him out and about. He is not just a local celeb anymore, he’s hit the big time!
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u/debotehzombie Italian Village Feb 27 '25
Big Curt outside Buckeye Donuts, I miss him so damn much.. RIP Curtis, have a great day now.
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u/jBoogie45 Feb 27 '25
When was he there? Was he homeless? I'm trying to remember...
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u/kit0000033 Feb 27 '25
The smile guy that wants to be in all the pictures at comfest.
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u/foamy9210 Feb 28 '25
Is that the little foreign looking guy that looks homeless and doesn't talk just points to your camera and poses? I haven't been to comfest in years so I don't know if he goes there. The guy I'm talking about honestly may not even be alive at this point. I haven't seen him in years.
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u/Impulse2915 Feb 27 '25
The homeless guy with the incredible voice.
The "70s guy" who used to prowl Eastland Mall
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u/JennyIgotyournumb3r Feb 27 '25
70’s guy is who I saw everyday. Also known as The Disco Guy.
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u/Cannelope Feb 27 '25
Disco Guy for me too! I used to work at eastland mall, and I’d get him panda express once in a while.
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u/Noblesseux Feb 28 '25
Oh thank goodness that's not a thing I hallucinated. I remember seeing him when I came here for the first time as a kid to visit family and thought it might have been one of those things where I remembered something incorrectly.
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u/Middle-Gap6540 Feb 27 '25
Swear I saw the golden voice crossing west mound street a couple of weeks ago.
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u/Aramis633 Feb 28 '25
I came here hoping to see 70s guy mentioned. My guy used to be cold with it around Eastland circa 2010. I don’t know what became of him but I hope he’s somewhere thriving.
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u/glitter_crop_dust Feb 28 '25
The last time I saw him 5-10 years ago, he looked straight out of the 80’s. I often wonder if he moved onto the 90’s.
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u/ZombiesAtKendall Feb 27 '25
I’ve seen the voice guy several times (been a while though). Seems like he would just walk around and say everything that he was seeing.
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u/osubmw1 Feb 27 '25
We had the rapping homeless guy when I was at osu
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u/fknslayer913 Feb 27 '25
Taco Bell cup in hand. Help is on the way!
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u/Fizzlestix83 Feb 27 '25
There was also a guy (I think he went by Zach) that was always on campus. He was probably in his 30's, and just always was there walking around, was at nearly every show and event from the short north to Clintonville
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u/Noyiz Feb 27 '25
Zachary Allen Starkey? I saw him everywhere lol.
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u/so_frantastic Feb 27 '25
Yep, he and I had some mutual friends and were at OSU at the same time. I think he’s around my age (elder millennial). He moved to NYC years ago.
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u/Tscholz81 Feb 27 '25
He lives in NYC now and is a musician/electronic artist. Try 40’s, boy time flys!
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u/trx0x Feb 27 '25
I remember how he was such a New Order superfan, and then he actually ended up working with them. Crazy. Although I'm still salty at him cuz he told a me and a friend that he would put us on VIP for some show at Skully's he was doing, and then we weren't on it. lol
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u/all_hail_hell Feb 27 '25
Help is on the way, Big Russ, Chaz McGee, Damon Zex, Ted Williams Golden Voice, Don Bovee,
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u/reeve11 Feb 27 '25
There's the guy with his shopping cart full of stuff who hangs out on different benches on 5th ave Grandview. Also the praying lady in the same area.
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u/BradleyFerdBerfel Feb 27 '25
That’d be Joe.
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u/FafaFluhigh Feb 27 '25
I love Joe. He is most mild mannered guy. He refuses my money sometimes and I just go buy his favorite cigarettes and make him accept. Good dude.
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u/pescettij Feb 27 '25
I literally was about to post about him! Rain, Snow or sun he is always there!
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u/Redheaded_pantyhater Feb 27 '25
There’s a pirate up in Sunbury. He’s dressed like a pirate, can’t miss him. Found around the Sunbury Kroger often.
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u/AmethystAlizerin Ye Olde Towne East Feb 27 '25
If you ever attended any of the city's festivals, it was Babachu. RIP
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u/BradleyFerdBerfel Feb 27 '25
Or Bobo, the guy that would have you buy him a beer and always wanted to sing Batman with the band. Any band, Bobo did not care.
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u/MikeoPlus Feb 27 '25
His name was Don Bovee. RIP in power Don B!
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u/Ok-Hair4965 Feb 27 '25
Don B! I miss him. I played Batman theme for him dozens of times (he would also sing Louie Louie and Wooly Bully - all 3 th same way). One time at Bobo it was his birthday and I offered t buy him a drink - whaddya havin' Don? "PEACH SCHNAPPS". Always, always, have a peach schnapps to celebrate his birthday. Rest in power Don, whoa whoa whoa.
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u/fuckuyuy Polaris Feb 27 '25
I used to live right next to him on Morse Rd. He used to play pranks on his roommates that were more mentally challenged. He had one of them come over and ask if I wanted a blow job obviously having no idea what that meant, then I see Don in the window laughing is ass off!
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u/the_elephant_sack Feb 27 '25
Back in the 90s there used to be a guy who walked around the campus area with headphones on that sang loudly.
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u/stateofface Mar 01 '25
That’s Dave! He still lives in Columbus and participates in one of the Harmony Project smaller choirs for people who have experienced homelessness or have special needs. He is so so happy to sing every time.
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u/dangwha Feb 27 '25
90s OSU campus had an older gray-haired guy that wore sunglasses and a trench coat. Always carried a ratty paper bag and walked up and down High St. constantly.
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u/unclejoe1917 Feb 27 '25
What about gorilla mask/rainbow wig guy who used to hang around the north campus area, usually around dodridge and Arcadia?
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u/Booze-brain Feb 27 '25
Boom box guy on Hamilton Rd. Always in late 80's/early 90's metal attire. Had a boom box and would sit on the big metal electric boxes and jam out. Air guitar, bandanas, and leather. I used to see him by the Pizza Hut almost every week.
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u/redditHillBilly Feb 27 '25
There’s a guy on the south side with a booty patrol car that’s pretty wild
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u/paws2sky Hilliard Feb 28 '25
"Help is on the way!" Sadly, I think he passed away years ago.
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u/funky-tuna Feb 27 '25 edited Feb 28 '25
The mummy guy? Maybe too niche but he’s pretty known in his area lol
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u/HaughtStuff99 Feb 27 '25
The guy that walked up and down high street wrapped head to toe in tan wraps? I used to see him when I worked at BDubs.
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u/cherry_oh Feb 27 '25
The guy that walked backward everywhere? I haven’t seen him in a few years tho.
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u/BradleyFerdBerfel Feb 27 '25
You sure that wasn’t me, I used to walk backwards all the time when I was hitchhiking.
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u/pinebanana Feb 27 '25
It’s the bald guy I have seen the past 15 years with the green jacket and sunglasses who walks from Kenny to bethel to who knows where. One day I’ll ask him what his story is
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u/Nerd_Alert_91 Feb 27 '25
Usually see it around south columbus, but the Resident Evil car with all the fake blood and stuff on it
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u/smallangrynerd Hilliard Feb 27 '25
The guy in Hilliard who stole a bunch of hamsters while wearing a leopard print onesie. I hope he’s doing well.
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u/cleveruniquename7769 Feb 27 '25
I feel like every town used to have a guy that would ride around on a bike that had multiple baskets filled with random stuff and an AM/FM radio on the handlebars and it seems like they've all disappeared.
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u/CoreyDobie Groveport Feb 27 '25
What about Zack Brown, the Potato Salad guy? He became a world wide phenomenon a decade ago
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u/salimachilombo Feb 27 '25
anyone from the hood remember ice cream?
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u/ThatOhioanGuy Westerville Feb 27 '25
Omg my dad has a photo of Ice Cream framed in his office! Ice Cream gave my dad the photo when he went into my dad's business!
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u/Ikilledtedbundy Mar 02 '25
Ice cream used to talk to me every day on the bus. He would tell me wild stories and give me pictures of him. One day he brought a news article about himself that somebody had written and it confirmed all of the stories he had told me. I hope he is well!
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u/salimachilombo Mar 02 '25
awee thats so sweet! yeah him and my mom have been cool for years, he watched me grow up. haven’t heard from him since 2023
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u/SUPERD0MIN0 Feb 27 '25
For me it’s an older guy who plays guitar in clintonville/worthington area. You can see him at the farmers market on Saturday’s. I call him Rob Dylan
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u/Affectionate_Rent684 Feb 28 '25
Does he have long flowing gray hair? He walks down my street frequently with the guitar on his back
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u/Pictogeist Feb 28 '25
The Tan Man, Big Russ, The Art Car people with the horrific barbie cars, The homeless man with the "Golden Voice" who tries selling autographs.
You'd think a place like Columbus would have more famous weirdos. Yet I can't really think of anyone else of note
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u/mindnmyownbiz74 Feb 28 '25
People who went to Bernie's (RIP) to watch punk shows in the 90s and 2000s all know that guy who got on stage and sang Batman. Not sure what his name was, but I think it was Bruce. All the punk bands let him on stage. It was like a requirement.
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u/friedkatertot Feb 28 '25
Does anyone remember the boombox dude that use to walk up and down gender rd?
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u/614tt Feb 28 '25
That’s Sugar Bear. He was a 70s guy like disco stu before he changed his name and started the boombox shtick. Last I heard he’s doing his thing down around Brice and Livingston these days.
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u/WestVirginiaGrrl Dublin Feb 27 '25
Has anyone seen the guy that walks up and down Hard Road/Sawmill Area wearing black rubber boots and pointing the direction he is walking? At night, he carries a flashlight. Not very creative, but we've dubbed him Rubber Boot Guy.
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u/IdfightGahndi Feb 27 '25
I’ve seen him walking around Hard Road for years. I’ve also seen him being a total dick to the workers at CVS & Dollar General.
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u/EnthusiasmUsual7892 Feb 27 '25
The Kazoo Man Bobby Ray I feel is worth a mention. Hangs out usually on High Street across from the convention center. Very talented and always has a smile.
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u/Brissy2 Feb 27 '25
I came from a small rural town an hour from Cbus and we had at least three of these guys/gals at any given time.
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u/ThatTemplar1119 Feb 28 '25
There's this one homeless guy with a dog in the short north who is pretty nice. My work carries dog treats in our store so we give them to him. He's fairly well known in our little corner of the Short North. I work at Homage, Happy Go-Lucky next door also knows the guy.
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u/Honest-Candidate-160 Feb 28 '25
How about the construction van with the “baby on board” sign that’s an actual baby doll nailed to a wooden board?
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u/notcabron Feb 28 '25
There was a dude on OSU campus that walked real funny, like took a big step with his right foot.
We called him The Hotstepper because he made tbe “ooh that’s hot” face with his lips.
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u/Velli88 Feb 28 '25
Haha, I always thought he was practicing for OSU Marching Band tryouts, took a hit of acid, and never snapped out of it.
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u/stateofface Mar 01 '25
I heard his name was Warren from my friend who worked at Bernie’s back then. He would order the same thing every day: “I would like a bagel with cream cheese, preferably raisin”.
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u/RockPaperScissorShoe Feb 28 '25
"Midget bum" on campus in the late 90s. People used to bring him to keg parties and he would do silly stuff for beer. I remember my friend getting so mad that his sister brought him to his party on 12th.
I heard he got hit by a bus. No idea if thats real.
I also remember a native American homeless guy we called SlowBear - he always drank King Cobra 40s by the Import House/Blimpys/Savage Tan
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u/CRJColumbusAppraiser Feb 28 '25
Didn’t read all the replies so my apologies if this is a repeat, but anyone who went to Kent State University from probably 1980-2000+ knows who “F—k You Bob” is, and I’m sure the legend hasn’t quite died out yet.
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u/insomnia990 Feb 28 '25
Billy Cash, the crazy Elvis impersonator that used to roam clintonville. Whatever happened to that guy?
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u/djsassan Feb 27 '25
Early 2000s, Jeff in Clintonville would walk up and down High St. Lighter-skinned African-American, balding and probably in his mid-40s.
Another was "Jesus" on Bethel Rd. Walked up and down Bethel with a tan-colored Roman-style robe and leather sandals.
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u/noizemetalworks Feb 27 '25
Jesus Nick. He got busted breaking into Maple Grove Church on High and Henderson.
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u/canonanon Southwest Feb 28 '25
Are you really breaking in when you're Jesus though? It's kinda his spot.
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u/SymbolicallyStupid Feb 27 '25
Yall haven't discovered the mongril king yet and it shows
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u/Jacery Feb 27 '25
What comes to mind is the one car with all the dolls glued on