Anna’s Story

Carol Marin special report on life on the streets of Uptown, focused on a woman named Anna Ronkowski, who spent 24 years living on the streets, beginning as a child runaway, experiencing prostitution, drug and alcohol addiction, and rape, before getting clean at age 39.

00:23Copy video clip URL Viewer discretion warning. Camera opens on a woman, Anna, talking about street life in Chicago. Carol Marin reports on Anna’s life for Channel 5. A few people living on the street talk to the camera about their experiences. Marin interviews Anna about her life on the street and alcoholism. Marin and Anna talk about Anna moving off the street. Marin reports on how Anna started living on the street. Marin talks to two teenagers  living on the streets.

6:24Copy video clip URL Marin reports on the difficulty of getting off the streets. She speaks to Teddy Bear, one of Anna’s friends and a famous street person. Marin talks to several services that try to help women get off the street.

10:00Copy video clip URL Marin reports on Anna and her “old man” Darryl moving off the streets. They talk about the complexities of their relationship. Anna talks about hustling, and what it took to decide to change her life. Footage of Anna working, and steps she has taken to change her future. They talk about the temptation of the street life.  Anna describes all the positive ways that her life has changed.

22:20Copy video clip URL Credits.

23:00Copy video clip URL Tape ends.