joining me now is marilyn state senator lisa gladden.eing here. >> thank you. >> what has freddie gray's family meant to the community this week? >> i think what happened was freddie gray's family is now we have a mission and a purpose to make baltimore better and i think that we can do that because the family has spoken and the family has lost and so has the city of baltimore. i think that we have an ability to do great things and we can do that now that we are organized and we know what our mission is. >> you know senator, as i spent the days there talking with the mayor, talking with activists and talking about the family and i've been in these cases for deck decades. regular people show an extraordinary strength. these people didn't plan on a public career like you or me or whoever, and they showed extraordinary strength. i think people see themselves and their families which also gives them further energy and passion to fight. >> that's correct. i mean, i think you're exactly right. ordinary people are doing extraordinary things and

gladden's daily journey remains the same. the familiar path between the world's symbol of power and opportunity and the subway station he calls home. lisa fletcher, al jazeera, washington. >> since gladden shared his story he's received more than $20,000 in donation. that is enough to get him off the streets. but gladden's story is hardly an exception. al jazeera america's new stories, hard earned profiles more hardworking americans and their challenge to make it. their stories begin here on sun at 10:00 p.m. eastern, on al jazeera america. tell us what you think at aljazeera.com/americatonight. that's it for tonight's show and come back for more of "america tonight". >> saudi arabia offers houthi rebels a five day truce before they continue to bomb their strong holds across yemen. we'll bring you up to date on that. i'm shiulie ghosh. you're watching al jazeera live from doha. 70 years on

lisa fletcher reports. >> around the corner from the nation's most famous residents charles gladden wakes up before sunrise, with the sounds of the commutes. >> people on their way to the to work, commuters, they don't want to look my direction. they turn their head, walk past and didn't hurry up downstairs on the escalator. >> reporter: gladden is one of nearly 8,000 people living in the nation's capital. he spends most nights outside this downtown metro station. >> i sleep two blocks from the white house and the president doesn't even have a clue. >> reporter: but unlike many in his situation gladden has a job at one of the last places you might expect. >> i work in the office building of the u.s. senate. the nation's lawmakers. and i'm out there in the street, panhandling asking for nickels and dimes. >> reporter: >> reporter: behind these gleaning walls, there are many who don't make a living wage. during a good week, gladden takes only $350, barely enough to pay for his food, clothes and the medication he needs for his diabetes. >> i'm an embarrassment of the nation working for those who make the laws