EUGENE, OR.— In front of the neighborhood behind Autzen Stadium, a man in a “Where’s Waldo?” striped shirt, clownfish shoes, and a purple-plushie cap stood in the center of traffic, pointing as the light changed from red to green and waving drivers to press on the gas. Some cars honked, others carried cheering passengers who egged the man on.

After months of directing traffic and dancing at the corner of a popular intersection, Phillip Antavius Watkins started performing in the middle of the street.

This decision led to his arrest for disorderly conduct on May 15 after multiple neighbors reported Watkins as a traffic hazard to Eugene Police Department.

“It was fun while it lasted,” Watkins posted on TikTok after his release four days later on May 19. “I was able to take a few videos of my time doing what I love but now I gotta stop cause I’m not tryna go back to jail.”

Almost every day, the “Professionally Unprofessional Solo Circus Performer,” as he described himself, Watkins directed traffic at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Kinsrow Ave. with his Michael-Jackson-inspired dance moves, colorful cartoon clothing and signature peace-sign greeting. Despite the hate he received and his recent arrest, Watkins remains radically authentic and positive to inspire the neighborhood and his TikTok community of 7900 followers.

“I look at myself and everyone else as being blessed with a curse and cursed with a blessing,” Watkins said. “We all have hidden abilities that we've yet to tap into.”

Watkins lives on government assistance and, with 80% of his income towards rent, is at risk for homelessness. If he could, Watkins would work a regular job—but without a GED or work history at 28 years old, “people don’t really want to hire someone like myself,” he said.

On TikTok, Watkins runs four accounts that he’s turning into a content creation career: the_phoundation_o (his main account), phillip.watkins27, miso_man and papi_peter_pull_out. He posts dancing videos, raw philosophical monologues and livestreams with fellow content creators who lean on each other for emotional support.

“He’s a beacon of positivity, joy and light,” Highley Her said on TikTok live. “Most especially, a very very pure human being. You don’t come across those anymore.”

In lieu of working for another big corporation, Watkins found his own way to contribute to the community: performing. After watching Chris Tucker in the movie “Rush Hour” direct traffic while dancing to music, Watkins was inspired to try it out himself.

He began directing traffic at the bridge on Commons Dr. where he had hung out since he moved to the neighborhood at 22 years old. It was a place for Watkins to get out of his head, afflicted by ADHD and schizophrenia. The adrenaline rush of standing on the ledge of a 19-foot-drop to a shallow creek helped him relax. When Watkins found that directing traffic was a safer way to get an adrenaline kick, he stopped standing on the ledge.

“I was stressing about a whole lot,” Watkins said. “My future, I didn’t really know where I was going. But I knew that I liked to entertain, educate and empower people.”

Around March, Watkins began directing traffic at the busier Kinsrow Ave. corner to make more people smile. But with the larger audience came a wider pool of judgements.

“What the fuck are you doing dumbass?” a man yelled from his car window at Watkins, who was waving the green light at the corner.

“He had me question myself,” Watkins said. “I started to think: what am I doing? Like he basically took my confidence away.”

This experience was “borderline traumatic” for Watkins who was scared by the man’s lack of positivity, and the power it had over him.

Most people reciprocated Watkins’ positive vibes. They smiled, offered him candy, waved and cheered from their cars as they waited for the light to change. Some neighbors even joined Watkins for a dance.

“I feel like when you’re positive, that positivity radiates from you  and people are able to grasp hold of that and find inspiration,” said Watkins. “Maybe it may make them more hopeful of the future. Maybe they’ve been having doubts about the future or what they’re capable of. I know I’ve had my fair share of doubts.”

Watkins doubts he will direct traffic at that corner again; he certainly won’t do it in the street, understanding the threat those vehicles posed to his life. Watkins fears neighbors’ discomfort and police getting the wrong idea arresting him again.

Before his first appearance in court on May 19, Watkins had trouble sleeping and found himself writing hypothetically to the judge.

To say I fully understand would be me lying.

I, nor anyone here, is the supreme source of all of creation.

You have people to back you up and vouch for you because you’ve been through the process of learning what not everyone can learn.

I do not have that type of knowledge to say that I can challenge you and win with confidence, because I can’t. I am limited in knowledge in that specific field but I know some things that you do not know and all I ask is for some opportunities to share my story, share my life in hopes that we can all grow together as one community now from one perspective.