This study seeks to understand the daily life of drug users in an area commonly known as a cracolandia, based on the narratives of those who use such space. Our goal is to analyze the meanings attributed to this site by the drug users and how they perceive the practices for protection provided by the Reference Center for Social Assistance (CREAS) in their area. The site selected for this study was a cracolandia located in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro identified as Bandeira II (BII). This qualitative study used participant observation and semi-structured interviews. We used, as an analytical approach, the interpretation of the meaning attributed to this space by the participants and by professionals from CREAS who worked at the site, discussing certain aspects and specificities about the complex daily life of these spaces. The perceptions identified in the narratives of the interviewees made it possible for us to reflect about the daily life of drug users in that space, beyond the lenses of the drug. The study allowed us to conclude the cracolandia is also a meeting space and a place to escape for those who do not have where to go. A space where the idea of subcitizenship of this group appears embedded in their testimonies, normalizing the social inequality that they experience daily. The experience of the tent showed the acknowledgement of the street as a public space that can promote social protection as well as the potential to exercise freedom and social participation.