ɚɹˈaɪvɪŋ ɪn ˈɪŋɡlənd ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti ˈeɪt, tˈɑːmpsən lˈɛvɚɹɪdʒd hɪz stɹˈiːt kˈɪd bˈækɡɹaʊnd tə ɡɛt lˈiːɡəl ɛmplˈɔɪmənt æz ɐ sˈoʊʃəl wˈɜːkɚɹ ɪnðɪ ˈiːst lˈʌndən bˈʌɹoʊ ʌv hˈækni.
Arriving in England in 1968, Thompson leveraged his street kid background to get legal employment as a social worker in the East London borough of Hackney.