Do homeless live's matter?
Published by Jeff Woodward,
The headline read - "Man killed in Southeast Portland battled schizophrenia for years leading to homelessness." When I read the headline my heart stopped because I knew in my heart that I could be reading that 25-year-old son was dead. The article said that Portland police identified the victim not as my son, but as Jason Gerald Petersen, 32.
My son like so many suffering from the effects of schizophrenia, often isolates himself, struggles to stay medicated, and instances of falling into mania occur without warning and far too often. In one such manic and non-medicated instant, my Son was reported seen running naked along 82nd Ave in South East Portland one cold and rainy night around 2 am. When Police asked him what he was doing he said, "looking for my maker." He could not tell Police why he was naked, where he was, nor his name.
The Ambulance took my son to the ER and placed on a 72hr hold sighting suicidality. Three days later and "stabilized", he was released directly onto the street with a mere 3-day supply of his $700-1,000 a month medication(s) and a single voucher to sleep at the Cityteam Ministries Homeless shelter, where he would sleep on a mat, on the floor, along with another 115 homeless souls.
A fellow Advocate reached out to me upon learning of the death of the homeless soul, upset at the lack of attention and awareness brought nor raised regarding the loss of another homeless soul. I told her...his life was not worthless. He lived, he laughed, he cried, he no doubt loved and was loved. He was a man, who like many, suffered horribly, in silence, but that does not minimize his worthiness.
It saddens myself, like you, that little is done, or said, nor raised about the foundation of how and why this man lost his battle with schizophrenia, only to fall on the street. That's our job as Homeless Advocates, that's why we do what we do - so his life WILL MATTER, and through our Advocacy, his loss will never be in vain."
Whether Black, or White, or Homeless, the loss of any life matters, at least to me.
We're here to do the impossible. Climb On | Jeff Woodward | jeffswoodward@icloud.com
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