Escape from Boulder

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY, STOP ENABLING BAD BEHAVIOR!

By Max R. Weller

I’m now living in a long-term care facility in Thornton, CO; I’ve been here since last Christmas, but haven’t been able to get out to a library to go online. I’m using a computer in the Activities Offices, and have only a few minutes to post this update,

The good news is that this is a MUCH better environment than Boulder Manor — no drunks or druggies or (so far as I know) perverts roaming the halls at all hours and behaving badly. The bad news: my current roommate is, sadly, just about the most disagreeable SOB I’ve ever encountered, and you will remember I’ve been in both prison and homeless shelters.

I’ve forgotten my Facebook password, so I can’t post there. My friends can reply here,

A couple of thoughts: 1) Harry and Meghan should have eloped, and 2) Although I still despise Trump’s personality, I LOVE every policy his administration is pursuing!

A visitor would be nice — just look up the street address of ELMS HAVEN in Thorton, CO.

Addendum 5/21: I’ve discovered that Facebook is blocked on this computer (presumably to keep the Elms Haven employees from wasting time on it) so that’s one more roadblock to keeping in touch with the outside world. NOT that I miss anything about the Boulder Bubble, LOL . . . If anyone would be so kind as to put together some supplies to send to me, I’ll post a list of necessities on this blog. Have a good day!

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My heart attack on Wednesday

By Max R. Weller

When I woke up around 5 on Wednesday morning, I had a sharp pain in the middle of my back and I mistakenly thought it was another kidney stone starting its journey to my bladder. No such luck . . . I went on to Norlin Library on the CU campus, and by early afternoon the pain was in my left arm and both jaws, I was dizzy, couldn’t catch my breath, and had no energy at all. ALL of the classic heart attack indicators except for sweating. I asked the security office to call the paramedics. They quickly arrived and hooked up the EKG, which showed a coronary artery blockage on the right side. I was transported to Boulder Community Hospital with lights and siren activated around 2PM.

I was rolled into an ER suite and it seemed that there were a dozen people there; my cardiologist was Dr. R., who told me that I was having a heart attack and they were taking me upstairs to do a Balloon Angioplasty and Stent procedure.

It was unsuccessful, because the blockage was on the bottom of my heart in a very narrow artery and the catheter couldn’t get in to open things up. That’s the BAD news.

The GOOD news is that the small area damaged is NOT crucial to my heart’s functioning, and I can be treated with high blood pressure meds and blood thinners. (I got a month’s supply for free from Boulder Community Health.)

I was discharged yesterday afternoon, having remained stable for 48 hours. My only pain now is in my right groin where the catheter was inserted. I’m also dizzy, but was told to expect that from the medication. Dr. R. says that he doesn’t expect any further trouble.

Again, I’d like to thank everyone at BCH!

Christmas for the homeless

TAKE THE TIME TO BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH AT LEAST ONE HOMELESS PERSON THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!

By Max R. Weller

Here’s the best way to help the poor and homeless on the streets in Boulder County, CO this Holiday Season: Use the money you’d otherwise donate to a greedy nonprofit (OUR Center, Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, Bridge House, etc.) and buy warm socks, gloves, and stocking caps instead. Then, look for people in need out in the community.

Donate directly to the homeless and cut out the middleman!

A 3 Musketeers candy bar and $1 bill can be inserted into one sock, as added presents.

I love this Daily Camera editorial:

From the editorial: “The fact remains that after seven years of the city’s considerable promotional efforts, roughly half the people that bother to vote in municipal elections oppose the muni project. Roughly half support it. By a margin of 56.5 percent to 43.5 percent, voters denied the council permission to continue holding closed meetings on the subject. If city officials actually believe everyone would agree with them if only they explained it better, they are delusional.”

Yes, they are delusional, and on many issues besides municipalization.

— MRW 

Here’s the truth: Hundreds of “Coordinated Entry” homeless people are STILL living on the streets

DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY, DON’T BELIEVE THE LIES BUREAUCRATS SPREAD!

By Max R. Weller

First, acquaint yourself with the details of this NEW and highly-touted means to address homelessness: Boulder County Homeless Systems Coordinated Entry.

Now, let’s take what we’ve been told by those in authority both recently and in the past:

1) Boulder Shelter for the Homeless has a maximum capacity of 160 occupants, per order of the Boulder Fire Marshal. This will NOT change.

2) Bridge House’s Path to Home is designed for 50 clients, but will take in more overnight during life-threatening weather conditions only; for sake of argument, let’s say the total is 100 every night.

(So far, that’s 260 homeless people.)

3) There are likely 1,000+ homeless folks county-wide who haven’t been through Coordinated Entry yet, and I’d guess that most of ’em (like me) will never do so for a variety of reasons.

Karen Rahn, Boulder Director of Human Services, is claiming that 500+ homeless people have been through the Coordinated Entry intake process to this point. Okay, let’s take her at her word, which leads us to this question:

Where are all of those unaccounted for? 500+ minus 260 equals 240+ (not even counting the non-participants in Coordinated Entry).

True, there may be some homeless people being given overnight shelter in Longmont, but it’s not in the hundreds. NOT even close!

I’ll tell you where the missing homeless are — they’re on the streets, camping out like they have been in the past. Either that, or they just drifted on down the road as so-called Travelers do . . .

Ms. Rahn is also claiming that only 17% of those who have participated in Coordinated Entry are transients here for less than a month, while 53% have been residents of Boulder County for 2+ years. AHEM! These are PHONY statistics, apparently depending on the self-reporting of the transients themselves, without documentation, and a number belied by what can be observed by anyone at BSH and various other venues where the homeless gather (such as Boulder Public Library). Here’s my unscientific impression: I’ve NEVER seen so many new faces of homeless people as I have during the past six moths or so, and I’ve been living here in Boulder and its environs since early 2008.

The Daily Camera’s Editorial Advisory Board weighed in on this issue: Homeless or transient. Most of them are slowly beginning to see the light, but still cling to some outrageous falsehoods and negative stereotypes pushed by the do-gooders in both government agencies and private nonprofits.

(Bear in mind, there’s NO money at stake for me in this FUBAR homelessness strategy; I simply call it as I see it.)

BOTTOM LINE: Boulder County does NOT have the housing units available in order to accommodate the hundreds of homeless people in need. Adding 30 or 40 more apartments each year will accomplish little, perhaps nothing at all as the Transient Migration to Colorado continues apace. Once you accept this truth, the whole Coordinated Entry business is exposed as a sham.

2017 Pinocchio Award is given collectively to everyone involved in Coordinated Entry! 

E-mail sent to new member of Boulder City Council

This goes to show that even I can write a politely-worded missive on a subject I feel so strongly about . . .

Mirabai Nagle, second from right in front row.

Boulder’s homeless shelter / services industry

Dear Ms. Nagle,

I read the account of Tuesday night’s Council meeting in the Daily Camera. I want to thank you for asking questions and engaging with citizens who attended; I have no doubt that certain other Council members don’t like it when the Sacred Cow of city policy on homelessness is scrutinized by anyone.

To me, city policy is exactly the reverse of what it should be. Emergency sheltering with supportive services MUST be the priority in wintertime, but otherwise use of resources should NOT be encouraged in view of the fact that a sufficient number of housing units doesn’t currently exist (it’s a deficit in the hundreds, and adding 30 or 40 more units per year will do very little). I say this as a homeless resident of Boulder, CO and its environs since early 2008, one who does NOT use any of the taxpayer-funded benefits I could apply for and receive NOR being a daily visitor to the many Free Giveaway venues run by private nonprofits. The more that’s done by the city to “address homelessness” the more homeless people we have on our streets.

In my own estimation, my life is as good or better than that of anyone who is caught up in the web of the social services system here. BTW, the transients who have no ties to Boulder County comprise more than half of the homeless population in our county. What they need most — to be blunt — are bus tickets back to wherever they came from, whether that’s elsewhere in Colorado or another state. Services for them will be available there, on a par with what is offered here.

Boulder, CO can NOT save the world and needs to change its focus to helping our own homeless residents (valid photo ID with local address and proof of at least one year’s residency required).

Thanks for your time,

Max (Homeless Philosopher) 

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In the interest of full disclosure, I do frequently shower in the morning at Boulder Shelter for the Homeless and also maintain a small locker there. However, I think my cash donations to BSH and its street outreach Boulder County Cares in the past have covered the cost of hot water (I supply my own toiletries) and space. As things stand now, I’ll be one of the morning services visitors banned by a proposed change in shelter management policy beginning next season. 

Joseph and Mary circa 2017:

— MRW