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My dad left in 1979 when I was 7. I repeat that to myself a lot. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I am still in shock over it. I think when I have dementia that will be the phrase I say over and o
It amuses me to think about how these conversations we have about suicide make the administration of my law school squirm. They aren’t worried about me. They are worried about the logistics, liability
I can’t lie. I’m excited about a Trump presidency. He will probably do some fun, interesting things. I’m hoping for more self-driving Teslas driving around, smashing into plate glass windows. I’m hopi
A personal reflection on rage, humanity, and the cost of caring I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to overcome my rage. The world is just so wrong sometimes. Did I tell you that my friend Hurricane got
A personal journey through despair, anger, and meaning in the face of life’s absurdities I think about killing myself all the time. Albert Camus writes: “There is but one truly serious philosophical p
Coffee, Trauma, and the Quest for Self-Acceptance in Modern America I laugh at myself often, listening to the petty bullshit that goes on in my head. I’m still stewing over losing that city council el
I’m a little embarrassed to say that I had never heard of Joan before yesterday. She was trending on Reddit yesterday. She is an American civil rights activist who was active in the 1960s. She was one
I’m not going to lie. Getting banned from all these social media channels has done wonders for my mental health. I think I had an unhealthy relationship with all of them. Sage’s Substack is a reader-s
I hardly know where to start with this story. Each of these leads are so powerful I don’t know which is the best hook to start this story off. I guess it’s a story of triumph over tragedy. Subscribe n
Suzanne Thomas was found dead in a scrapyard in Canton April 26 2023. I’ve been meaning to talk about this for some time. But it’s a bit of a difficult subject for me. Suzanne was a close friend of ou
We’ve been starting to clean out this church. It has sat completely empty for years. Random people come and go. But nothing really significant was happening there. Within a couple weeks of us working
Sage Against The Machine Podcast Episode 120 We are going to look at the forced mental health treatment courts in Akron Ohio.
I was out talking to voters yesterday and a woman asked me this question: “Will you play well with others?” That’s a really good question. It represents a deep understanding of who I am. I really appr
I just got this question from a person on Facebook. This is what they wrote: This is what I wrote: This is a favorite topic of mine. I LOVE thinking about it. And I’m so sorry you are experiencing thi
I was sitting inside my building yesterday when a homeless friend came to me and said there was a man with a gun who was extremely agitated at our house. I went to see what was going on. As I slowly w
This is a friend of mine passed out after taking a really good hit of fentanyl. The needle is still in her arm. In our circle we all know who this is. She’s embarrassed by this picture. But she didn’t
I read this article: Akron, Ohio, police condemn councilwoman’s comment on Jayland Walker and my first thought was: “Why am I doing this to myself?” I could sell a couple assets and retire. I’m 51 yea
Did you see the new policy where Akron Public Schools is locking away some students cellphones? We are starting at East, Buchtel and Ellet. We have contracted with a company called Yondr for $43,450 t
If we are ever going to get one step closer to solving our societal problems we must acknowledge the complicated nature of reality. Let me tell you this week’s story… A young woman from out of town en
This might be my most prized possession. (I think telling its story is relevant to the brutal beating and murder by Memphis police of Tyre Nichols). I just bought this gun last night from a felon. Thi
As a drug addled insane man pulled a gun on me yesterday because someone broke into his room and stole his clothes while he was in jail for two months and somehow blamed me for it, my first thought wa
House Bill 439 has already passed the House in Ohio. It’s only a matter of time before it becomes a law in Ohio. Big Brother is coming. https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary
A homeless person messaged me recently (I hadn’t talked to her in MONTHS.)She said she needs her mail and a phone she had sent to my office immediately or she was going to “Report” me. These encounter
I doubt I’ll ever write an autobiography. It’s like masturbating and asking people to watch. It’s just a weird exercise for people who probably spent their entire lives looking for approval through so
THE DRAW OF THE STREET Something we aren’t discussing much when we discuss homelessness and addiction is how the street pulls you in. And it’s not just homeless people, addicted people and drug dealer
From what I know about the homeless community, this is the kind of sex trafficking that goes on… Yesterday I came up on 2 very serious guys. One Black. One White. They were squaring off on each other.
Apparently the Akron Police Department has been asking my homeless friends where I get my money. My friends thought it was a strange question to ask and so they let me know the police were asking. It’
The Sister Ignatia Heritage Center and Chapel at Summa Health’s St. Thomas Hospital in Akron is closing. St. Thomas Hospital opened in 1928. Eleven years later, the late Sister Ignatia and the late Dr
In America you are either a Republican or a Democrat. You could be a Tea Party Republican or a Socialist Democrat. But you are still either an R or a D. The number 1 biggest determination if you will
In low-income communities in a city, IN GENERAL, women boost (they steal from stores) and men scrap metal. Copper wire is the ultimate prize. They burn off the outer coating of the wire so that it pay
The mental health issues in the inner city don’t always culminate in physical violence. Here’s yesterday’s story… 2 large checks were stolen from the mailbox of my building. They then attempted to cas
On the street everyone needs one good cop and one good drug dealer. Both can be challenging to come by. But they exist. A good cop will look past small issues like possession to stay focused on things
I can tell you without a doubt, that there are more guns in the homeless community now than any other time I’ve done this work. What’s interesting is that Covid had a very minimal effect on homeless p
The Inspector Is Taking Pictures Of Our Village right now. I guess my question is: WHEN IS IT EVER APPROPRIATE TO CARE FOR THOSE IN NEED? Immigrants? Asylum Seekers? Addicts? Homeless people? I mean w
In 1972, Dr. John Fryer (right) gave a speech in this mask stating that homosexuality was not a mental disorder. Dr. Fryer was a psychiatrist and gay. Admitting that he was gay would have admitted tha
Do you ever think that maybe it wasn’t God who made us in his image, maybe it was US that made God in OUR image? As I run for mayor over the next year I have made a pact with myself to try to be as po
I am now of the belief that this entire thing. This earth. This universe. It’s all a construct built for us each to individually practice becoming better. And better means finding understanding and co
My friend Kenny Boldt always preaches to me that wisdom. I’ve never met an organization or system that fully stays true to that commitment. Just yesterday I was at the health department getting needle
I wish I could say that at least I’m benefiting from the euphoria and great sex meth produces. But I’m not. I don’t do meth. I’m just surrounded by people who use meth… like A LOT of meth. Let me fill
Study reveals prevalence of multimorbidity among people using methamphetamine Compared to adults who do not use the drug, people who use methamphetamine were nearly twice as likely to have medical mul
Drug addicts, like all those who suffer, are the terrible gift. An addict gives you the gift of recognizing your own addictions. Of seeing yourself in the life of an opiate addict. To understand that
There is yet again another mean and hurtful conversation going on in the homeless community on facebook here: I’m being accused of being a piece of shit. It’s really nothing new. It comes up from time
Doug Livingston of the Akron Beacon Journal did a very nice piece on Tom Weller here: https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/2020/12/28/lost-covid-19-akron-native-rev-tom-weller-died-covid-19/391001
https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/crime/2020/12/17/ohio-deaths-drug-overdose-may-set-new-record-2020/3916549001/ Addiction is not a weakness. Addiction is not a moral failing. Addiction is an actual
When the alarm sounded and a pregnant 20 year old woman needed help… Did the Continuum Care help? Did Access Shelter for women help? Did the battered Women’s shelter help? Did the Haven of Rest Help?
I quicky put some ideas together for something I’m calling the Akron Movement. I am SO into the idea of getting people to engage with politics and realize that they have the power to make the world wh
I knew who threw this rig on the ground. I was angry at him. But I thought he broke the needle off so I was mixed emotionally about it. But I was wrong. I pulled the orange cap off and the needle was
I’ve been thinking about getting a gun. I’ve been thinking about the Ruger AR-556 MPR As I was fantasizing about my new purchase, my obsession turned to murdering a particular drug dealer in my neighb
We discussed trap houses this morning. It was recorded on August 16, 2020. Here is the audio version: Here is the video Version:
As someone who ran a trap house for a time, let me tell you… it’s a thankless job. People you’ve never met appear out of nowhere. They move in. They bring their belongings (of which they often have a
I was driving a man across town to a friend’s house. He had stayed at our tent village for a time. But I didn’t recall him very clearly. He is deep in the throws of a hard core Fentanyl addiction. Fen
Knight Foundation gave Akron $104,000 to create new Office of Integrated Development. I’m pretty sure what we mostly got for that money was this shiny 61 page full color brochure. I have a copy of the
If you are “shocked” by swear words or just actual life in general, this post is not for you. This post is for people that shoot drugs. Look… I don’t give a shit that you shoot drugs. I’d probably sho
The new Joker movie came out this weekend. It pushes the outer edge of superhero movies into a new darker world that has never been seen or experienced before. Instead of seeing Gotham through Batman’
You can buy nearly anything on the black market. Food. Phones. Laptops. Clothes. Tools. Video game consoles. The prices for those kinds of things are unbelievably low. I’ve seen a Nintendo Switch that
I think there is a good chance I would have been a drug dealer if I had been born into a different situation. Drug dealers are ambitious, driven and like the action. That’s me. And honestly, that’s th
I think people believe I do the homeless work I do because I am somehow a better person than most. In reality, I do this work because I feel like a worse person than most. I spend my life trying to do
One of the more embarrassing and amusing aspects of doing this homeless work is I honestly believed the city was going to thank me. I thought they’d come by and say something like, “there are some thi
Well, well, well. I seem to have hit a nerve. A person told me that if I was going to support pedophiles then they were no longer going to support me. I didn’t realize that I was only permitted to car
Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron in 1935. Founders Day this year is June 7, 8, & 9, 2019 Akron, Ohio. Akron is known world-wide as the birthplace of A.A. Akronite, Dr. Bob Smith’s last drink
I can’t truly understand what being homeless is like. I can only imagine being in a tent with absolutely nowhere else to go. No friends. No family. No money. Nothing. That tent is your last life raft