They say if you don’t stand for something,
you will fall for everything.
I believe that to be true.
We are a people affected by trauma,
patronized for who we are
and what we’ve been through.
I am not a medicinal victim,
and I am not what you label me.
I am not dangerous.
I am not insane.
I am not off my meds.
I am not crazy.
I am me.
I have always been me.
And society, sorry but you made me.
You made me afraid, from being bullied
by Ben and all those kids
who nicknamed me.
You made me paranoid
because of an untrusting government
and from the fact that we have been
constantly lied to.
The reality is that the only person
you can trust is you.
Believe me I try to.
But I learned that there is
a community like me.
Not all the same.
Not all the same story.
Same labels though.
Same poverty.
Same marginalization from society.
Today I protest cause I’ve been there
and it’s the right thing to do.
You don’t have to.
But some of us do.
A good hospital can save you,
but a bad one can destroy you.
And being in too long
is simply not good for you.
So hold on people, whatever hospital,
wherever they may have thrown you.
You’ll get through.
You’re stronger than you think.
And we haven’t forgotten about you.

  • Supporting the People! (courtesy of Boston Herald)
  • Mass A.C.T
  • BOSTON MAY 17: Ruthie Poole of Malden, holds a sign up in front Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, during a protest on keeping people in the hospitals amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Sunday, May 17, 2020, in Boston. (Jim Michaud / MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
  • Thomas Brown
  • Free Shattuck! (Valerie Clark courtesy of Thomas Brown)
  • Protest Signs for the Caravan
  • Shattuck Hospital
  • Car Caravan
  • Chris Laureano, Jason Wright, Ruthie Poole
  • Thomas Brown and Sera Davidow Interview with WGBH Boston

Below is a video of the MassACT Caravan protest courtesy of Sean Donovan.

 

To support MassACTand its mission, we the people, at Oddball Magazine, ask you to sign the petition to demand full transparency of what is happening in these hospitals to help the people in psychiatric institutions during COVID 19, to let them know that they are not alone, and that there is hope out there for them. Mental health is not a crime. With empathy there is action. And together we can Free the People. To the people who are in these hospitals, hold on, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

To learn more about the protest and what is going on, I had a special Oddball Show with organizers Thomas Brown and Sera Davidow. Check out the video below to see why it is so important for us to not forget about people in hospitals all across the world.

 

 

Jason Wright is the editor and founder of Oddball Magazine. His column appears weekly. His new book is Train of Thought.