Category: Addiction
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And Now I’ve Been Banned From Nextdoor
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-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Now I’ve been…
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From Bench to Breakthrough: Crystal’s Journey of Resilience and Hope
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 now Let’s go back to last summer… Crystal was pregnant and sleeping on a bench in…
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Suzanne Thomas was found dead in a scrapyard in Canton April 26 2023.
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 our homeless community. She lived at our tent village for quite some time. She also was…
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5 People Have Already Moved Into This Church
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 in the church we now have no less than 5 people living in this church. How could it go from having…
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SATM Podcast 120: Insanity In Akron
Sage Against The Machine Podcast Episode 120 We are going to look at the forced mental health treatment courts in Akron Ohio.
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Will You Play Well With Others?
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 appreciated the question. She is wondering if I will be able to work with other members of city council…
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Help! My Family Member Is Addicted To Meth
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 this in your family. It’s brutally difficult. This is what I tell people: Think of yourself…
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MY SECOND EXPERIENCE WITH DE-ESCALATION WITH A GUN
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 walked towards the scene I watched as this man ranted and paced around aggressively…
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WHY DO YOU PUT PICTURES OF THESE PEOPLE ONLINE?
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 tell me to take it down. That’s the one rule I’ve given myself. If a…
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Why Do I Want To Put Myself Through This?
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 years old and I could just move to an island or California or someplace where there is less racism and…
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It Turns Out We All Live In A Prison
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 to lease 2,475 locking pouches. East and Buchtel’s campuses include grades six through 12, and Ellet is nine through 12. (What…
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THE YOUNG SEX WORKER
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 ended up in our house that tries to help the most challenging homeless people. She said that she…
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My Most Prized Possession
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. This is something I do from time to time. I buy guns from people that shouldn’t have them. But…
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An Unloaded Gun
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 was: “That poor guy spent all his money on drugs and doesn’t have an easy way…
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SATM #109 – Assisted Outpatient Treatment – Big Brother is coming.
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?id=GA134-HB-439 If you have missed any shows they are now archived in a podcast. You can check them out on my blog. Or you can get them on…
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The Main Lesson Helping Is Teaching Me
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 encounters are where the learning in life is most important for my personal journey. “No good deed goes unpunished”…
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1979, When I Was 7
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 some action they did. I’m not saying that I’m not one of those guys. I certainly am. But an autobiography just feels too…
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THE DRAW OF THE STREET
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 dealers. It’s cops and homeless helpers and harm reduction people. It’s me. The street has a small amount of high risk. You…
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SEX TRAFFICKING
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. I asked them what was going on. The Black guy said that the White guy had taken…
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Where Does He Get His Money?
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’s strange because it sounds a little like an investigation. I mean, who in the government asks that question…