Hugh Mackenzie
Huntsville Doppler
Tragedy
Last week was a terrible week for Huntsville. A young man died. He died tragically and his story has gripped our community. His name is Paul Fenc and he was known as JC. He was homeless. He was a street person. He was in “the system” and well known by social workers and others. Those who knew him, liked him. But he chose to live in the open. He chose to live on the street. He chose his own way to deal with the devils that consumed him. In some ways, it is too sad to talk about and in other ways it must be talked about.
Sadly, in this particular instance, social media, a forum which allows us to instantly jump to conclusions, has not been helpful. As a result, many people in Huntsville have come to believe that JC died because the Town dragged its feet in issuing an occupancy permit to The Table, an independent agency in Huntsville who have worked to provide a Men’s Shelter here. Perhaps it makes us feel better to point fingers, but it is simply not true and focuses our attention in the wrong direction.
Read what Paul’s father wrote in part, after learning of his son’s death.
“Paul has chosen to live in outdoor settings most of his adult life. It seemed to help relieve the pressures he felt when being part of society. Paul learned to survive any weather conditions and any situations that came up. The events that led to Paul’s death were not caused because THE TABLE facility was not yet open……..There is no one to blame in this case.”
What a courageous statement for Paul’s Dad to make as he mourns the death of his son.
I am well aware that there is controversy over the occupancy permit required to allow the Men’s Shelter to open. Believe me, I have heard both positions and there are two sides to this specific story. But I do not want to deal with that issue here. Heather Berg, of The Table is a strong personality and perfectly capable of presenting that matter from her perspective and Mayor Scott Aitchison is equally able to explain the position of the Town and the District. What is important however, is to separate this matter from the death of this troubled young man.
It is true that Paul Fenc was well known to The Table. He knew where to go when he needed food or clothing. He also knew how and where to get shelter when he really needed it. It is also true that Paul visited The Table shortly before his death and he may well have asked if the Shelter was open. But there were other options for shelter available to Paul which folks at The Table would have helped him with, but he would “not let us offer more”. He was also offered warmer outerwear than he had on but he did not want that either. He believed he would be OK. It was Paul’s decision. Even if the Shelter was open, there is no reason to believe he would have stayed there. He wanted to be outdoors.
This article is a particularly difficult one for me to write because I too, have a daughter who is a ‘street person’.
We adopted her when she was eight-months old. She had been abandoned on a Reservation. She was malnourished and had fetal alcohol syndrome. Her mother and I and subsequently her stepmother, did everything we could to help her, both as a child and as an adult and in some ways, it worked. But it did not change who she was or how eventually she dealt with it. She learned the ways of the street and how to survive on the street, not because she had to, but because she could not conform in any other way. She has been suicidal and she is an alcoholic. When she is sober, which sadly, is not often, she is a fine person. When she is drunk, she is a terror. It shames me to say that I worry about her less when she is in jail, than when she is on the street. We have been told that we will lose our daughter. We are fortunate it has not happened yet.
Our daughter too, has been in “the system”. Agency after agency have tried to help her as have people who care for her. We have had to come to grips with the fact that she is who she is and we are incapable of changing who she is.
Paul Fenc did not die because the Men’s Shelter in Huntsville was not open. Nor did he die because there were not people who were trying to help him or people who cared for him. He died because he is who he is and he lived in a manner that best suited that reality for him. Quite possibly, it was a mental illness and mental illness is a terrible thing. It cannot always be adequately addressed any more than cancer can and sometimes it has dire consequences.
We are far better off, in my view, to confront the realities of mental illness, to bring it out from the shadows, to conquer the shame, than we are to bury the hard issues by pointing fingers somewhere else, where they don’t belong.
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Yes we will all have to put social fairness & social justice in the forefront of all aspects of our lives. Can we, deeply entrenched in the monetary society, take the leap? Seven generations in the past & seven generations into the future, the challenge is out!
Thank you, Hugh, for a great and as many have said, courageous article that reminds us of the struggles that mental illness create, not only for the sufferer but families and communities. as in the case of any death, we cannot help but mourn, and yes, mental illness is as deadly as any cancer. I don’t say that to diminish the tragedy of cancer or any other illness, but that we might all work at bringing mental illness out of the shadows.
Stigma is a strange but powerful element.
I am a great proponent of love being a great healer, but it isn’t the only answer. Sadly, our “free” healthcare doesn’t allow for us to spend enough or even raise enough to scratch the surface and one generation can and does pass along this illness.
Thank you Hugh for sharing. It just goes to show we never really know what people are dealing with in their lives. Unfortunately resources are limited but we can all help in small ways. Educating ourselves about mental illness and talking about it is a start.
A touching and caring article on a subject matter we often want to dismiss because we simply don’t know what to do to fix. Let us hope that mental illness can get more attention and research to alleviate the suffering of so many.
Thank you for this. Looking at the truth is most often the difficult thing to do and the road less travelled.
Thank you Hugh. There are other agencies out there trying to help with mental illness. In our area we have The Meeting Place. But everyone has a choice whether to reach out for help. It is there but most people with mental illness don’t know they have it. It’s a sad fact!
Wonderful Article and It accurately also describes many many homeless in larger cities who struggle with mental illness and addiction And chose to be on the street rather than a shelter. You are right JC may not have stayed in the men’s shelter had it been open however it cannot be denied that he did approach the soup kitchen asking about the shelter…And at that point the shelter was still closed and not available to him. And then tragically he died.
This is what people are reacting to. JC advocated for himself and could not be offered a bed where he had wanted to stay. Therefore could his death at least on that day have been prevented had the shelter been open? I guess we will never know.
However I am certain there are a few people that are experiencing the anguish of wondering..”What if…?”
Thank you for your comments regarding JC’s tragic death as well as your courage in sharing your story regards your precious daughter. So much sadness and so many tragedies; hopefully the stigma of mental illness will continue to diminish. Blessings to you and your family, Hugh.
Thank you for being so brave by opening up your heart and sharing Hugh. Sharing is a part of healing and a journey in itself. My heart is with you. Katie
I am not putting blame on any one or even the fact the man’s shelter wasn’t open. I am personally sad and upset that I would have offer help in any way I could have . I wasn’t aware of this situation in our little town. Going forward here to hoping our community is able to make us more aware of the other side of what some people in our town’s reality really is. So very sad for all involved .
A powerful message, Hugh. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your story Hugh. There are many sides to situations like the tragedy that happened to that young man and many others. Too often we jump in casting blame before we know the full story. Hopefully we all learn a lesson here
Hugh,
Nicely said, all of it.
Mental illness is vastly undertreated which is a continuing disgrace.
That is a powerful article Hugh. Thank you so much for your insight and for sharing your personal story.
A very courageous comment Hugh. The responsibility for the consequences of mental illness and addiction must be shouldered by us all not just a particular group of people. Next time you pass a homeless person on the street make eye contact, smile and say hello. It may just make someone’s day. Little things do count!
My sympathy to the father of the young man who died. You are very brave to say what you did.
Thanks for sharing.
This situation demonstrates yet again that there are seldom simple solutions to most problems and when a tragic loss like this occurs no one person or institution bears the sole responsibility for it. In many respects we all contribute to it by the way we live and the daily decisions we make. If we really want things to be different then we all have to be prepared to put social fairness and social justice in the forefront of our daily decision making about how we live our lives
Beautifully written Hugh. My heart goes out to Paul’s family and to you for your strength in sharing your own personal pain.
Thank you for sharing. Well said.
Great article Hugh, you make some very good points.
And thank you for sharing.