First in The Independent: Mark Aaron Gatz, 65, is facing prison time in what one U.S. Forest Service officer described as ‘possibly one of the worst residential cases he has seen’
I do volunteer work for a couple homeless orgs in Canada and reading this story doesn’t surprise me. he wasn’t “doing it wrong” he was doing what was logical in his head. I see guys all the time carrying around bags or pushing a car literally filled with garbage. paper, cans, tim hortons cups, whatever. They pick it up, they keep it. It’s a form of hording. It’s not so much “I could potentially use this one day” its more like “I have nothing and having something makes me feel a bit more normal”. It’s 100% a mental illness and you always find it with older individuals. They carry around too much and the majority of which they don’t need but they carry it because they need “something”. They need some kind of possession. they just collect garbage.
Yes, having fires during no burn times ,and not properly putting it out, living next to active trails , trash everywhere including hazardous materials is not doing it “right”.
I’m all for living in the woods, but this guy was definitely doing it wrong multiple ways
I do volunteer work for a couple homeless orgs in Canada and reading this story doesn’t surprise me. he wasn’t “doing it wrong” he was doing what was logical in his head. I see guys all the time carrying around bags or pushing a car literally filled with garbage. paper, cans, tim hortons cups, whatever. They pick it up, they keep it. It’s a form of hording. It’s not so much “I could potentially use this one day” its more like “I have nothing and having something makes me feel a bit more normal”. It’s 100% a mental illness and you always find it with older individuals. They carry around too much and the majority of which they don’t need but they carry it because they need “something”. They need some kind of possession. they just collect garbage.
“You are homeless THE WRONG WAY!”
Yes, having fires during no burn times ,and not properly putting it out, living next to active trails , trash everywhere including hazardous materials is not doing it “right”.
Causing harm is bad, yes.