An extremely vivid and sobering read. Thank you for sharing.

I feel bad for him, especially for poor dental/healthcare and also for being unable to adapt to his circumstances. I’m gonna come off as a dick here but somebody needs to help him with his spending and a lot of his problems are not as bad on $1000 per month. Cut out bottled water, beer, and tobacco. He complains that he can’t prepare free canned food, but a backpacking stove and can opener costs like $50, or less. He can afford a gym membership which affords both fitness and regular showers. Same goes for keeping warm, burning gas to run your heater is not efficient. It just seems to me he’s not getting help being more resourceful. Don’t spend time writing on a computer when your basic needs aren’t fully met.

Good lord that was depressing. Well written, but dark.

Great read. Though, this is an old white man thing to say:

When I was a kid, police officers were our friends. When I was a reporter, they were men who surfed and played in bands when they were younger. They were not out to ruin your day, or your life. They enforced the law with a sound sense of context.

I wonder how his experience would differ if he was a minority.