No Where To Lay His Head Podcast

Ravenwolf Phoenix Sch.... something, something, something

Well, it took a long time, but we have the first episode of a new podcast finished!  It is called "Nowhere To Lay His Head" and it is a collection of conversations with people affected by poverty and homelessness and how they use their spirituality to make it through their lives.

RavenWolf Phoneix Schmick-Justice has struggled the majority of his life to hold onto who he is. On today's podcast, Raven talks about: how he became homeless; his multiple personality disorder; his adoption into a white Russian Jewish family in New Jersey; the struggles and racism he faced  from his adoptive family and the community he was raised in; the years of sexual abuse he faced as a child from his adoptive father, his need to reconnect with his Native American birth family and how, how his life changed after he did and what he is learning now about the ways of his ancestors.




He's articulate and has a unique point of view, as well as a unique life.  We hope you enjoy the conversation!

Check out the latest episode of our podcast, Nowhere To Lay His Head!

The Constant Push

For the last 21 days, the City of Portland has been sweeping 500 people out of SE. Homeless folks and their advocates scrambled to find places for them to be. Under the stress of the move, many of those swept ended up in the hospital, and others had mental breakdowns.

One of the places that many went to is Gateway Green, between the 205 and 84 freeways in NE Portland. About 80 percent of the people staying there were forced there because of the previous sweep.

Now the city of Portland plans to do another sweep of the Greenway area, causing more trauma upon the poorest people in our city. The city claims that they plan to do construction in this area for a bike park, but that construction is years away, after the shelters currently being planned are built.

If you live in Multnomah County, please call the Portland city council and tell them to stop evicting the homeless until they have a place to go. Tell them to stop oppressing our most vulnerable populations.

A tyrant forces people to do what is convenient for a few wealthy people. A leader provides positive solutions for all their citizens. Amanda Fritz, Charlie Hales, find solutions before you move people. Stop traumatizing your citizens!

Amanda Fritz: (503) 823-3008
Charlie Hales: 503-823-4120

I just visited this area this morning. They are peaceful and supporting each other, trying to keep the area clean. Provide support, not oppression!

Springwater sweep

Fell Softly

Rain once fell softly on this town
But now drives hard and harsh:
Flooding, drowning those without roofs,
Their souls shipwrecked against
Rocky hearts.

Rain once fell softly on this town.
Now long-buried corpses
Float down the trafficked boulevard.
All-seeing eyes glance aside
Pretending.

Rain once fell softly on this town.
Every time I look high
My lungs fill with blackish fluid
My arms outstretched, crying,
“Forsaken?”

The Shepherd and the Dog

A shepherd needed his sheep to move to a different place, so he sent his dog, who nipped and bit the sheep, leaving some of the sheep injured. This happened every day for weeks. The sheep gathered together and whispered to each other, "The shepherd wants to injure us. We will die like this!"

Eventually, the shepherd build a fine house for the sheep to live in. So he sent his dog to give the sheep the good news. The sheep whispered among themselves, "This is the slaughterhouse. Finally the dog and the shepherd gets rid of us!" And the sheep stood up, trampled the dog out of fear and ran as far away from the house as they could.

If the city council refuses to speak directly to the homeless, but send ruffians out to move and harm them, what makes them think that the homeless will believe them when the city tells them that they have a fine shelter to live in?

Clutter: A Battle in the Class War

The wealthy have the ability to get rid of stuff, because they know what they can do without, and if they accidentally get rid of what they need, they can buy another.

The poor have to keep more stuff around because they don't know yet what they need and if they get rid of what is necessary, they suffer. And people ask them, "Why did you get rid of that? Didn't you know you'd need it?"

When people look at camps of homeless folks and see all the clutter, they don't understand that it is survival gear, not garbage. You try to put all of the possessions you'd absolutely need in one tent-- clothes, cooking/eating gear, communication, entertainment, bedding, paperwork, health supplies, etc (and, dare I say it, books?)-- and tell me that you wouldn't have spillover.

New York Times Opinion article on decluttering.