Comments Off on Celebrate a Victory! Kesey Square is now officially Kesey Square in Eugene, Oregon.
This Friday, November 3, 2017 at 3 pm we have a special free event planned, especially if you are in or near Eugene, Oregon. Celebrate the fact that the City Council has officially proclaimed that the center square in our city is Kesey Square, named after a wonderful writer and friend of our movement, Ken Kesey (1935-2001).
You are invited to a free celebration of
Kesey Square is now officially Kesey Square!
Where : Cuckoo’s Nest Stage
LILA Peer Support Club
990 Oak St, Eugene
(NW corner 8th & Oak)
Date : Friday, November 3, 2017
Time : Starts at 3 pm
Who ? David Rogers, folk singer. Sarah Smith, MindFreedom
International. David Oaks, revolutionary psychiatric survivor activist.
Libbie Rascon, Office of Consumer Activities. Lynne Mckinney.
Surprise guests. You! Free, public, peaceful, all ages welcome.
Celebrate a legacy of Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest . The City of Eugene has officially named Kesey Square.
After our indoors celebration, those of us who wish will then go to nearby
Kesey Square, Broadway & Willamette, where Food Not Bombs (FNB)
serves yummy, free, hot food every Friday afternoon! Donations of
nonperishable food (no meat or dairy please) encouraged for FNB!
This is a First Friday, so you can also then celebrate Eugene’s art.
Sponsored by MindFreedom Oregon
Comments Off on Preparing for an Altered State: “Intensive Care Unit Psychosis”
David W. Oaks says “Honk 4 Revolution.”
Many people seem to think that only a parentage of folks ever experience extreme and overwhelming states of mind. Actually, thousands of everyday people go through the trauma of ICU and go through what is commonly called “madness.” I know, because since my fall in 2012 I have been through this a bunch. While I hope I never go through ICU again, even though everyone was nice, here are the ways I am preparing just in case I do.
Maybe you and everyone else should too?
I have a short video to myself to watch if I ever go through this again.
I have a great supported decision making team, both here in Eugene and internationally.
I also have a brief video to my team, in case I am ever considered unable to make a decision.
Yes, I have an advanced directive already that says that I only agree to voluntary mental health care ever, but the above help do more, especially support the people closest to me, who I so much love.
Everyone is always in an altered state, always. There is no normality. But we each need to be ready in case we enter especially vulnerable territory.
Comments Off on Eugene Weekly: Why I’m a Write-In Candidate to Replace Rep. Pete DeFazio (D-OR)
Rep. Pete DeFazio, a progressive who has represented us in Eugene, Oregon since 1987. I have supported him, even when he has been grumpy. Now I am a write-in candidate to replace Pete.
Update 22 October 2016: At the bottom you will now find a rebuttal from Rep. DeFazio.
The main alternative paper here in Eugene, Oregon ran my letter to the editor about why I am running (or rolling) as write-in candidate to replace Rep. Pete DeFazio.
Eugene Weekly, October 6, 2016:
MENTAL HEALTH LAWS
Rep. Pete DeFazio sadly co-sponsored the worst piece of mental health legislation I have seen in 42 years of human rights activism. HR 2646 is more than 100 pages long, so mainly lobbyists seem to know the details. The worst part is that this bill extends federal financial support for involuntary outpatient psychiatric treatment.
In other words, Americans living peacefully in their own homes could be court-ordered to take psychiatric drugs against their will. I call this approach the “Bill Cosby School of Mental Health.”
I have supported Pete for decades and interacted with Pete personally several times. He’s always been kind of grouchy. That is OK; everyone has a different style. But if Pete legislates for involuntary psychiatry despite many constituents trying to explain why this is horrifying, then we have the right to ask, “Has Pete ever had a mental health check-up himself?” If not, will he?
Those of us with psychiatric labels appear to be one of the last groups that get thrown under the bus, by both Democrats and Republicans. I hope the Senate stops the bill.
Following the revolutionary Micah White’s strategy, I have decided to place my name as a write-in candidate for Congress.
David Oaks, Eugene
Update News:
Your feedback, questions, support are encouraged via the public comment area at the end of this blog. Also, please use Rep. Pete DeFazio’s website to ask about this topic. Even though I hope much of mu blog is humorous, I do want to take the moral road about elections and mental health. Please ask Pete to do the same, because this bill will probably be back in some version or other.
By coincidence, today I was also on the teleconference for the National Counsel on Independent Living Mental Health Civil Rights Subcommittee. Thankfully, we heard a report that the US Senate has not acted to vote for this Murphy bill. The Senate has not taken pieces of the Murphy bill to become amendments in a new mental health bill, either.
Because of the election next month, Congress is highly unlikely to pass any big bill about mental health. Of course we should stay vigilant. But mainly we should be prepared for the new session in 2017.
I said on the teleconference that we need to move from a quiet, group-oriented, Washington D.C. beltway, Facebook-based campaign to a transparent, national, people-power approach. Remember our mantra: Nothing about us without us! We need to learn from past disability campaigns that we need thousands of folks all over the country to not only stop Murphy, but to also win ratification of the historic UN treaty for disability rights.
Here are more places to learn about some of these issues:
On October 20, Eugene Weekly published a response from Rep. DeFazio:
MENTAL HEALTH PROGRESS
In the Oct. 6 edition of EW, local activist David Oaks claimed that legislation that I co-sponsored, along with 207 other members of the U.S. House of Representatives, would force “Americans living peacefully in their own homes” to take psychiatric drugs under court order. This is simply not factually accurate. The bill, H.R. 2646, includes language that supports assisted outpatient therapy (AOT) programs for those within the community who are found to be mentally unstable and unwilling to seek voluntarily treatment, posing a serious threat to themselves and others. AOT is usually in the form of case management and personal therapy programs and does not necessarily require medical intervention. As I hope Mr. Oaks is aware, Oregon law already authorized AOT and Oregon’s statute is clear: AOT does not include forced medication. H.R. 2646 passed the House with a bi-partisan vote of 422-2. This common sense legislation was a huge step forward in improving our mental health system, and I’m proud to be a co-sponsor.
Peter DeFazio, 4th Congressional District Candidate, Eugene
Comments Off on Crazy Good Buzz: Labeled Mental Health & Disability Leaders to Launch New Project — You Are Welcome!
Debra and David welcome you there home, called Mad Swan.
In the near future, a number of mad movement and disability movement leaders plan to launch a new project, and you are invited to be one of the visionaries before the launch.
The motto is ” Label Me Revolutionary.”
Psychiatric survivors who have been working for decades in this social change movement are brainstorming to assist me, David Oaks, also known as PsychoQuad, in this endeavor.
We are working on a new website for this campaign, to transform labels — mental or physical disability — into social change. Here are some questions to inspire your leadership:
Would you like to help participate? Do not worry, this will not impose on a busy schedule, no strings attached.
How have you transformed the negativity of mental health and/or disability label (s), into something of value to you, other labeled people and/or humanity?
What would you like to see in a project and new website to help foment the positive revolution we need now?
How can this revolution be more visible, and extend from our hearts to Earth?
This is a great way to build our community of revolutionaries, and we would love you to be involved! Also, just before the launch is a great time to provide your feedback.
You may offer your encouragement, curiosity, suggestions, visions via comments on the blog, here.
We will also be twittering with the hashtag: #LabelMeRevolutionary
This project is affiliated with the International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment (IAACM), a peaceful network first envisioned by Martin Luther King, that is very real though it has no board or treasury in the traditional sense. If you share his values, you are one of the leaders.
Comments Off on Your Input Needed Now: “Label Me Revolutionary!” New Website Coming
PsychoQuad, David Oaks, in front of the mural in the actual Springfield of The Simpsons
In one week I turn 61. For more than two-thirds of my life I have worked as a human rights activist for people in the mental health system and people with physical disabilities.
We, humanity in general, need a revolution now, more than ever! Why?
Because of the climate crisis and the catastrophe caused by our collective paralysis.
Because of the enormous and growing imbalance of wealth in our world.
Because of a thousand more reasons.
PsychoQuad:
Turn Labels into Revolution!
With the capable help of web steward, Jeffrey Bousquet, we will soon be launching a new project and website. We request your ideas and feedback.
How does the experience of disability help us be better revolutionaries?
If you have never been labeled with a disability, how can you learn from disabled people?
What features on a new website would transform labels into revolution?
Join the Positively Weirdest in the World
Every thing and everybody are weird. But we aim to be positively weird. To be the positively weirdest!
Your feedback, ideas and involvement are encouraged in many ways:
You can make a comment here on this blog entry at the bottom.
On Twitter we are using the hashtag #LabelMeRevolutionary
Watch for our launch!
We are looking for ideas, but more than that if the concept of turning labels into a peaceful revolution interests you, we would love to participate as a leader. Say it in your comment and provide a way to contact you.
While this project is totally independent, we support and work closely with the International Association for the Advancement Creative Maladjustment (IAACM). Founded as a poetic idea Martin Luther King, Jr. decades ago, we are making his dream a reality. You can too! If you support his values, you can proudly say you are IAACM leader!
By the way, my birthday is Friday, September 16. For my birthday, please make revolution visible now!
This Friday, November 3, 2017 at 3 pm we have a special free event planned, especially if you are in or near Eugene, Oregon. Celebrate the fact that the City Council has officially proclaimed that the center square in our city is Kesey Square, named after a wonderful writer and friend of our movement, Ken Kesey (1935-2001).
