When I say I stand for mental health awareness, I’m making a clear distinction: I’m speaking for those of us who livewith mental illness, not for those who don’t. It’s kind of like saying "Black Lives Matter"—it’s about drawing attention to a group that has been marginalized, misunderstood, and mistreated. In my case, I started speaking out publicly after the brutal murder of Kelly Thomas, a man I once shared a room with in a mental hospital. Six policemen beat him to death at a bus stop, right in front of everyone. It was a tragic, public execution, and it lit a fire in me.
I knew I had to speak out—because I’m mentally ill, and that makes me an appropriate voice for this issue, just as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. represented Black Americans in the 1960s. It’s been a struggle, to say the least. I’ve been cast out of groups, banned from establishments, and labeled a “mentally ill monster”—the exact opposite of the message I’m trying to convey. But I stand firm because someone has to.
Half of the mentally ill can’t fight this fight because of chronic conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The other half simply don’t want to. So I’m here, fighting for all of us—with art, music, poetry, peace, and love—like an old hippie who’s lost his hair but not his spirit.
Peace, everybody!
by Dan and Bonkers
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