Friends, I really screwed up. I stole tens of thousands of dollars from our unhoused neighbors. I did not mean for this to happen. I have strayed off the path of the man I want to be in many ways. Stealing from friends, stealing from neighbors, and stealing from the most vulnerable.  

Part of my recovery process involves a full accounting for my actions, both known and unknown. At this time, and due to some legal proceedings I cannot go into full details.  But I can say that, for starters, the people who have said I stole from unsheltered folx are telling the truth. The people who said I looked the other way while other members stole from unsheltered folx were telling the truth. The people who said I looked the other way while people were sexually assaulted, and even covered up for the perpetrators, are telling the truth. The people who say that I stole from my coworkers at various jobs are telling the truth. The people who say that I stole women’s undergarments from both public laundries and my friends' houses were telling the truth. The people who say that I frequently drove intoxicated, endangering the lives of others both in and out of my car, were telling the truth. The people that said I was an irresponsible pet owner were telling the truth. The people who said I was abusive to females in Alaska were telling the truth.  The people who said I created an unnecessary gofundme for my car service are telling the truth.  We stole donations from kids whos' parents are friends of ours. They held bake sales and we took the money.  I am deeply ashamed.

I will continue to take accountability as I can, and work on the daily to be the best version of me I can be. When this all started, our intentions were to create a space that did not exist, that would benefit our most vulnerable, addicted, and mentally ill neighbors.  I remember when Marx and I first were able to spend a little of the donations on ourselves, and how cool it felt to be appreciated and compensated for our work. When my internet stalker reached out to Marx and told him we were stealing from homeless people, we came to an understanding that it would be best to not share that info with others.  In hind sight, that was a bad decision to let myself be influenced like that.  Later on, when Levi and I were rolling in the dough, we felt there was enough to go around, which was true, until it wasn't. Levi and I, as board members had legal responsibilities to regularly review the financials, as well as to follow up on any suspicious activity or reports.  Obviously there was both suspicion and reports, but we were able to bury those and move forward with our mission to help our unsheltered neighbors. We thought we could keep going on the way we were, and also maybe even pay back some of what was paid out, so that the project would be 100% donated. 

It just got away from us. I am working every day, with people I trust who love me and can guide me to grow and be better.  We have all made mistakes, so please understand that I am no different than you, and I will be there to pick you up when you fall down.  

Peace,

C