Tick Tock Sheptock

I was just found electronically by my sister whom I haven't seen since I was eight months old and she was thee years old. We've yet to talk or meet face-to-face, as she works out her phone issues; but, we've messaged each other. I've learned that she was traumatized at three as she was forced by our biological mother to watch as I was abused for my first eight months of life, culminating with my skull being fractured. Valerie has wondered about her little brother since that fateful day in October 1969. I, of course, was too young to remember that she existed. That said, our reunion is more for her than it is for me, as I've known that I was alright -- though I'd absolutely love to meet her. She still lives in my birthplace of Atlantic City, New Jersey. I was born as Eric Gooden on February 15 th , 1969. Valerie said that I was born with water on the brain (hydrocephalus). She also told me that our mother had many issues – I'm guessing some level of ...

They – that proverbial and ever-present “they” – say that you shouldn't air your dirty laundry pubically. I assure you that I don't air most of mine. However, there are sometimes lessons to be learned by many from the mistakes of a few. Besides, if enough people learn from my “great mistake” of the past two years, that might make the last 23 months of my life less of a waste. I've often wondered why it is that some men are attracted to beautiful women, get into relationships with them, often get them pregnant, have the relationship fall apart and then find themselves attracted to other beautiful women immediately thereafter – all of this without even trying to figure out what went wrong before getting caught up again. On one level, I understand that his sex drive along with her beauty and willingness can work in tandem to create “the approach” which can lead to dating. On another level, I expect a man to think things through so as to avoid another “fatal attraction” –...

Well, as has been the case for the past few months, I've been so busy going to meetings and pounding the pavement that I've not blogged regularly -- and when I do, I have a lot to say. And SHARC as a whole has been doing a lot. We've asserted ourselves in such a way that neither DC Government nor the council can ignore us and we've begun to "politicize homelessness" for this generation -- with the hope of finding lasting solutions. November 26th, 2012 was a good day for SHARC (Shelter, Housing And Respectful Change). We had a friendly visit with Councilman Jim Graham who has oversight of the Human Services Committee, asserted ourselves in the mayor's executive office and got word that a homeless service for which we'd sought a pardon has received a reprieve and will be kept open through hypothermia season (until 3/31/13) as opposed to closing on November 30th, 2012. Even the sharp e-mail exchange which I had with DC Mayor Vincent Gray 's chief...

I'm proud to say that I was instrumental in reuniting a homeless woman and her daughter (now 30) who hadn't seen each other in 25 years. The daughter did a Google search which turned up her mother's name and mine in the same article. The daughter then contacted me by e-mail (as my personal/contact information is very easily found through a Google search). I connected her to the man who wrote the article and he completed the connection. Here is a blog post I did in 2009. JOE YOUNG, the reporter whose article started the process whereby MYRA DIGGS and her daughter were united last month (right before Christmas), asked me in 2009 to post his article on my blog. Little did I know that it would lead to this reunion of a mother and daughter who hadn't seen each other in 25 years..... Everything below this line was written (or copied and pasted) April 28th, 2009: The following is an article by Joe Young, a writer for the Washington Informer and Afro. It is part of a se...

The following is an article that a reader asked me to post..... I have volunteered with homeless ministries and service providers in many different contexts. I have served homeless guests in established shelters and on the street and almost always find the experience uplifting and powerful. That is not to say the work is easy. Difficulties arise for a number of reasons, some obvious and others not. As volunteer homeless service providers, each of these reasons should be studied closely to successfully accommodate all of our guests and fellow volunteers. For me, one particular situation that causes more difficulty than most -- the case of a frustrated, angry guest. This does not happen often, but when it does there is a significant impact on the mission's volunteers and guests. Suppose you serve in a mission that promotes community and hope. Just one angry guest can sully the positive mood and discourage guests from returning and new volunteers from ongoing partici...

The Unwelcome Homeless In November of 2008 a Washington City Paper article indicated that the homeless are not welcome in the libraries of our nation's capital. An August 2009 New York times article addressed the criminalization of poverty nationally. Then, a September 2009 Washington Examiner article mentioned that the homeless are not welcome in the parks of Downtown Washington, DC. It's no military secret -- the homeless are America's most unwanted. What's most disturbing about this news is that our public officials are often the ones leading the charge against the homeless. Most homeless advocates wouldn't take offense to any reasonable request, such as wanting a homeless person to be presentable and well-mannered; but the mentally ill are one of the most underserved populations in the city, often leading to some very public psychotic episodes. And many of the homeless wouldn't loiter around businesses and other public places if they had some...

I recently had a situation that almost left me unemployed. Fortunately, my job was saved. I'm still not completely out of the woods though. But for now I'll enjoy my continued employment for what it's worth. You can scroll down to the April 7th video and see me conversing with my boss, Yvette. As it turns out, she recently had a health issue that required surgery. (I'll afford her some privacy by not disseminating all of the details of her diagnosis/prognosis.) while she was out of commission, she gave her mother authority over her cleaning service. Yvette's mother (who is affectionately known as "Mom" by Yvette's employees and others at the Developing Families Center) was upset about the place having not been cleaned according to her (Mom's) standard, even though she was just assuming authority. She threatened to fire the whole crew. Ed, the supervisor, informed me on the night of Thursday, August 27th that Friday, the 28th would be my last day....

A project is presently underway to gather the stories of about 25 homeless people and put them into a book for the nation to read. Hopefully we will be able to get First Lady Michelle Obama to write the foreword to the book. Below is the story that I submitted. (It is still subject to editting.)..... THE HOMELESS ARE PEOPLE TOO ....,a-whop-a-do, a-whop-a-do. (From "Wonderama") I was born in Atlantic city, NJ on February 15th, 1969 as Eric Gooden. When I was 8 months old, I was almost killed by my parents who fractured my skull. I don't know which one actually did it or any of the other gory details. However, after my hospital stay, I went to a foster home in Atlantic City, where I stayed until I was 5 years old. In August of 1974 I was taken in by Rudy and Joanne Sheptock who lived in Chester, NJ at that time. They took in Mary Elizabeth who was from Morristown, NJ at the same time that they received me. together we were the 9th and 10th children, with the Shept...

Lately, many people are beginning to take interest in the homeless issue. Maybe it's due to the economic downturn. Maybe it's because they realize that they're just a paycheck away from being homeless themselves. Maybe it's because they are seeing more and more homeless people on the streets of America. Then again, it might be all of the above. Regardless of the reason for their interest in the issue, It's good to see that they care. However, most people don't sufficiently understand the root causes of homelessness. Many believe that people are homeless by choice. this is only true in few, if any, cases. Those who "choose" to be homeless are usually mentally ill. Making an irrational choice as a mentally ill person doesn't constitute true choice as far as I'm concerned. Then there are those who believe that people become homeless due to their own missteps such as drug use, failing to pay the rent and going to jail. While this might account for ...

Something suspicious is happening to the homeless people of DC. There has been a sharp, sudden decline in the numbers of homeless people that frequent certain parks and other areas of town. The recent murders of homeless people in DC creates a definite cause for concern -- one man having had his head bashed in as he slept outdoors, the other having been beaten by 2 men as the result of a verbal altercation and left to die in front of a grocery store. (In the latter case, video footage shows people walking past the man as he lie incapacitated and dying for 20 minutes.) There have also been at least a half dozen non-fatal attacks on homeless DC residents as they slept outside over the past few months. Putting aside all sensationalism, I don't believe that the decreased number of homeless people in the parks is the result of foul play. If so, it's probably non-violent foul play on the part of Mayor Fenty and/or those acting on his behalf; but, don't quote me on that. A certain...