What A Friday At Alternatives

The morning began with the invited-uninvited-reinvited journalist and author Robert Whitaker. He passionately presented the materials of his most recent book, Epidemic in America. His message was punctuated by a thunderstorm and power outage. At noon, Mark Ragins (psychiatrist and founder of The Village in Long Beach), presented himself and his message about recovery as the counterpoint to Robert Whitaker. His presentation was punctuated by protest and confrontation.

I think both have important things to say and it is important our movement dialogue about the issues but I was frustrated that organizers felt the need to counter Whitaker and with the way Ragins did it.

I spent a good portion of the evening and into the night talking with friends including a new one, Scott Cooper. Scott is an artist that has embarked upon an incredible project called It's Our Story. He is going around the country collecting the oral history of our movement and those from other "disability" communities by interviewing the leaders of the movements so we capture our history. He has interviewed over 1000 people using a camera and then working with youth to post the interviews on youtube, Scott is an incredible artist with a passion to tell the story of our movements through the people that made it possible. You can read more by searching for It's Our Story or www.itsourstory.org

Just another day at Alternatives.

1200 Strong at Alternatives 2010

It is an incredible site. 1200 individuals from across the world gathered together to celebrate and communicate the reality of who we are as a part of the consumer movement. It is good to connect with old friends and make new ones. I've met people from most of the states and Madrid Spain and each one a living testament to the pursuit of living his or her life in the way he or she wants to live it.

Each person really facinates me incluuding one woman who comes from Massachusetts that has her own business as a driver of a car for hire and comes to be around friends and celebrate the consumer movement. She has faced the worst type of "psychiatric treatment" and has worked through it to be a beautiful person living a pretty cool life.

We are part of a movement, a human rights movement, it is important to realize this and listen to those who have come before us, those we agree and disagree with and to support the youth that will inherit the movement and make it their own.