Homeless in the City Where He Was Once Mayor

[Zorro]

Craig Coyner’s descent onto the streets of Bend, Ore., came after decades spent fighting as a lawyer and politician for those on the edge of society.

BEND, Ore. — As he navigated one day last fall through a crowded grid of beds at one of Oregon’s largest homeless shelters, Steve Martin, a longtime rancher and community volunteer, was brought to a halt by a familiar voice that called out from an unfamiliar face.

“Aren’t you going to say, ‘Hi,’ Steve?” said the man, with eyes peering through curtains of white hair and a beard that flared in neglected disarray. Mr. Martin, who spent many of his days working among the shelter’s residents, considered the man’s gaunt frame, searching for a clue. Then the man spoke again: “It’s Craig.”

The words jolted Mr. Martin with a mix of recognition and disbelief. He had known Craig Coyner for more than 50 years, watching with admiration as the man from one of the most prominent families in Bend, Ore., rose through an acclaimed career — as a prosecutor, a defense lawyer and then a mayor who helped turn the town into one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.

Now, at age 75, Mr. Coyner was occupying a bed at the shelter on Second Street, his house lost to foreclosure, his toes gnarled by frostbite, his belongings limited to a tub of tattered clothing and books on the floor next to his bed.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/28/us/bend-oregon-mayor-homeless.html?unlocked_article_code=PMNMAbWULqAc5diQEHOf745UIfWjo8NRFCinvaC7MYnh9-mPKCBIZrXnRQnM7khMIHI-liWQuNwgVitMF1D8FE_K-V7r8H5JJTf8XHT5r8pZhzRGa8RHEbiLakBguHhg3XW9ddnJOpuV16EYZ-527RI8u_rZ3z-mlLj5MQfxGXv3sQ8OxwMuJGSG-3xgIvP5sPO5IcjUpSm1lwKD99xfnJO87eIUVR9nZNXa9PW2AnJfPqDtlbrlxR--R-ZWi6VX4YlR4AuGWp-OoIEOQU4Fk8a6GoaCQ3GAt-exvJYgEuYhQXEEJUnOSxGdnsjEmFRjJ8dBQ3uQjVPEr1Ux0eqk&giftCopy=0_NoCopy&smid=url-share

[Jilly_in_VA]

1. What a sad story

It shows what mental illness can do to someone. I lost my son to PTSD and suicide in so15. He probably would have become homeless if my daughter and her husband hadn't taken him in.

[lucca18]

4. I am so very sorry for the loss of your son.

💔

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

2. "Sweep the streets I used to own"...

Viva La Vida by Coldplay / Lyrics

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning, I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
Now the old king is dead, long live the king
One minute, I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

Chorus
I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason, I can't explain
Once you'd gone, there was never, never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh, who would ever want to be king?

Chorus

Bridge

Chorus

[dalton99a]

3. A must read.