Direktlänk till inlägg 6 december 2016
Ifrån ett liv till ett annat...
Paul som hemlös uteliggare i New York
Många av er som har följt Airpang under de 7 år som bloggen har legat online har säkert sett de filmer av Paul Capello som jag har postat då och då. Paul har länge varit en av mina favoriter och en tidig aktör inom Youtube-videos för luftvapenhobbyn. Sedan ett par år tillbaka så har han emellertid förvunnit mer eller mindre spårlöst och här följder förklaringen till detta:
"Having spent the better part of a decade in the Catskills and upstate NY producing an outdoor shooting sports TV show called American Airgunner and a YouTube show called Airgun Reporter, I chose to retire from that field in 2015.
Loneliness, isolation and depression caused me to sell or donate the contents of a three bedroom home I had been renting for several years.
Almost every single worldy possesion including 300 rifles and pistols, every stick of furniture was released to new owners. I kept only my working tools such as cameras and computer gear. And of course my big yellow dog Buster.
We stayed with friends in NY for a while (God bless them ) and then I was offered to stay with my older sister in Brooklyn in July 2016 until I could get on my feet again. I've never had trouble finding work as a professional, and I was confident I'd soon land on my feet.
On October 31, my sister decided I was no longer welcome to stay with her.
Although she is highly functional and takes care of her family, she suffers from crippling psychological disorders including Bi Polar disorder, borderline personality, and other illnesses. My other family members (I'm the youngest of five) agreed with her decision that it was for the best. It was made clear that no other family member would give me shelter.
On November 1st, without anywhere to go Buster and I slept in an alleyway, cold and frightened. Suddenly a week went by, and we began sneaking into building basements to keep warm.
By the grace of God we have been able to spend a few days here and there with friends. As a filmmaker I decided to turn negative energy into positive, meeting other homeless people on the street to bring comfort in the form of a big warm friendly dog, and someday soon clothing and supplies.
I hope to create a video series about the plight of others to bring the awareness and help to them that is so desperately needed."
Livet kan alltså förändras fort och även i ett rikt U-land som USA så kan den närmast totala avsaknaden av sociala skyddsnät gör att man faller långt och hårt om man drabbas av en i övrigt normal motgång som en sjukdom, en arbetslöshet eller en havererad relation.
Nu verkar Paul i alla fall göra det bästa av sin situation och arbeta konstruktivt i samband med sitt liv på gatan som uteliggare i NY så jag hoppas innerligt att han kommer på fötter framöver och hittar en frid i sin tillvaro.