Suicide Tower

I wrote the other day about a suicide in my neighborhood. Since then I have learned that two more people have jumped from the same tower in the last year. One died. One fell through the plastic lid on a dumpster and survived. I have no idea whether this goes on at other housing facilities for the long-term disabled, especially among the mentally-ill. But it sure makes me wonder. If this is not so uncommon elsewhere, I am not even sure what you would do to address it. Or if you should do anything.

I ran into the recent suicide's lover at a market yesterday. I didn't even know what to say and don't really know the guy, so I said nothing.

I did spend quite a bit of time talking with one of the building's other residents. He's 60 years old, a long-time schizophrenic, and has been taking Haldol for 21 years. He's been out of the hospital for decades. He was of course rattled by what had happened in his building. But he was rattled by what had gone on his building and was threatening to catch a train to Portland and try his hand at starting his life over there.

"Why?" I asked.

"I want a normal life," he said. "I want a girlfriend and a car and a job."

I listened to him talk like that for a time and then my bus came and I went to the office. The man's name is Mr. B. You'll hear more about him soon.