A young activist’s play about the death of a homeless man will be featured Sunday, January 21 at Bennington Theater on Main Street.
At 2 p.m. Sunday, January 21, Addie Lentzner’s play about Thierry Heuga’s death will be performed at Bennington Theater at 331 Main Street. The story about Thierry’s hardscrabble life will be performed by local actors. A discussion on homelessness and poverty in our state will follow the play.
On February 10, 2020, Thierry died outside when it was 4 degrees. Thierry went to bed under a thin blanket beneath the Holden St., Bennington bridge because he couldn’t fetch a ride to a motel 6 miles down the road even though he was given a motel voucher. The play was named in the top three in Weston’s Young Playwright’s Workshop competition.
Lentzner, a Bennington County resident and vocal advocate for the homeless hotel voucher program, is a freshman at Middlebury College and a recipient of the 2023 Leahy Award.
Zuckerman to visit Bennington for Banned Book Tour reading – Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman Monday, 5 pm January 29 will lead a banned books reading at Fiddlehead at Four Corners art gallery at 338 Main Street.
Students from across Bennington County will participate in the reading, as will advocates and parents, to discuss censorship and equity in schools through the lens of books that have been banned across the United States. Fiddlehead at Four Corners has featured a Banned Books exhibit for the last 24 years.
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Categories: Community Events
This gentleman suffered from severe psychiatric issues & had long ago been diagnosed with Schizophrenia, yet the State of VERMONT allowed him to roam the streets despite being a danger to himself & potentially others. Why? Placing him against his “will” in a properly managed psychiatric facility where he & the public would remain safe was somehow an infringement of his “civil rights”.
Further, upon autopsy, it was deemed by the VT medical examiner that he passed due to cardiomegaly and emphysema – both of which could have been treated in a psychiatric hospital had the State of VERMONT not act to use him as yet another political pawn in their quest to “normalize” severe psychiatric conditions (including biological males who proclaim womanhood) that can sometimes be detrimental to public safety. But political propaganda being of utmost importance, he instead died alone under a bridge, and the leftists in control in Bennington County are now using his passing as “trophy” for their warped causes.
How “humane” the leftist radicals are.
I can assure you most wholeheartedly that if Mr. Heuga was in a psychiatric facility here in the state of Vermont he would absolutely not get adequate treatment for his medical conditions of cardiomegaly and emphysema-unless it was a unit at Fletcher Allen. I know this from 4 years working in such a pure psychiatric facility here in southern Vermont and the medical care is essentially nonexistent. They only provide basic medical and ship out anyone who is medically unstable. The nursing staff is woefully unprepared to care for this type of patient. Additionally, patients sitting in most primary and secondary hospital ER’s (medical facilities) in this state have their psychiatric needs as equally unmet with the exception of giving meds. Which truly, is all they get at the aforementioned facility. Mental health care in our society is abysmal. It amounts to a sprinkle of individual talk therapy, a dash of group therapy, hanging around a common area all day and taking a bunch of pills. And then you are discharged. At least way back in the 80’s when I was in training, the nurses did therapeutic groups during the day and evening. They don’t do that anymore either.
It is terribly sad the way he passed makes my heart heavy, but I honestly don’t know if it would have been better if he was held in a locked facility. (All psychiatric facilities are locked.) Truly. I’m not trying to argue about compassion. We just don’t have the tools to work with folks that provides actual mental health care, while allowing them to enjoy their rights at the same time attending to serious and chronic physical or medical issues. This is one of those situations that unless the person is a violent offender, he gets to make bad life choices.
If he was deemed non compos mentis, then he would have been appointed a guardian who would likely be advocating for his release and return to the community. It truly is a horrible system and makes no sense. I have so many stories I could tell you. Both in the psychiatric facilities, the medical facilities and home health. It is just one of the reasons I left my profession although I still carry a license. The health care system is untenable.
Now, I don’t know any details about his specific case and I don’t wish to debate his specific circumstances. It is just appalling what currently passes for health care these days. I just wanted to take the opportunity to shed some light on the state of care or lack thereof.
Respectfully,
Pam Baker
I understand all you’re saying Pam, but nonetheless I contend that sleeping in a bed and getting whatever treatment was available as opposed to his residing under a bridge. As far as whether or not he was a potential threat to others – only a couple of years ago, a random young woman was murdered in cold blood right off Main Street in Bennington in broad daylight – by a man well known to police to be suffering from serious psychiatric issues. He was thereafter deemed not competent to stand trial, yet the state of VERMONT had continuously ignored his behaviors and allowed him to roam freely in public, until he eventually took someone’s life.
Despite the failing and limitations that psychiatric facilities traditionally afford, allowing many of these people to remain at large is highly detrimental to the safety & well-being of the general public – as evidenced again by the numerous crimes perpetrated by such troubled individuals resulting in the fatal, near-fatal attacks and brutal beatings that have been occurring in Burlington AND Brattleboro.
Doing something is immensely better than doing nothing.
And yet AGAIN — Zuckerman continues his sickening political propaganda campaign to protest against his UNHINGED rhetoric that conservatives are somehow “banning books” .
No Zuckerman, and you KNOW that to be FALSE – The righteous demographic of the population, also known under these circumstances as the majority, is merely seeking to keep you radicalized zealots from having PORNOGRAPHIC books in public schools and away from small children.
Want to attempt to counter Zuckerman’s fanaticism and abject lies at this location? Be AWARE: He SHAMELESSLY utilizes “people of color” as “escorts” from his “Rights & Democracy VT” leftist organization who aggressively confront any person who even attempts to contradict his blatant slander in hopes of intimidating them. Fortunately, the bookstore in question this time is located directly across from the Bennington Police department, so any & all threats made by his thugs can be very conveniently reported. Keep play-acting, Zuckerman & Company: Oldcastle Theatre is right around the corner, though you & your homies won’t be winning any awards for trying to act “tough”.
DON’T BE A SUCKER, MAN.
DON’T VOTE FOR ZUCKERMAN.
Zuckerman can read??
Note: Notice that NO “playwright” has either created or been awarded anything for any theatrical production about the lives or memories of either Emily Hamman, 26 years of age, or of Lean Rosin-Pritchard, 36 years of age – BOTH senselessly murdered in the prime of their life by homeless and seriously mentally ill people!
What about THEIR memories, VERMONT??????