Lived in a Tent: When I Was a Dangerous Criminal: Stephen Harris' Life Story
()
About this ebook
A biography of homelessness, trauma, and hope.
Related to Lived in a Tent
Related ebooks
What Happened to My Sister?: Inspired by True Events Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Slavery to True Freedom: The Story of a so Called African American Man Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReflections of a Lifetime Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStreet Life in America-Part I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSurviving Adversity Using the Word of God Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHood Legends: This Thing We Started Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Raggy, the Sole Survivor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFinally Free!: A Memoir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTown & Country Childhood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Confessions of Timmy Day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Life in a Bottle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThat's What Junkies Do Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hardships of an American Soldier Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Life Lived Me Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStardust 'n' Mud: A heart felt Memoir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClosure Has Come, Goldman Sachs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBullet The Path to Revenge Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFront Porches to the Picture Window Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIf You Got the Guts, Run Baby Run: A Woman's Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSelf-Convicted Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Pause in the Western Rhythm: The Cougar and the Sheik Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Memoirs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBobby: Please Come Inside Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhoenix Rising From the Ashes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOrphan's Asylum Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Eastside of Town: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pilgrim Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Long Hard Ride: Journey of Self Discovery and Faith Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo Margin 4 Error Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBill Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Sexual Abuse & Harassment For You
Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Adult Survivors Understanding the Long-Term Effects of Traumatic Childhood Experiences Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnspeakable: Surviving My Childhood and Finding My Voice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Guilt by Accusation: The Challenge of Proving Innocence in the Age of #MeToo Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Game Changer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Johns: Sex for Sale and the Men Who Buy It Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dear Professor: A Woman's Letter to Her Stalker Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fallen Idols: A Century of Screen Sex Scandals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Letter to a Bigot: Dead But Not Forgotten Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boys Don't Tell: Ending the Silence of Abuse Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Not Without My Sister: The True Story of Three Girls Violated and Betrayed by Those They Trusted Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5#ChurchToo: How Purity Culture Upholds Abuse and How to Find Healing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thou Shalt Not Be Aware: Society's Betrayal of the Child Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5QAnon & the #Pizzagates of Hell: Unreal Tales of Occult Child Abuse by the CIA Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Somebody's Daughter: Inside an International Prostitution Ring Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Anatomy of Silence Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Power of Women: A Doctor's Journey of Hope and Healing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learning Good Consent: On Healthy Relationships and Survivor Support Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Long, Dark Shadow: Minor-Attracted People and Their Pursuit of Dignity Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Reviews for Lived in a Tent
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Lived in a Tent - Fiona Williams
Preface
To read this book, you just need to know this: I met my friend Stephen when I moved into an apartment in the summer of 2010. My mother owned the apartment building, and that is how she and Stephen met each other.
Nine years later, Stephen still lives in the apartment building, (but in a different apartment.) His tenancy there has been a success when his other attempts at maintaining a home failed. There are a few reasons for this, but no doubt Stephen’s stability is because of the small village of supporters surrounding him - not least of which includes his church, a few close friends, some family, and - my mother, Phil.
Chapter 1 - Birth to Arson
Stephen when I met you, you were moving in across the hall from me in an apartment building. One of the first things you said to me is that you loved your apartment - and that you’d lived in a tent most of your life; I thought, this guy’s got a story.
So let’s start at the beginning...
I was born out in Fredericton Junction, out in the boonies. I know my step dad, but I don’t know my real dad. I know my real dad as my middle name: Kenneth. He’s in Ontario somewhere, or he’s dead. I don’t know my dad. I was in diapers when he left, and I guess I was ran over, my diaper got caught in the muffler of the car, by my dad and his friend. They used to own a garage out there; they drank every day; alcoholics.
When I grew up, when I started to get older, I was six, seven years old I realized I had no father, no mother. My grandparents took the four of us in: me, Donna, David, and Larry. Well, we was given to my grandparents from Mum. David’s the youngest. I’m the third. We was probably all young cause I remember Grampy and Grammy more then I remember Mum.
Grampy didn’t want me living there with him and my grandmother. All of us did, but they abused me so bad that [Grampy] would beat my head on the bathtub and all of that. And that’s why I can’t hear [out of my] left ear today. I couldn’t eat at the table without gettin a beatin. I had to hide many times before I got beaten because my step-dad was drunk and my grandfather was abusive. And they was always callin me no-good piece-of-shit; you’re never going to amount to nothin, shit’s going to bank around your heart and you’re gonna die.
I heard it all in my life.
My brother stabbed me with a fork and showed me all kinds of violence. I was around eight, nine years old or so when Junior came into Mum’s life. Then I went back with Mum and Junior cause they wanted me back. That’s when the sexual abuse started. That’s right. Cause I was nine years of age when my stepfather and his friend was sexually abusing me at the camp.
I was sexually abused at my stepdad’s friend camp; all year camp where you go and party, smoke dope, drinkin, cut wood and hang out - out in Fredericton Junction out on Graveyard Road. The camp still exists. They used to tie me up and make me do things to them.
I was six or seven when I first saw marijuana. I found it in a can at the camp. Didn’t know what marijuana was. I lit my first joint I was eight years old. I smoked marijuana in behind the Fredericton Junction Train station. At eight years old I started smoking dope, then I got drunk, was drinking that age of eight or nine, beer and wine.
So, you started drinking when you were a child?
Yeah, cause I didn’t know any better. I was an alcoholic at the age of 12. I was still drinking too at the Legion Fredericton Junction age of 19 before I went to jail.
The sexual abuse went on til I was fourteen, til I ran away. And when I went to jail and everybody said to me, well you’re going to jail, you’re gonna get it up the bum and all this. I was more protected in jail then I was of being a kid. I’m sorry I went to jail for protection most the time.
[My abusers] made me miserable and I had a hard time when a woman touched me for a long time. I had a hard time cuz I felt so dirty, you know, and I still have doubts at times, you know what I mean, I still