A death in WS, almost unnoticed

This escaped our usual web-combing for WS-related news: near the bottom of this “digest” from Sunday’s Times, a brief note about an apparent WS Bridge suicide on Saturday night. (Suicide gets very little media coverage because of an apparent belief that talking about it will cause more of it. This unforgettable 2004 Seattle Weekly story tackles the issue more eloquently than anything we’ve ever seen.) But back to the subject of what happened on The Bridge Saturday night … it was pointed out to us by one of the writers linked from our Other Blogs in WS page, who went on to say:

I saw the young man walking up the bridge on Saturday night seven minutes before he jumped. I went up the Delridge on-ramp at about 8:08 pm, saw him well up the ramp, wondered about him, figured he was on his way to a car, and then went on to my own thoughts. I didn’t notice as I got on the bridge that there was no car. He jumped about 8:15 pm according to the Seattle Times. He was young-looking, lean and well dressed.

Last night, I drove under the bridge and looked up and down and tried to come to terms with what he did and what I might have done.I was thinking that a lot of West Seattleites must have seen this man. Perhaps we could piece together a timetable of when we saw him and offer some details to his survivors of his last movements.

One more note from us: The Seattle Crisis Hotline is 206-461-3222. A great list of support resources is here.

Megan June 18, 2007 (12:29 pm)

Wow, thanks for posting. I hadn’t read the Weekly article before. It was really good.

aep June 18, 2007 (5:03 pm)

I remember that Weekly piece. It’s really good. Thanks for linking to it.

bigyaz June 18, 2007 (10:01 pm)

Suicide (in the specific sense) doesn’t get a lot of coverage because it the media is trying to be sensitive to an obviously tragic situation. If they gave the story big play they’d be accused, of course, of sensationalism, of using it to sell newspapers/advertising.

To suggest that the issue of suicide, in the larger sense, has not received attention from the media is being truly disingenuous.

anonymous June 18, 2007 (11:07 pm)

It was not unnoticed by everyone. I have a bipolar son. Sunday morning, I actually called the medical examiner’s office after seeing the Times article, to check on the age of the young man, afraid (once again) that it could be my son.

The Gay Curmudgeon June 19, 2007 (10:20 am)

The young man was a volunteer at Lambert House, “a center for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning youth and their allies”

If only we were more accepting of our youth, if only we could do more to tell them we care, if only we could do more to protect them from diseases like HIV, if only…

FROM: Ken Shulman, Lambert House Executive Director
TO: Lambert House Volunteers

Dear Lambert House Volunteers:

I am deeply saddened to tell you that [name], a long-time Lambert House youth, committed suicide on Saturday night by jumping off of the West Seattle Bridge. [name], who was 21, first came to Lambert House when he was 15. He considered Lambert House to be very important to him and for other LGBTQ youth.

[name] gave an HIV-prevention education presentation to the Lambert House Boys Group two weeks ago based on his personal experience becoming infected with HIV. It was [name]’s hope that he could educate other gay males to avoid becoming infected. On his physician’s advice,Ã‚Â [name] started HIV anti-retroviral medication last Saturday. He reported having immediate side-effects including a rash and severe nightmares.

On Saturday, June 30, at 4:00 p.m. at Lambert House, [name]’s friends, including Lambert House graduates, current youth, and others, will hold an all-ages memorial celebration of [name]’s life. Any Lambert House youth and anyone who knewÃ‚Â [name] is welcome to attend.

I cannot express how saddened I am by this loss.

-Ken

~The Gay Curmudgeon

(WSB note: Concerns about confidentiality have been raised since our original publication of this comment with the young man’s name; until and unless those concerns are resolved, we have edited out the name.)

popshoppe June 20, 2007 (1:44 am)

Hello Ken,

I was a very close friend and mentor to Jesse [named intentionally], he was a charming, sweet, loveable but deeply troubled young man.

His hope was indeed to help educate other young men about the critical need for awareness around HIV prevention.

I’ve known him since he was 15, and he always felt strongly that Lambert house was overtly a part of the young gay man he had become. I am thankful for the friends and love Jesse found at Lambert. Any youth or Lambert affiliates would be moved to hear some of the stories about this young, lost man’s life.

Jesse was trouble from a very young age, his life never was easy. This suicide was a punctuation mark on the suffering Jesse endured for his entire 21 years.

I am family, his name should not be withheld, Jesse was an open book, his life was a story he loved to tell, to anyone who would listen. He was never embarrased, shy or private. Please share your stories about his life, and be open about yours if you can help reach a lost kid.

We are profoundly affected by Jesse’s death. He will be missed beyond belief.

– Curt
– popshoppe – posting at http://www.harikari.com

Jean Williams June 27, 2007 (8:27 am)

Hello,
I am Jesse’s mother. Jesse was a brother,cousin,uncle,nephew,grandson and a son. He was all of these and much more…
We loved Jesse for who he was.There are many people in his life that have been devasted by his death. Many more then anyone can count. Jesse lost his life to demons that have been with him for a very long time.
I knew Jesse before these demons. A gentle, laughing child with a smile that would light up a room. He was the child that always wanted to ride the biggest ride and race the biggest track.
He threw his arms around anyone that he thought needed assurance and kissed those that needed that touch. That was my Jesse.

For all the parents in the world that have sat up nights, cried themselves to sleep and wondered “what more I could have done “, you are not alone. I put out my arms to you and want you to know that there are many of us.
For all of his friends…I give you my hope and love for being part of Jesse’s life then and now.
Thank you,
Jean Williams

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