A Template For Social Activism

You won't find a better model than Pat Capponi who for decades has been putting the interests of others first......she has GAINED the respect of those who can help her meet her goals.

Open minds meet in Parkdale TheStar.com - comment - Open minds meet in Parkdale

January 30, 2008

Carol Goar

The police call them EDPs.

That stands for emotionally disturbed persons. They can be suicidal, delusional, caught in a horrific flashback, lashing out wildly or cowering in terror. Their language may be garbled. Their physical strength can be enormous.

The thing is, they're sick. They're not criminals.

Close to 60 episodic EDPs – individuals with a range of mental disorders – showed up at the Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre last week for a two-hour meeting with Toronto police.

The turnout was remarkable, considering the tense relations between psychiatric survivors (as they prefer to call themselves) and the police. What was even more remarkable was the openness on both sides.

Much of the credit goes to Pat Capponi, who organized the meeting. The author, anti-poverty activist and psychiatric survivor has a huge network of friends and contacts on the streets, in the rooming houses, at the drop-in centres and at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. If she says it's safe to come, they come.

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