Question: In your future elected position, what will you do to assure the community tragedies such as James Chasse, Brad Morgan, Kendra James, Anthony McDowell, and Jack Collins, are prevented from happening again?

The police in these incidents went too far with their responsive actions to the situations they found themselves in. I don’t know what to do about stopping this, I wish I did. I will listen to any ideas on how to do so, for future police training and public awareness ‘not to run’. I don’t know why the police didn’t know when to stop or where to shoot, I guess the situation was new for them and they did what they were driven to do. So was it for the ones who died, or they would have known how to be approachable. I have seen where police interrupt tantrums that should run their course before touch[].

Question: In your future office, what powers will you use to affect positive change in mental health services? What changes will you pursue?

In the future I hope to encourage more discussion and honest admittance to mental health topics such as pre/post cognition, thought transference, telepathy, and any and all extra sensory. I hope this will bring about a richer and healthier mental and physical state of the community, help end and cure some disease and ailments, as well as crime that are started and kept in motion due to the encouraging of morbid mental states and violent lifestyles. This is done like it is the way of the people and popular media.

Question: Governor Kitzhaber has endorsed a plan to build a locked psychiatric facility at Junction City. Neighbors, professionals, family members, and persons with mental illness oppose this facility. What do you say?

I do not know this facility enough to form an opinion, yet. I will look into this, but other than the facility, it is the staff. How honest are the people in the staffing community? I have always had a difficult time when trying to seek mental health treatment. They all seem to be liars; the staff of mental health facilities. I have a difficult time with the double conversation of out-loud and mental thought transference. I have had this same difficulty in the courts when I tried to obtain a psychological harassment restraining order on an old couch hopper that was threatening my life in the mind state and causing me a headache along with mental/physical pain. The judge and I spoke, in the court room with others even involved, but when I got up to the stand to plead my case he told me to seek mental health counseling I couldn’t be helped by him. Like the conversation didn’t happen. The same has happened with me and the healthcare staff, boy do they know how to make people paranoid, uncomfortable, and rashly. I myself will admit to being disconnected in many mental cognitions and much of the time static in the attic that I cannot explain. As well as a constant state of hearing ‘voices’ or in a thought transference bothersome/never-ending conversation (in and around me); the voices in my head don’t always respect me.

So, I will be an honest voice about mental states and health.

Question: Homelessness has increased statewide despite millions of dollars spent on providing housing. Why? What would you do to end homelessness?

As far as the homeless go, I plan on building green low income apartment communities as well as a homeless relief work-shelter in Portland, Oregon. This will allow for a shorter wait than five years for shelter and allow homeless men, women, and youth to gain shelter and work skills and references. I will set up the shelter, so people can get settled in and then apply for work relief for stay and a small wage, around the city. This work will include but is not limited to possibly the shelter itself, maintenance, and cleanup of the city.

Thank you,
Shonda Colleen Kelley

On January 27 the Mental Health Association of Portland sent questions to all Oregon political candidates. This is one response. This post is not a political endorsement but an opportunity to speak out about mental illness. Minor changes may have been made to the text for clarity.