Hello everyone. My name is Ching Lee. I’m a 31 year old Chinese American tutor and Martial Arts Instructor working out of Maryland. I met William, or “Bill” as I call him in February of this year. He was this slight, bearded, thin man at the library in which I tutor at in DC, and he was friendly and cordial when I met him. I began seeing him 2-3 times a week there, and we formed a small friendship after a while. He began telling me about his situation: cheated out of money by his landlady when he moved out, and then didn’t have enough money for a new place. He’s a Military Veteran, and what I noticed about him is he was friendly, optimistic, wise, religious in a real sense and practical, and NOT a leech or sketchy in anyway.

As of today: Bill has been assault by a Washington D.C. police officer (for parking in a lot) a week ago, put in prison under a false charge of “assaulting an officer” which did not happen, then released the next day. His car was impounded, which he had to pay to get back and his cats were put in a shelter (which he also had to pay for to get back). He has suffered two heatstrokes from the heatwave going on in Washington D.C. and his health is deteriorating (he has the onset of COPD, a respiratory disease) and a number of other age related and situational related health problems, and now his cats have respiratory problems as well; they are currently not eating or drinking anything.

Here’s a link to our facebook campaign:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-William-A-Campbell-Jr-of-Washington-DC/335876853169285

Also, be free to send our small campaign an E-mail:

SaveBillCampbell@gmail.com

Here are his words:

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Written by William:

OBJECTIVE:

To secure a temporary or permanent place to live for myself and my two beloved animals.

BACKGROUND

I am a 67 year old black man, and a US Veteran who served honorably in the US Army, as well as the US Navy. I am a

Washington DC native; and have lived in DC most of my life. I graduated from Eastern High School, and attended the

University of the District of Columbia where I studied City and Transportation planning for 3 years. I am the holder of

a CDL Drivers license, and have been driving City busses for the past 25 years in Delaware, Florida, Maryland, and

The District. I retired on disability from The Bus in PG County 3 years ago, and started receiving my Social Security

Retirement benefits three years ago. I have a retirement income of $545 a month, and receive food stamps. I am also registered with the DC Supplemental foods Program, and with the DC Energy Assistance program which assist me with my utility bills when I had my own place. At the moment, I am homeless, living in my car, which does not run; parked on the parking lot of a local grocery store. We have been homeless since October of 2011. My two elderly cats Tigger [male, tabby and white] and Pretty [female, orange and white] have been with me since they were 3 weeks old; they are now 12; 64 years in human time; they mean the world to me. We share the space of the car, and I see to it they have everything they need, that is, within reason. They are healthy and well cared for, and were just vaccinated a few days ago. We survived the past winter when the temperatures were into the teens, but the summer weather is taking a toll on

On us. The temperature in the car can get as high as 150 degrees, and we have all almost died. Two weeks ago I suffered a heatstroke, and Tigger became very ill from the heat.

HISTORY

I relocated back to the District in 1999, when I started working for WMATA [METRO] as a bus operator. I had my

own apartment which was located in South East Washington, and remained there until I relinquished my apartment in

October, 2011as part of a settlement agreement with my landlord. The landlord told me she was converting the

Building into a private residence and wanted me to give up my apartment. She was to give me a certain amount of

Building for my relocation. I was to be given$4000 up front, then $7,000 once I vacated my apartment; an agreement was signed in Court. The money was for my relocation expenses. Once I had vacated the apartment, the landlord refused to turn the remainder of the money over to me as agreed upon, claiming that I had caused damage to the apartment. I had this well kept apartment which was our home for 11 years; and when I vacated, I owed this landlord nothing. I had put all of my possessions in storage which cost me almost $450 a month. I had to take the matter back to court, where it remains still today. The court has not been helpful to me at all, nor has it taken into consideration the fact that this situation has left me homeless, and living in a car. I have had to file numerous complaints against several judges, along with file several appeals to the court while this thing works through its courses. The courts primary responsibility was to enforce the settlement agreement which it refused to do. These battles continue up to today, and some of them even border on the violation of Constitutional laws. Some may even headed to Federal court and higher; in the meantime we continue to suffer to the point of nearly loosing our lives as this thing drags on.

All of my friends and family have turned their backs on me; not one has offered us any kind of assistance, not even a hot meal or a place to wash up; its broken my heart. These are the same people I have shared with and given to all of my life including a brother who I have taken in off of the streets on two occasions. and as stated, we almost died during the winter months when the temperatures were down in the 20s and teens at night with no heat at all, and now the situation with the summer weather is even more life threatening and is beginning to affect my health.

Last week while sitting in my car on the parking lot I was approach by a DC police who began cursing at me; when I said to him, “Sir I wish you would use a more respectful tone when speaking to me, he then grabbed me by the neck and shoulder and began to shake me; he then hit me in my face with his closed fist; when I feel to the ground, he put his knee into my back and continued to strike me with his closed fist until I loss consciousness. When I awoke I was in handcuffs and being taken to jail. When asked why I was being arrested, I was told I had assaulted a police officer. I never raised my voice let alone my hand to a police officer. They kept me and processed me through their system for 27 hours, then released me stating I was not being charged. The doctors at the VA medical center thought I might have a broken jaw as I was Un able to eat any solid food for 3 and a half days. X-rays were taken and the jaw is not broken.

When I was arrested, they also impounded my car and my two cats. I cost me $200 to get the car back, [my only home,] and $100 to get my cats back, [my only family]; now I will be $300 in the hole on my storage bill to try to keep from loosing everything I own and have worked for in the world.

THE HELP I NEED

I need someone to help me get a place to live until my case is settled in court and I receive my money. As I stated, my

Income is $545 a month from social security; my entire retirement check is used to keep my things in storage.