by Travis Mateer

I was all ready to meet the man responsible for starting a trash movement, but the meeting wasn’t able to happen because of an alleged assault. What happened? Based on texts I received later in the day from Mr. Tollefson, this is what he claims occurred:

A man allegedly pushed Ryan three times, resulting in Ryan calling 911, but according to Ryan nothing was done to address the issue, so he continued working to remove trash from near the river bank. The man who pushed Ryan got increasingly agitated, then chucked two hockey sticks at him, so Ryan broke the hockey sticks in half and added them to the trash pile, which is when the man began “wailing” on Ryan. When the police responded to a passerby who called 911, they allegedly accused RYAN of stealing the man’s personal belongings.

Here’s the official booking for Ryan Tollefson’s disorderly conduct charge:

When I got to thinking about Missoula’s Crisis Intervention Team and the Mobile Crisis Support Team–both programs we are told will lose funding from ARPA drying up–I started to wonder, why aren’t either of these programs able to help address the conflict arising between campers and this citizen who got fed up with what he was seeing along the river? Because today I counted AT LEAST city police cruisers on scene to address this as a criminal matter.

If I was still coordinating the Homeless Outreach Program–a program I grew from its infancy in 2010 to a well-respected part of the service delivery system when I left in 2016–this incident with Ryan Tollefson would NEVER have happened.

Instead of just waiting around for someone else to get off their ass and do something PROACTIVE regarding this escalating situation, I was busy yesterday deploying my deescalation skills, including having conversations with people still camping along West Broadway.

These direct conversations with “urban campers” (before that was even a term) was a critical component in the work I was doing at the shelter, and it’s work I’m doing AGAIN, without any guarantee of a paycheck, because no one else has the unique abilities combined with the inclination to act that I have apparently been blessed (or cursed) with.

Or maybe I should just take a chill pill, sit back, and watch what unfolds as police use their hilarious show-of-force to protect campers throwing pills, clothes, and rotting food into the river.

Another part of this story I forgot to mention in my last post is what Ryan Tollefson told the Facebook Group audience about his appearance in court. According to Ryan, the judge suggested he CONTINUE going out and picking up trash. I wonder what the cops think about that? Because I already know they have a VERY LOW opinion of some judges, especially the ones who preside over Municipal Court.

The short-term satisfaction of telling everyone I TOLD YOU SO has waned considerably, so if I can devise a more consistent way to fund my unique skillset plus box-truck capacity, I’m going to do it.

While I worked on laying the groundwork for a successful cleanup next month, local media reported on another big hit to local employment after the announcement of the Pyramid lumber mill closure last week. If workers can’t afford housing because they don’t have jobs, they should know that there’s plenty of river-front dirt patches to pitch a tent and start a life of drug-abusing victimhood on.

How did our train-loving County Commissioner react to this private sector closing of Pyramid before Roseburg closed? His idea was to talk to other politicians about it

Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier said on Friday that they’ve been in talks with Pyramid Mountain Lumber’s leadership team and have also reached out to Montana’s Congressional leadership and the Governor’s Office as Thursday’s news broke.

Isn’t this funny? Dave Strohmaier, a Democrat, thinks Republicans like Zinke, Rosendale and Gianforte are going to do something about this. Why would they? This year’s contentious political cycle ensures no cross-party cooperation for a greater good is going to happen, so Dave’s suggestion is pure window-dressing covering the fact there’s NOTHING he can do.

In the latest Missoulian story, the Pyramid closure is being blamed primarily on housing problem, and the housing problem is being blamed on the lack of a sewer system, something the politicians have been trying to get money to fund for over a decade, like this article from 2013:

A private foundation based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming has donated $500,000 to assist with funding for a Seeley Lake sewer system.

Missoula County Commissioner Jean Curtiss said on Thursday, November 21 that the sewer board in Seeley Lake received the grant for the first phase of the system after spending several years planning.

“The septic systems in the area all seemed to run toward the lake,” Curtis said. “To protect the lake, they formed the sewer board that’s been working for years to design and build a sewer system.

Six years later, Jean Curtiss was hired by the board to be the manager. Is this the same Jean Curtiss that presided over the sale of the historic hospital at Fort Missoula? Yes, it is.

The issue of housing affordability has dire implications for many non-wealthy people in this valley, including me, since I’m planning on joining the homeless community after my residential lease is up at the end of May. Fuck paying rent in this retarded town, I’m going to live in my box truck and continue exposing the cognitive impairments of our cognitively challenged leaders and influencers until I get a book deal or become less famous so I can sue propagandists, like Martin Kidston.

Once I become homeless, will I be protected from vigilante harm? That seems to be the trend, like a Queens property owner who got herself arrested for changing the locks on HER OWN HOME. Because squatters have more rights than homeowners?

A pair of vigilantes showed up to a house in Queens, New York where the homeowner was recently arrested for changing the locks on her own house in order to try and evict squatters.

On Tuesday afternoon, two unidentified men driving a black pickup truck pulled into the driveway of the Flushing home in search of the squatters.

“We are looking to get this guy out,” one of the men told the Daily Mail. “I am here to talk to him. I want to see why he is here.”

Did I warn about vigilantism last spring? I did. Was I taken seriously? I was not. Is it fun to be a prophet? Ask Cassandra.

If you would like to financially support a prophetic journalist who can see the future (including his own homelessness), Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF) is still accepting donations. Any amount helps.

Thanks for reading!