Outside by Ryan Versaw
Lithia Park, known for its vibrant yellow and green hues, is a fitting place to begin exploring Ashland, Oregon, especially when seeking to hear from those who live outside. Ramona Williams, Ronald Bassinger, and Daniel Montgomery all call Ashland their home. As a band plays from a stage covered by a band shell, creating a cannon of sound, I spoke to Ramona about her life in this land while living outside.
As the band plays under the hooded stage at Lithia Park, Ramona begins to recount a series of events that have brought her into contact with the law. With a wide gesture of her hands, she describes an incident in the yard of Trinity Church.
While using the yard as nature intended, Ramona was confronted by a security guard after two boys saw her masturbating outside. I asked Ramona what she thought of the presence of security. She attributes it to the pervasive suspicion of people.
“There is a mentality that if you speak out or speak up, you are not allowed,” says Ramona.
Ramona has been to court in Oregon over trespassing and alleged disorderly conduct. She recounts an experience at Matcha, a local tea shop, where she was bleeding and unaware that she was on her period upon entry. The conversation escalated and involved the law the moment she stood her ground and defended her place downtown.
“This mentality is pervasive,” says Ramona.
Ramona believes that people are meant to go outside rather than use a toilet. She prefers compost toilets, which align with her stance on living naturally. As someone who lives on the move, Ramona knows that more people living outside means more people must go outside to dispose of waste. She speaks passionately about the relative ease of living in the open air, envisioning a life with only the sky above.
“I think that we need to get away from that concept, inside that we must shit in a toilet,” says Ramona.
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While the people are pushed to seek shelter until we find a place to reside, in this Land of my home, some People continue to walk for miles to find shelter. Some of these people once lived in a house with many children and worked a job with hourly pay. Other people moved out of a house dwelled by mother and father to find their place to reside. People must eat and naturally seek a table even when a sleeping bag barely fits a pack with all of their food. The hearth is a flame that burns with the heart and head. All of our desire rests with the hearth, the fire, from which we hold all that teacher taught us, and we must find a place to heal that a bed or the earth has. While we only heal up high, where the people are, all people will seek the table, hearth, and bed that composes a home. The desire to be loved and how we love will compel us to seek home until we go higher.
Ramona advocates for a mindset that draws people outside, outlining a transition to using the earth more. She believes outhouses should be used more frequently, facilitating comfort through natural decomposition rather than relying on large sewer systems. Ramona highlights the concept of need in a land full of people. We are told that life is good, and we believe it. Spend money on what is good, and more people will speak positively about it. Speak of sewage treatment plants, spend money on a sewage system, and more people will say that sewer treatment plants are good.
“We have lost our connection to nature,” says Ramona.
When asked to explain her connection to nature, Ramona had a single reply.
“Just…nature.”
From Lithia Park to the highway stemming from East Main Street, there exists a trail for Ramona, marked by business, trespassing charges, claims of disturbing the peace, and a bulwark in the move around. On the same road are people who go outside and keep the same beat.
Ronald Bassinger, a name that stands out, walks the crossroads of Ashland Street and the freeway to California. On a long walk and a long rant, Bassinger lets out a stream of words, reluctant to answer questions. After a lengthy monologue about his daily thoughts, I asked if he was confronted by any officials or law enforcement about his efforts to find a place to relieve himself.
“We are the officials. We are the law,” says Bassinger.
Bassinger describes his day as a life lived outside, calling this experience a personal preference. Clearly, he wanted to live this way. Being outside felt more natural to Bassinger. He describes his efforts to live outside as an escape from a situation in which he felt trapped.
“We are outside. We are under the open sky now,” says Bassinger.
When asked if going outside to relieve oneself is a crime, Bassinger had a single response.
“Hell no.”
Daniel Montgomery has declared a spot on the lawn of the local police station his own, which people must vacate at seven o’clock in the morning. For years, Daniel has called Ashland, Oregon his home and currently uses a local bridge for shelter. A large part of his day is structured around finding a suitable place to relieve himself. Outhouses are in short supply here in the Rogue Valley, and Daniel knows their locations by name. He speaks of his encounters with the law while on the way to the toilet.
“Oh, all the time, but I plan my days. I know where to go and hold it until I get there,” says Daniel.
In the morning, a long road always awaits, and along that well-traveled road is a constant cry for food. Daniel searches for a place to eat and attends many community meals around Lithia Park. As he describes his path along Ashland Street, I can see people reflected in his eyes. After reaching the people he loves, Daniel makes his way to a business in town likely to have a toilet.
“So I try to get it done in the morning, but it does not always go as planned,” says Daniel.
While heading to his chosen bed, Daniel often turns back, attempting to find his bedroom. He describes feeling pushed and interrogated over his basic needs. Life in the hills seems like a blessing to Daniel but not a reliable way to live. His life, his day, and even his heart depend on living out here under the open sky.
As stories of life spread across Ashland, they mirror the experiences of life on the road between here and Colorado. In all states across America, people living outside face charges of trespassing, public urination, and disturbing the peace. If this is where people are going while living outside, then perhaps they should be shown the way to the mountains, where there is a better way to live.
The animals are shitting outside……
A short story about one mans quest for a place to shit acceptance and shelter in Ashland, Oregon.