Long Hair David: A generation of his influence offers thanks

author : Nomy Lamm | Tara Perkins topic : Long Hair David

Tara Perkins:

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my ten years of experience as a colleague of Long Hair David. I first met David when I was 19, and was just becoming involved in community organizing and social justice activism. At the time, David was running the Olympia Aids Prevention Projects (OAPP). OAPP had several harm reduction programs, including a needle exchange and a youth peer-to-peer outreach center. I began working with the youth program, where we spent weekend evenings doing volunteer street outreach distributing safer sex materials, bleach kits, hygiene kits, and informational pamphlets. David was extremely welcoming and supportive of new people who wanted to become involved, and as an extremely shy kid his encouragement and enthusiasm were invaluable to me. It was through this work that I met friends and colleagues who are still a part of my life today. David approached the project with great dedication, made himself available 24 hours a day to people who required harm reduction materials, and his work helped found what is today the Thurston County Health Department's Needle Exchange.

The next project I had the opportunity to work with David on was the Olympia Books to Prisoners project (BTP). BTP is a national organization with chapters in several cities which sends books free of charge to prisoners, who frequently have little or no access to libraries or educational materials while incarcerated. The most requested are dictionaries, Spanish/English dictionaries, GED books, and black history books. David singlehandedly brought BTP to Olympia, and built a thriving chapter with a huge stock of books, a large volunteer base, and a visible community profile which brought awareness of prison issues to Olympia. David fundraised tirelessly for BTP, putting on benefits that drew nationally recognized performers and producing his well-loved "Poetry for Prisoners" spoken-word events. When funds were low, the man would go so far as to set up a sidewalk table with a display of packages waiting to be mailed, to collect money and stamps. Since its inception roughly eight years ago, the project has sent out thousands of packages, and it continues to run to this day.

David went on to work with the Emma Goldman Youth Homeless Outreach Project. I have not worked with him on this project but I see him frequently, distributing blankets, socks, hygiene materials, and food to people on the streets. Aside from the aforementioned endeavors, I have worked with David on countless other occasions: speaking at city council meetings to address homeless issues; attending anti-war and other social justice rallies; he has hosted performance events and attended harm-reduction conferences I've organized, and much more.

David models an ethic of direct participation in and constant engagement with one's community, which has been deeply influential and inspiring in my life and in the lives of countless others. He promotes an infectious spirit of volunteerism that has led to the establishment of several long-running and vital institutions in Olympia. His past personal experience with incarceration and addiction earn him the trust of the people he works with in a way that social service organizations cannot. David Fawver's tireless giving and service make him an invaluable asset to Olympia; the extent of this cannot be exaggerated. It has been an honor to know and work with him. I hope that his many contributions to the community and his spirit of goodwill will be recognized. I extend to him my deepest gratitude and support.

Tara Perkins has been an Olympia community member for eleven years, currently an employee of the Olympia Food Co-op. She will soon be relocating to the Bay Area to edit an anthology.

Nomy Lamm:

To Those Who Hold Power

The work of Long Hair David changed my life and the lives of many, probably more people than can be accounted for. To say such a thing, in the current age of political and social suspicion, feels like waving my arms in the face of an attack dog, going "Hey, right here!" But I have to. Dave could go to prison for life. He has paid more than his own debt already. He is needed in the world.

Long Hair Dave showed up in my life when I was seventeen. He could be spotted around town with his Olympia AIDS Prevention Project trench coat, tell-tale hair, and usually a flyer for some fundraising event he was organizing with nationally renowned artists and local superstars on the bill. Through Dave I met many of my peers, doing street outreach on weekend nights, performing at and promoting OAPP benefit shows, congregating on street corners ready to be a part of whatever was happening.

I am lucky to have never actually lived on the streets, but I spent a lot of time on them, participating and creating culture. At every point, Dave was there with a project that was both necessary and accessible. It had been many years since Dave himself was homeless, or incarcerated, or on drugs, yet he served those communities with humility and enthusiasm, dedicating his whole heart and spirit to his work. He runs projects that provide safer-sex materials to youth, clean needles to drug users, books to prisoners, socks and toothbrushes to homeless people, because he knows from experience what is needed -- life-saving information, resources and maybe one person in the world who knows and cares what you're going through.

I was not there the day of the event in question, so I can't tell you what happened. But I can tell you from experience what kind of person Dave is: tireless, dedicated, passionate, strategic and hopeful. I saw Dave go back to school at age forty, saw him struggle and work and learn and earn his college diploma. Saw him start new projects as his old ones took on new lives, saw him mourn his losses and persistently pursue his dreams. As much as his services are needed in the world, his sense of purpose inspires people like myself to take action when we care about something. Please don't take that light out of the world.

Nomy Lamm is an Olympia native writer/speaker/touring musician currently located in Chicago.