Edgar Mack

It’s the anniversary of the death of Edgar Mack. I wrote some thoughts about him and, by extension, how invisible unsheltered homelessness is in Delaware, and reworked it into bite-sized paragraphs to post as a thread on Twitter. I’m copy/pasting it here…

A year ago (Jan 31), Edgar Mack died, literally on Main St. in downtown Newark (DE), during an overnight snowstorm.

Mr. Mack, a 65 year old army veteran with a psychiatric disability, would sleep where Main St. abuts University of Delaware’s North Green.

Although Mr. Mack died, freezing, on the streets on January 31, the first media story about this tragedy did not come out until March 28, almost two months later.

Even then, the media focus was on the noteworthy efforts of university police officers to arrange a funeral that recognized his veteran status and his service to his country.

No one publicly questioned how a man can die on Main Street near downtown shops and on the edge of the University of Delaware campus.

Despite his presence in this very public space, he appears to have been invisible as there is no sign that he had any ongoing engagement with mental health workers, VA outreach, or any other services.

A 65 year old veteran with psychiatric disability in downtown Newark. This death was preventable. In remembering Mr. Mack, we need to remember that as well.

In 2019, in the winter before Mr. Mack died, four others died at a camp near Stanton DE from carbon monoxide poisoning as the heater in their tent malfunctioned.

This year, there are large encampments near Milford DE, in Georgetown DE, and doubtlessly elsewhere in the state as well. In the latter camp, one individual has already been severely burned.

Will anyone die on the streets of Delaware this winter?

The death of Edgar Mack received virtually no attention, and in commemorating it I not only want to say his name and keep his memory alive, but also point out how avoidable this death was and how sparse outreach and other services are for people in unsheltered situations.