Making A Stand For Our Inalienable Rights

My name is Shaun Deaton, and I'm the person who defaced the Washington Monument, an act of high dissent, to draw attention to not only my plight but to the plight of many fellow citizens.

Suffering from terminal Crohn's and a new condition caused by gabapentin medication called paradoxical non-relaxing puborectalis syndrome; basically making defecation nearly impossible. Not only is my life on the line, I cannot hold a job. All legal options have failed, from Federal, State, Local, & Private.

My education level contributed to the failure. Since I hold degrees in Physics, Mathematics, & Informatics it's assumed I can still utilize that experience. I cannot, as cumulative health conditions additionally prevent adequate sleep, causing memory and focus decline.

DoJ Civil Rights agreed my rights were violated, but being only one person and with their limited resources, they can not help. This has been the same reply from all government organizations, ACLU, etc.

Given our inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, I decided to advocate for myself, as no one else could or would. Those few people I know are struggling themselves; I will not have them suffer more, only to try to keep me alive despite my terminal condition. I couldn't burden them more than they already are.

Moreover, I'm not the only person this has happened to. My hope is that I can raise awareness and more importantly, affect some change to actually have the rights we as US citizens are promised, and not have them be just words on a page or monument. In my act of dissent, I purposefully avoided harm towards anyone but myself. Choosing things such that the defacement would be temporary, as it was removed within a day, for which I'm grateful to those who restored the monument's literal face. Though its figurative face still requires restoration.

Many think my action was connected to the January 6th insurrection; it was certainly not. I am deeply opposed to the J6 insurrection and disgusted by the administration that ultimately used citizens as weapons to attack our democracy for its own despotic purpose. I'm still concerned by its ramifications both in the US and abroad.

The donations I'm asking for are to help me get through court processes and survive winter in DC. Being homeless is brutal at the best of times, resources don't work like you would think and are also overtaxed by the sheer number of homeless.

Sleeping on the streets while cooperating with the Federal government on my case has been taxing; to put it lightly.

Shelter and food are the fund's goal. Not to pay for restitution connected to my case, such funds must be paid by myself through some employment; the purpose would be defeated by simply passing the buck. There is no honor in that. An honorable path is the only path to restore the Washington Monuments' true face. -