Camper Vehicle for Tim Clemans



Note my parents purchased an RV for me using funds donated. My name is Tim Clemans and I am requesting your assistance fundraising for a camper vehicle to help get me off the streets. The camper will be my primary vehicle for driving, living, sleeping and a good portion of my work in Seattle. I will be traveling the country, for example to Silicon Valley, for my work and this will save thousands of dollars on hotel costs. 


Photo of Tim Clemans from New York Times Magazine’s Cover Story: Should We See Everything a Cop Sees?

 You may know me from press coverage about my focus on transparency in government, especially policing. The New York Times Magazine’s Cover Story: Should We See Everything a Cop Sees? reported on my involvement as a transparency advocate outside of and then within the Seattle Police Department. (See also The Seattle Times’ Police tackling how to store, share body-cam videos , GeekWire's The future of police video: Inside the Seattle PD’s workshop on wearable cameras and The C is for Crank: Will Open-Records Gadfly’s 6,000 Requests Shed Sunlight on City Government, or Slam the Shutters? ).

In 2015, the Washington Coalition for Open Government presented me with its Key Award for my work with SPD . Unfortunately, I’ve struggled with mental illness, specifically issues with inappropriate expression of anger. These issues have led to me losing jobs and friends. However, recently, I’ve grown tremendously in my ability to manage my anger and preserve and strengthen my personal and professional relationships.  Now I need your help. This camper will allow me have a stable place, get off the streets and be more efficient working towards my goals. I’ve tried staying in homeless shelters on a nightly basis, but I am not able to check in and out, keep my belongings secure, feel safe, sleep even with ear plugs (so much snoring), and get work done towards my goals. My mental health team was not able to get me into transitional housing.  I am interested in building technologies that assist all of us in real life in our creative activities and our communication. To help address my anger issues, with the support of several friends, I built a connected a bluetooth button I press when I get upset that speaks Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) stop skills to me through my phone and puts me into the queue for Crisis Text Line. It also auto plays my favorite calming music while I’m waiting. Ultimately, the software will be capable of monitoring what a person hears, says, writes, and does to immediately make suggestions or provide information as needed. I demonstrated a working prototype of the always monitoring software to Microsoft's Chief Accessibility Officer and was asked to submit an application to Microsoft's AI for Accessibility Business Grant. While this is initially well suited to those with emotional development limitations, as it matures, it could benefit professionals in every context. This funding request will cover the camper, insurance, licensing fees and gas. If we go over $6,000 then the money will continue to go for maintaining and fueling the camper. My goal is for 60 people to donate $100 each, but whatever you can give really helps. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Tim Clemans