(July 15, 2015) A Washington Post story published this week details the 30-year decline of Alfred Postell – a 67-year-old, Harvard-educated man who fell from grace and landed into homelessness as a result of untreated schizophrenia (“The homeless man who went to Harvard Law with John Roberts,” the Washington Post, July 13).
During a recent court hearing, Postell, who had been accused of sleeping next to a D.C. office building, was brought before Judge Thomas Motley.
But, while Judge Motley was trying to determine if Postell posed a flight risk, a heart-rending exchange ensued, according to the Post.
"I’m a lawyer. I have to return,” Postell explained. “I passed the Bar at Catholic University, was admitted to Constitution Hall. I swore the Oath of Office as an attorney at Constitution Hall in 1979; graduated from Harvard Law School in 1979."
Taken aback, Judge Motley responded: "Mr. Postell, so did I. I remember you."
Indeed, Postell had studied law at Harvard alongside Judge Motley, as well as John Roberts, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. What’s more, Postell had earned some of the highest marks in his class.
“It is an incredibly tragic and sad story,” said former classmate, Piper Kent-Marshall, “because in law school, he was one of the top students and a very, very, very bright and charming man.”
Although certainly a fascinating read, the Washington Post story fails to address the fundamental issue of why Postell - clearly brilliant and suffering from schizophrenia - had not received treatment for his illness.
It is easy to imagine how different life could have been for someone with as much potential as Postell, had his illness been treated instead of neglected.
Our mental health system has failed Alfred Postell and countless others like him who are too sick to recognize their own severe mental illness and need for treatment.
Added together, their stories provide overwhelming evidence of the need for sweeping mental health reform.
Read the Treatment Advocacy Center backgrounder on serious mental illness and homelessness to learn more.
(Photo: Terrence McCoy/The Washington Post)
To comment, visit our Facebook page.
Visit our blog archive to read all our recent posts.