Attorney Walter Riley, Gregory Fields, Blues living legend Sugar Pie De Santo and Dr. M at Academy of da Corner, 14th and Broadway, downtown Oakland. 
Dr. M, Senior Advisor Gregory Fields at Academy of da Corner.
photo Walter Riley, Esq.
The Academy of da Corner is a multi-purpose project, embracing literacy, literature, mental health, including grief and trauma counseling; a micro loan bank, and essentially a free speech and sacred space zone.
We are all student/teachers. Anyone of us can be simultaneously teacher and student.Usually we are the teacher, but most often we simply listen, letting people vent who otherwise have no one to talk with.
We are their ears, their mirror, so we must be humble, kind and gracious as much as possible, though we will be tried on occasion. But as per the mentally ill, they most especially need a kind word, a smile, and we have made their day. The poor may need a quarter or a dollar for a hamburger.
This is not asking too much, is it? We must be security minded at all times as my life has been threatened several times, but it must be crystal clear we are at Academy of da Corner to educate, assist and help heal the people, not kill the people or beat them down. Thus we must de-escalate any negative encounter. A person may accept a leaflet but throw in down in our face, so let it go. We don't know what state of mind the person may be in, for sure, many are mentally ill (severe, moderate, mild), and more then likely many persons are mind altered, weed, alcohol, Crack, meth, E pills and other.
Some persons are dual diagnosed, suffering drug abuse and mental illness. Most of the time we can look the person in the eyes to determine their state of mind. Eyes are the mirror to the soul!
