Note to Reader: What you are about to read is one homeless woman’s account of why she is homeless. We did not seek to verify facts; that would be beside the point. This is her story; take it as you will.
Twenty-year-old JJ Peck became pregnant at age 13 when her older brother sexually assaulted her.
“He raped me; I got pregnant; I had a child; and then my mom kicked me out of the house because she deemed me ‘impure,’” she began.
She initially refused to talk further about the subject.
“My brother molested me when I was younger, and my mother didn’t seem to care.,” she then continued as she stood outside of the Thurston County Food Bank on a recent Sunday afternoon.
“He also introduced me to drugs, and the only time my mom ever paid any attention to me was when she beat me.”
“I couldn’t stay there. I had to get away from my mother and brother.”
“I went with the wind,” she explained about when she left Spokane, “and I came to Olympia about seven years ago.” When asked why here, she said she knew that she could survive here.
“I can get clothes and food at Rosie’s Place and the Pear Blossom Place,” she said. When asked why she hadn’t used the Olympia Union Gospel Mission, she said she didn’t like going there.
“They are not very nice to me, and they seemed to have their favorites,” Peck added. “So I left.” Asked where she was going to sleep tonight, she commented that she had no idea. “I’ll manage,” she said.
At times the conversation with her lagged; it seemed as though she wanted to talk, but was unsure of how to put her thoughts into words.
She did say that she had completed the sixth grade and that she had never had a job. She also indicated that she’s waiting for her boyfriend to get out of jail. She would not elaborate as to why he was incarcerated or when he would be released.
“We plan to move to Idaho and live there,” she said.
When pressed to describe how they would live, all she would say is that she had 40 acres of land on which to live.
When asked if she did drugs, she replied that she does.
“I do drugs to escape the pain, they help me to forget my past,” she explained. She declined to talk about how she had the money to pay for the drugs other than to say that people she meets on the streets give her money.
A moment later, several other homeless individuals invited her to join them as they headed west down Thurston Avenue NE.
“I am not equal to the people who put me here; I am not my mom or my brother.”
4 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
AugieH
What happened to her child?
Friday, July 7, 2023 Report this
KatAshe
This is all too common, whether it’s the father, uncle, family friend or sibling who’s the rapist, the mother of the victim either accuses the victim of lying, or just turns an eye to what’s happening.
Mothers of these victims should be prosecuted as co perpetrators.
Few young people chose to make themselves homeless. For the majority the streets may actually be safer than their home situations.
Friday, July 7, 2023 Report this
WA_Mojo
Idaho is not the place to move to if you are a drug addict.
Saturday, July 8, 2023 Report this
TonyW33
Throwing a child of 13 into the streets is a crime and should be prosecuted. This lovely young woman should also be afforded an opportunity to complete her education and step back into the world of the living. Our state government has failed here completely.
Sunday, July 9, 2023 Report this