What can Jamie Latourette teach us?

3
What can Jamie Latourette teach us?
PHOTO BY ROOSTER PHOTOGRAPHY LLC<br> FAREWELL, JAMIE — In this beautiful photo, Jamie Latourette relaxes in front of Nest on Artisan Alley. Although his alcoholism forced many Downtown DeLand merchants and property owners to discourage his visits, Jamie was polite and peaceful.

BY JEN BRENNAN

This is Jamie. He was a resident of San Souci Avenue, and because of the disease of alcoholism, he no longer could keep a roof over his head.

He was a skilled carpenter and loved making things with his hands. He always called me his guardian angel, and would visit me often. Many of you probably recognize him, because he frequented Downtown DeLand.

I helped him get into The Bridge. He got sober, had a job, and he said he had never felt better. Unfortunately, his addiction and freedom of the street were too strong for him. After leaving The Bridge, his downward spiral was more severe and swift than ever before.

After months of collapsing in the streets and other business owners experiencing the brunt of his addiction, he finally accepted a ride to the hospital.

He was taken to Orchid Cove rehabilitation in Daytona Beach and was told he would have to spend the remainder of his life there, because of how badly his body had deteriorated.

He wrote me, and in the letter he sounded hopeful but accepting of his current state. On Friday, Nov. 11, he collapsed in Daytona and wasn’t able to be revived.

I love you, Jamie, and I hope your sweet soul has now found peace. Jamie was beautifully immortalized in this photograph by Rooster Photography. I showed Jamie this picture a while ago, and he loved it.

— Brennan is the owner of Centro Tea Co., a Downtown DeLand business that supplies tea and baked goods to spots around town like Trilogy Coffee Roasting Co. Brennan’s base of operations is inside Sidecar Home Market and Bar at 100 S. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand.


Remembering a brother who was ‘absolutely brilliant’

BY NOAH HERTZ

Jamie Latourette was born on June 21, 1969, in Staten Island, New York. At a young age, Latourette moved with his family to Pine Island, Florida, and later to Ormond Beach, where he grew up.

As an adult, Latourette lived in Atlanta, where he worked for Moon Brothers
Architects, assisting with historic conservation. In his free time, he made art, some of which was on display in his Atlanta stomping grounds.

In Florida, Latourette worked as a caretaker for a DeLand family in a historic home.

Latourette’s sister, Cherie McTiernan, fondly remembered how intelligent and creative her late brother was.

“He was a brilliant person, just absolutely brilliant,” she said. “He had an extraordinary life, with a lot of friends and a lot of people who cared about him. A lot of people were trying to figure out what they could do for him, because he had a lot of people who loved him and cared about him, myself included.”

McTiernan misses her brother, but she recognizes that addiction had taken him from her long before his death.

“It’s really astonishing what addiction does to people, because it takes them away from you while they’re still alive,” she said. “People need to stop thinking of addiction like a crime and start helping people.”


Homelessness can happen to anyone

BY NOAH HERTZ

According to data from the Volusia-Flagler County Coalition for the Homeless,
as of this January, there are estimated to be 800 people experiencing homelessness in Volusia County, including more than 150 people in DeLand alone.

From coalition Director Jeff White: “Homelessness does not discriminate. There
are as many reasons that people become homeless as there are homeless persons, that can account for a person or family falling into homelessness.

“Anyone at any time can find themselves subject to circumstances beyond their control to include medical issues, mental health issues, substance abuse issues, domestic violence, accidents leading to unforeseen devastating injuries leading to hospitalizations, etc., all of which can lead to homelessness.

“Persons who find themselves homeless are usually blindsided by the event, not knowing how to circumvent the circumstances leading up to being homeless and/or thinking ‘It can never happen to me.’

“Once a person falls into homelessness, it is that much more difficult to get rehoused as there is no manual or guide instructing ‘How to get out of homelessness 101.’

“This is why we must work as a community to assist those who have become homeless get rehoused and try to divert those facing homelessness from actually becoming homeless.

“We must try to set our biases about the homeless aside and view the homeless as we would any other person, giving them the dignity and respect that we all deserve as human beings.”

No posts to display

3 COMMENTS

  1. Fantastic. I got a little concerned at first when the focus was so heavy on the latter day negative aspects, but as I read on, was heartened to see that balanced out. To know him was to know that it was “not all bad” but that his story is the larger story of our society…and the frailty of mental illness, addictions, health care and how we as a society in the USA react to them, by policy and emotion. We had one of the greatest times together not long ago that I carry in my memory and laugh out loud every time I think of it…then I also remember afterward when his mind was not right and he barely recognized me. Other stories of his street time come to mind, but I will remember him from the days he fired on all cylinders, and was a productive talented craftsman who was fun to be around. His sister is a high school friend of mine and we stay in touch. Jamie and I were not super close, but thanks to social media, and the occasional street encounter, we were able to stay in touch and communicate until the most recent events.

  2. I knew him as a fellow traveler in the old house restoration craft, then as a victim of the alcohol affliction and vagrant. I admit I had to run him off a clients property once. But the last time I saw him we exchanged a token of friendliness and I helped out a bit. This damn life sometimes.

  3. Jamie was my neighbor in Atlanta 22 years ago. He was a heroine and meth addict. He stole thousands of dollars out of my dresser when I had just gotten my first apartment in Atlanta. A girl OD’d while spending the night with him and he brought her to my apartment to make it look like I had something to do with it. I was getting in my car to go to work one morning and he begged me for a ride to go pick up his tools. I dropped him off and he was actually buying heroine during a drug bust. I was an accessory for driving him and had to pay thousands to clear my name. He was an heroine addict and a liar, not an alcoholic. It’s unfortunate that he did not find peace. I was only 20 years old when I knew him, but he made an impression I will never forget. I was never that stupid and trusting of an addict again. His creativity did not make up for the damage he did throughout this life.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here