Parents Fight to Keep Mentally Ill Son Off the Streets and Out of Jail
Everett Beeman’s Father Says ‘System Is Stacked Against Families in Need’
The drive from San Francisco was going pleasantly enough with Monica Quirarte-Beeman behind the wheel and her 29-year-old son, Everett, happy to be heading home for the holidays. They listened to music and chatted. Monica tried keeping it light.
It had been a difficult year for Everett. He’d been dropped by his graduate program and separated from his partner, and he was living alone, struggling with the schizophrenia and bipolar disorder that had plagued him since junior high school. He was having trouble sleeping. Sometimes he heard voices.
As they entered Goleta on the way to their home in Ventura, Everett became worried they were being followed by the police. Monica assured him they were not. He didn’t believe her. His hands clenched, and his paranoia turned toward her. He accused her of conspiring against him. She tried changing the subject and defusing the tension. Suddenly, he hit her in the arm.
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