Tent City

Stories from the Heart

By: Donna M. Kshir, Lee Roberts

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Shortly after the release of Tent City: Tragedy Turned Triumph controversy struck... Only two short months after Tent City was dismantled two homes were purchased with several thousand dollars that were donated to help the men and women of Tent City. Sadly, many former residents found themselves back on the streets sleeping in tents, not benefiting from the goodwill intended to offer them hope. Many residents stated, these actions hurt them more than Mayor Danny Jones’ dismantling of Tent City. We received several hundred emails and private messages, some threats, from several people who were upset with the book’s outcome. They believed the book seemed to be one sided and fabricated by one individual's story; completely conflicting with how the residents and community of Charleston, West Virginia described the aftermath of Tent City. This news broke our hearts, as our sole intention was to help the men and women of Tent City and bring awareness to their plight. We hoped this greater awareness would bring forth a solution for the residents of Tent City and strengthen their community as a whole. Being strong believers of truth and justice, we thought it was best to have the whole story told. Broken-hearted and angry as hell, we dug deeper into the story connecting with many more of the residents of Tent City and those left in its aftermath. As they shared with us on a deeper level their experiences, we now realize we were misled and crucial pieces of this important story were withheld from us. Since Tent City: Tragedy Turned Triumph has been retired. Now, we are pleased to bring you the true story of Tent City by those who lived it.