Doug is one of the Cleveland 4, sentenced to 11 and a half years after FBI entrapment stemming from Occupy Cleveland.

It was during the reign of Ronald Reagan, a decade that signaled the rapid decline of all that still lay natural, sane, and pure.  Central America was brutalized, unions were busted, record number of millionaires became billionaires, punk rock took the offensive, and on May 31, 1985 Douglas Wright entered this world.                            

What do children need?  They need love, food, and warm beds.  Fresh air and stimulating conversation is good, too.

At the young age of fourteen, Doug decided he had all the mental and physical abuse he could possibly handle from the hands of his mothers’ boyfriends, and made his way out to L.A. 

Children exposed to mental and physical abuse experience rapid and intense emotions; fear, anger, confusion, guilt and anxiety.  Many develop trust issues, have strong feelings of restlessness, and frequently become addicted to drugs and alcohol.

In L.A. Doug became involved in radical leftist activities and anti-war rallies.  He eventually made his way to San Francisco and got involved in ANSWER SF rallies. At the age of fifteen, during his time in California, Doug became addicted to heroin.       

Almost as dangerous as heroin, Doug picked up the habit of train hopping. He made his way out to New York City and on one occasion accidentally found himself in Anderson, Indiana. In Anderson, Doug met Stephen Zumbrun. Stephen had a music company called “Piradical Productions” which hosted all age punk rock shows. These folks became Doug’s new family for the next five years.

Doug was in Cleveland during the Occupy movement and became the target of an elaborate FBI setup operation.

Many people in this country are born into lives of relative solitude and comfort. Doug’s life has been a series of tests, trials, and tribulations.

“I first met Doug at Occupy Cleveland as part of the logistics working group whose job it was to put the camp together, keep the kitchen dry, fit all of the Occupiers on what small piece of sidewalk we had, and to keep the camp from falling apart. This large task was only taken on by roughly 3 or 4 people. Doug also stayed up all hours of the night to keep the camp safe, and assisted me countless times in the Occupy kitchen where we would redistribute food not only throughout the camp but to anyone with an empty stomach that passed by. On the streets of downtown Cleveland, that’s a lot of folks.

Doug is my friend because he has proven a hundred times over that he is a man of hard work and generosity. He had been on the road most of his life and came to Cleveland with nothing but the clothes on his back. Still, when he got to Cleveland he gave all he could to help those around him: giving without taking, sharing his labor, his stories, and his ideas. Whenever Doug had the funds, he would go out and get bacon and eggs for breakfast and feed whomever was hungry." – Gus

Doug was released to halfway house on 3.16.22