I'm just arming myself with a footlong sub-sandwich next time I'm in downtown.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague
Neither - I think the problem posed by the thread isn't "make it so there aren't homeless people", but "make it so that people are safe from aggressive public harassment when carrying on their normal lives". Eliminating homelessness would certainly be one way to solve that problem, but it's a solution that's broader than the issue as presented. Aggressive draconian police measures might also solve said problem, but no one is on board for that (except White Out 403 apparently).
I think your position earlier in the thread seemed to be that it's one or another - either we take broad measures to tackle the homeless problem (and the associated problem of drug use in public spaces) in a more holistic way, taking some of the steps you've just mentioned, or we just go full "jackboot thug" on them and use brute force to relocate or incarcerate anyone who might bother someone. Is that your view, or is there a third option?
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Yeah, I think most people are on the side of "help these people already, but make sure the problematic abusers aren't making life miserable for the law-abiding citizens in their midst".
Isn't that a fair thing to ask? There are people suffering in silence or largely keeping to themselves, and there are people who are causing problems for the rest of the population in ways that we would consider criminal outside of their drug use alone. If someone is in the latter category, incarceration for their non-drug related criminal behavior along with medically-assisted treatment seems to be to be a reasonable approach. In the former category, clearly incarceration is not warranted.