Meth Clinic Run Out Of Town

[enthused]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

Key word there was chemical addicts.

White collar addicts aren't a potential danger to my hypothetical family (unless driving I suppose).

White collar addicts could potentially be chemical addicts too though, couldn't they?

I don't think that a white collar addict is necessarily less dangerous than a street addict... an addict is an addict either way, no matter what they're addicted to, no matter where they live.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Dion

It doesn't excuse thier behaviour.

No it doesn't... but I can certainly understand it.

[GoinAllTheWay]

I live in Braeside (low income community? Really? I need to get the hell out) and I wasn't really all that upset with the clinic moving in. Not overly thrilled at the same time but would at least consider seeing how it went before comdeming it from my community. I respect the people that are trying to get help and feel bad that that door has been firmly slammed shut in their face. I really don't think there are many places in Calgary that would welcome such a place with open arms and tend to agree that a resedential community may not be the best place to try to slip into but man, why people fly off the handle with the hostility at that meeting was unreal. The anger was palatable. Seriously, I don't know why people show up to such meeting with their minds made up that they hate the idea. Agreed that the clinic should have had at least one rep there but like others have stated, with they hostility around them I can't blame them for not going, I honestly believe a riot would have broken out if they had.

People need to calm the hell down and listen to BOTH sides of the argument instead of deciding ahead of time they are going to cut loose with anger and hositlity.

[CM ONE]

Originally Posted by blankall

Positive influence? Why not put the drug addicts in a rich community then. By your logic, that should be a better influence on them.

As for rights what about the right to not have a constant nuisance in your neighbourhood.

By my logic, the low income housing is a good place for someone starting from scratch. Also I'm pretty sure a lot of drug addicts started out in rich communities, and are there now.

[CM ONE]

Originally Posted by GoinAllTheWay

I live in Braeside (low income community? Really? I need to get the hell out)

Hey now, I just said there was low income housing around where the clinic is (was).

[Superflyer]

Originally Posted by blankall

Positive influence? Why not put the drug addicts in a rich community then. By your logic, that should be a better influence on them.

As for rights what about the right to not have a constant nuisance in your neighbourhood.

Just out of curiosity what constant nuisance would this cause? People going to the clinic, getting help and then leaving? What is the difference between this and say a 7-11? It is not like the patients are going there, driving around the neighborhood honking horns, leaving garbage all over the place, and generally being a problem. They go, get what they need and leave.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by enthused

White collar addicts could potentially be chemical addicts too though, couldn't they?

I don't think that a white collar addict is necessarily less dangerous than a street addict... an addict is an addict either way, no matter what they're addicted to, no matter where they live.

I think a white collar chemical addict is much less dangerous than a homeless chemical addict.

White collar addict still functions and pays for things. If he didn't, he wouldn't be white collar. He'd be homeless.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Rerun

No it doesn't... but I can certainly understand it.

I hope you can understand why members of the clinic didn't show up for that meeting.

It's a sad reflection on society when supposed drop in property values due to fear mongering is more important that helping someone who is trying the change thier life around. I really hope members of the Braeside community never have to deal with a friend or family member that has a drug addiction.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Superflyer

Just out of curiosity what constant nuisance would this cause? People going to the clinic, getting help and then leaving? What is the difference between this and say a 7-11? It is not like the patients are going there, driving around the neighborhood honking horns, leaving garbage all over the place, and generally being a problem. They go, get what they need and leave.

The teens hanging around the 7-11 at all hours of the night are more of a nuisance than those that would be using the clinic. Maybe the residents of Braeside should have all 7-11's banned from thier community.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

I think a white collar chemical addict is much less dangerous than a homeless chemical addict.

White collar addict still functions and pays for things. If he didn't, he wouldn't be white collar. He'd be homeless.

Would Michael Jackson be considered a white collar chemical addict?
He wasn't dangerous, right? (just kidding... I know its apples and oranges)

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Would Michael Jackson be considered a white collar chemical addict?
He wasn't dangerous, right?

Michael Jackson didn't put anyone's kids in danger...OH WAIT....

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Dion

I hope you can understand why members of the clinic didn't show up for that meeting.

It's a sad reflection on society when supposed drop in property values due to fear mongering is more important that helping someone who is trying the change thier life around. I really hope members of the Braeside community never have to deal with a friend or family member that has a drug addiction.

I don't. Why the hell didn't they? It's not like this is a place to hold AA meetings, or even a food bank. It's a methadone clinic. How many people are educated on what a methadone clinic is? Before today, all I knew was that methadone is a substitute for heroin. If you told me that a methadone clinic opened next door to me overnight, I'd sure as hell want to know alot more about.
The people operating it shot themselves in the foot by not attending this meeting or even pre emptivly educating the residents of just exactly why a methadone clinic is not some scary place where heroin addicts lean against the brick wall and shoot up.
Seriously, man. Can you not see that? I know you want everyone to hold hands and run through the meadow, but some people are a little more serious about their family's well being and their property value *gasp*, and what goes on in their neighbourhood.
Methadone clinics are most certainly the kind of thing that should be discussed with the community before just plunking down and opening up. It's good politics and good neighbourism (is that a word?).

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Rerun

I think the community residents were upset, and rightly so, because they felt that the clinic tried to slide into the area, under the radar so to speak, without consulting the community first....

And so their response was to threaten people and create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation?

No, that doesn't wash in my books either. 500 recovering meth addicts* would have been an improvement to Braeside based on the attitude and actions of the community. Disgustingly selfish and self-centred behaviour by this community.

*Yes, I know, not all would have been meth addicts, yada yada.

[Jayems]

My fiancee works at a business that is there. She said as soon as the place opened, the area filled with tweekers and dudes obviously wacked out of their minds. She felt uncomfortable with all the sketchy folks hanging around outside(as well as with all the media outlets there trying to get comments from local businesses). She wants them to get help and didn't really mind the clinic being there, but to say it has no affect on the businesses or the community members/staff workers is way off.

As far as I know, it wasn't really a situation that was discussed. It seemed like it was:

"Hey, by the way, there's a methodone clininc opening in your neighbourhood. In 2 days. Enjoy."

Absolutely ZERO need for threats, especially to the staff members of the clinic. That's uncalled for. But there's outrage, and for good reason.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

And so their response was to threaten people and create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation?

No, that doesn't wash in my books either. 500 recovering meth addicts* would have been an improvement to Braeside based on the attitude and actions of the community. Disgustingly selfish and self-centred behaviour by this community.

*Yes, I know, not all would have been meth addicts, yada yada.

People are human. They get excited and do stupid things when faced with the unknown and something they believe is frightening.

A little education on the clinics side would have gone a long way in preventing this. I put a large part of the blame on the clinic's shoulders.

[Flamesoholic]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

I think a white collar chemical addict is much less dangerous than a homeless chemical addict.

White collar addict still functions and pays for things. If he didn't, he wouldn't be white collar. He'd be homeless.

Don't forget that many for these white collar addicts are starting, or are already on their downward spiral to rock bottom.
They may not be homeless yet, but many of them will be as their addiction progresses. They need more and more money to pay for their habit. Eventually some turn to crime like stealing from friends and family and even from neighbours (sellable items from backyards, cars or open garages), to get the cash they need. I even had a friend who sold herself for money to feed her habit and guess where she did her business? Yup, her home in a residential neighbourhood. Don't be fooled into thinking that a white collar addict is less dangerous to your home and family.
Remember that many of those homeless addicts didn't start off that way.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Would Michael Jackson be considered a white collar chemical addict?
He wasn't dangerous, right? (just kidding... I know its apples and oranges)

Just Bad. Really, really Bad.
You know it.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by 4X4

I don't. Why the hell didn't they? It's not like this is a place to hold AA meetings, or even a food bank. It's a methadone clinic. How many people are educated on what a methadone clinic is? Before today, all I knew was that methadone is a substitute for heroin. If you told me that a methadone clinic opened next door to me overnight, I'd sure as hell want to know alot more about.
The people operating it shot themselves in the foot by not attending this meeting or even pre emptivly educating the residents of just exactly why a methadone clinic is not some scary place where heroin addicts lean against the brick wall and shoot up.
Seriously, man. Can you not see that? I know you want everyone to hold hands and run through the meadow, but some people are a little more serious about their family's well being and their property value *gasp*, and what goes on in their neighbourhood.
Methadone clinics are most certainly the kind of thing that should be discussed with the community before just plunking down and opening up. It's good politics and good neighbourism (is that a word?).

Intimidating the staff of the clinic with threats is good neighbourism?

Did the clinic make mistakes? For sure. They were going to rectify some of that with a meeting between themselves and the community. However the mob mentality of the community eliminated any chance of that. There's no way i'd show up for a meeting with an attitude like that from the community. Chances are anything the clinic tried to say would have been shouted down by the angry mob. The community have only themselves to blame for not getting the info they wanted.

As for your I know you want everyone to hold hands and run through the meadow comment, the info is out there if the residents really wanted the truth. Will they get on the computers to find more info? I doubt it. Living in fear seems more popular these days.

I'd have no problems what so ever with a clinic moving into my neighbourhood.

[mmanzz]

Originally Posted by Superflyer

This just makes me so mad. A clinic that is there to help people get over addictions is run out of town because of narrow minded people. The not in my backyard mentality ruins so much, now the 500 people that were getting help to get a better life because of this clinic are SOL. Sure some of them will be able to still get help and will beat their addiction and return to a normal happy life, but a lot of them will turn back to the addiction that was ruining them because the help that is needed to beat this is not available.

What these people do not realize is that the patients are people that have realized they had a problem and were trying hard to get better, not the crackheads that you see wandering the streets begging for money to get their next hit. So instead of looking into what this clinic really does they see the word Meth and assume that addicts are going to be coming from all over to get their free hit of drugs.
This is kinda like saying we do not want any AA meetings in our neighborhood because people are going to be driving drunk to get to them.


http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Ca...038/story.html

Bottom line is, the clinic moved in without any consultation and did not get buy in from the stakeholders(people who live there). The locals have a right to be consulted on such a significant matter. It should be considered like a re-zoning.

Secondly, I applaud the Braeside residents for putting up a fight and getting their way, it shows that Calgarians stand up for their rights. I've seen a lot of posts from Vancouverites about how bad this kind of site affects neighborhoods in Vancouver, they sound envious!

[ResAlien]

When I lived in Capitol Hill here in Denver, there were several methadone clinics in the area. Never had any problems with crime that was out of the ordinary, they don't even ask for a smoke when you walk by and 8 of them are on the stoop of the place. I don't see why helping some people is a bad thing, just my two cents.