getting a little tired of the crack/meth heads

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy14

Kind of hard to tell what is and isn't sarcasm, so I'll just address each point as if it was serious.

I don't think anyone is proposing locking up casual drug users. Nor is anyone advocating locking up all drug users in perpetuity. However, it's pretty clear that the "choose your own adventure" method for individuals struggling deeply with mental health and drug addiction isn't working.

It's great that you aren't concerned about the state of your fellow riders on Calgary Transit and more concerned with "Rig Pigs", but that sentiment is not shared by others. People shouldn't have to play "dodge the vomit" or be forced to just ignore the person screaming at them as they suffer a very public mental health crisis.

Regarding public washrooms, the devil is in the detail. As nice as it would be to have open and unlimited access to public restrooms, the city isn't closing these facilities for fun. They're closing them because they turn into cesspools of drug use, vandalism and violence. If we're talking about what we tolerate as a society, perhaps it should involve not perpetuating a system where its acceptable for people to be perpetually homeless, drug addicted, mentally ill and forced to defecate outside rather than their place of residence.

I won't bother to directly address the euthanasia comment.

Where did I say I wasn't concerned? I was just speaking of my own experience. I have a lot of privilege that others walking around don't. What do you consider casual drug usage? I think several folks have pointed out that it's not that people are using drugs that's the issues, it's fine if they do it at home, it's having to see drug users who are experiencing homelessness. All I'm saying is that you're seeing feces and puke because folks don't have the dignity of a bathroom. Is the answer more public restrooms with an attendant trained in escalation? Maybe, but again that comes with a cost. I'm glad we agree the system needs change and that stealing dignity from people is bad. Now help me understand how perpetually locking people up as your former boss suggested is doing that?


And yeah, the MAID comment was somewhat sarcastic, but if you've been following what's going on with MAID, it's very close to reality.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64004329

A number of reports suggesting that some Canadians have opted for assisted death, at least in part because they could not afford adequate housing, have also prompted fears it could be used as a solution for societal challenges - that someone may seek out Maid because of poverty, lack of housing, or extreme loneliness.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by GGG

The New York example doesn’t hold up to scrutiny as jurisdictions without the policy also saw significant reductions in crime. Abortion access and lack of lead paint are the most likely contributors.

I'm not sure how robust that particular analogy is, but the pandemic certainly created a similar effect across the world. People moved out of downtown spaces, social workers were withdrawn, and people with serious drug addictions increased substantially in numbers and also took over various spaces.

You could argue that because there was no one enforcing the minor laws during the pandemic, it's lead to more serious violations now.

The rate of window breakings skyrocketed during the pandemic, and has now translated into more serious crime:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64414985

https://www.bbc.com/news/57581270

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Locke

Very true, but those are also very different than Safe-Injection sites or a drop in center.

Also, going back to that topic, I think it makes sense to have those centrally located as it consolidates resources in a smaller geographical area. I havent done a deep-dive or anything, but it just seems like its more efficient having the DIC a stone's throw from the Chumir for example.

I realize they’re different, but we were talking about supportive housing complexes when Slava made the comment, not safe injection sites or the drop in.

I agree it does make sense to have things “centrally” located, though I don’t know if you need everything located in one area. There could be multiple centres with each hospital having a couple of these developments nearby, for example. The housing complexes themselves act as sort of a center with anywhere from 30-100 people living in a building with a staff that can monitor their safety and support them in getting identification, applying for government programs, accessing mental health supports, etc.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

Think of how expensive it would be to intuitionalise people who abuse drugs in perpetuity.

Might turn out that this is actually cheaper than continually mopping up after the worse abusers in numerous ways. The problem is the costs of looking the other way and tolerating it is probably scattered across many accounts belonging to different levels of governments (City for the transit cops, janitors, province for the health related costs, court costs etc.), businesses (7-11 had to close downtown on 4th & 4th because of all the homeless people ripping them off and the constant commotions and threatened violence of staff and patrons), private citizens, and forgone opportunities because the condition of areas of cities, transit stops etc. repel away potential users/customers (How many more private vehicle trips are made because we've let Calgary transit turn into a haven for this behavior?).

[Cecil Terwilliger]

The Wire season 3. Problem solved.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

The Wire season 3. Problem solved.

Are you insinuating that we should just ensconce addicts in bags and let the river deal with it?

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by Locke

Are you insinuating that we should just ensconce addicts in bags and let the river deal with it?

I think he’s insinuating that we put addicts in the public education system and have the system fail them in a spectacular manner.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

I think he’s insinuating that we put addicts in the public education system and have the system fail them in a spectacular manner.

That's season four. Season three is Hamsterdam. It'd be way more fun to try a season five approach with a fake serial killer to somehow solve this issue.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Ok I think we've covered all five seasons. Good job everyone.

[timun]

No no no you forgot about the docks! (Season 2)

[blankall]

Originally Posted by timun

No no no you forgot about the docks! (Season 2)

We've discussed chemicals imported from Asia. My guess is there are certainly people at the docks turning a blind eye and/or actively participating.

Are those dock workers Polish union members? Yet to be determined.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by timun

No no no you forgot about the docks! (Season 2)

I think that’s what Locke was referring to? Maybe not. I also would’ve accepted references to shipping containers or the Greeks.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Guys, can you stop with the spoilers!!! Not all of us have seen the wire yet.

Gonna have to make a seperate thread: Getting a Little Tired of Meth Heads (No Wire Talk).

[Derek Sutton]

I've recently discovered and have been listening to a podacast focusing on mental health and addictions. It is actually based in and hosted by some guys out of Medicine Hat. It's basically stories of those in recovery, and some have quite the story. Not quite the homeless crazies this particular thread is dedicated to but easily could've been. Some of you may know of or remember back in the fall of 2020 a rash of young men committing suicide in Medicine Hat.
https://calgary.citynews.ca/2020/09/...recent-months/

The men who host this podacast started it up in an effort to connect with others who may be in the same boat. I only came upon it as a high school friend of mine recently shared on his Instagram story a blurb from one of their episodes, he is also one of the hosts. The podacast, From Darkness to Life; Our Collective Journey can be found here http://https://podcasts.apple.com/ca...e/id1541979885 . It really provides some great insight into various mental health struggles, their "reasoning and justification", addiction and the never ending challenges to sobriety. It has really made me become much more empathetic towards those who face these challenges every day.

[Locke]

So I went to the hockey game last night, parked at Anderson and took the train to Victoria Park. My first time on transit in very, very long time. These are my stories...

I ran into many, many bums...and that was just the Flames.... I'll leave that comment there along with - 5-1 Chicago Jan. 26 the Bums were the Flames.

Anyhow, there were a good number of Homeless people and 3 completely tweaked out riders.

Which surprised me. I'd have figured that considering it was a Flames game and there would be lots of people maybe they'd clear out just due to the number of people?

Nope. Zero Fs given. They will happily get wasted in the middle of a giant crowd.

No interaction really, and I cant really comment on safety, obviously at no time did I feel unsafe but its not really a fair comparison because I was surrounded by hundreds of Flames fans...so, the likelihood of hands being thrown or a tussle were low.

But it does speak to the brazen openness of the issue. There are hundreds of people packing the trains to go to the game, there are Cops everywhere and....there are homeless people doing drugs right out in the open.

If its like that during a Flames game commute I cant imagine what it must be like during a regular inauspicious weekday commute.

So yeah, I'd say we can firmly establish there is indeed a problem to solve.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Guys, can you stop with the spoilers!!! Not all of us have seen the wire yet.

Gonna have to make a seperate thread: Getting a Little Tired of Meth Heads (No Wire Talk).

LoL! Whats the 'Statute of Limitations' here? One decade? Two?

Haha! Okay though.

[The Familia]

I think they need to create some type of system where you can’t enter any trains, platforms, or C-Train stations without having first paid for a ticket. Some type of robotic gate or swing bar system. I’m not sure how many of these tweekers are actually paying for a ticket (my guess is almost none), but this system might be a way to keep many of them out. If they are going to ride the train all night passes out they better at least pay for it, otherwise they have zero right to be in any of the stations or the trains themselves.

On a side note, whatever happened to those Guardian Angel’s that used to be a bunch of volunteer vigilante beat cops to help keep the peace? Could use a few of them riding the trains.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Locke

LoL! Whats the 'Statute of Limitations' here? One decade? Two?

Haha! Okay though.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Locke

LoL! Whats the 'Statute of Limitations' here? One decade? Two?

Haha! Okay though.

I was joking.
If you followed the Last of Us threads, there was a big hoopla by Cecil about spoilers and then he made a separate thread where you couldn't talk about Calgary landmarks being in the show.
Just having fun off the back of that.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by The Familia

On a side note, whatever happened to those Guardian Angel’s that used to be a bunch of volunteer vigilante beat cops to help keep the peace? Could use a few of them riding the trains.

I think that was just a Simpsons episode: