getting a little tired of the crack/meth heads

[Jason14h]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

If it’ll make you stop repeating the same scenario and acting like people owe it to you to address it, sure, we can arrest that one type of person, like we already do. Everyone agrees. Cool? You good?

When was the last time you actually went downtown and left the safety of your keyboard? 😏

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

I have literally read it all now on this message board - having a meth head with a 10 year criminal history pushing women into the LRT tracks or assaulting them is now an acceptable risk vs ….. getting this person out of society ?

My brain is literally exploding reading some posts in this thread

Literally?

Literally?

[Mr.Coffee]

But if we arrest that person, do they stay in jail? Do they get any help? Do they get clean while there? Are there any resources that go into the corrective behaviour process? No?

Just like, a couple days (or hours) and release? That’s Vancouvers “strategy”, which to your point- seems like a half measure. It’s okay to keep people like this locked up if they aren’t otherwise willing to take help. That’s I think the part where Portugal shines. It’s get them off the street, decriminalize and then force them to attend resources designed to get them off addictive substances like therapy, a social worker who doesn’t have a million cases and is paid a living wage and competent, and yes probably food / shelter for a minimal period of time. But those resources are not a) infinite and b) technically optional. If a person refuses- back to jail, not back to parking lot to yell at people and do drugs again.

[monkeyman]

I suggest a CP Crack head sponsor program. We just need members willing to welcome these "Crack Heads" into their home and keep an eye on them when they shoot up.
Sliver's garage seems like a pretty sweet pad for a crack head and you could get him to keep an eye on your cat and chase away dogs when you're not home. Win, win, win.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

When was the last time you actually went downtown and left the safety of your keyboard? 😏

Monday. I’ve spent every post arguing for us needing to do much, much more to address the situation, a big part of that is because I actually see it. You’ve spent your time using “literally” like a teenager and repeatedly referencing one person/situation you saw on the news. So save the snark, you haven’t earned it. Try contributing something instead.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Monday. I’ve spent every post arguing for us needing to do much, much more to address the situation, a big part of that is because I actually see it. You’ve spent your time using “literally” like a teenager and repeatedly referencing one person/situation you saw on the news. So save the snark, you haven’t earned it. Try contributing something instead.

BS, I'm literally downtown every shift, overnight, and I've literally been killed to death every time

[Locke]

Originally Posted by btimbit

BS, I'm literally downtown every shift, overnight, and I've literally been killed to death every time

Aw damn...and now I find out this Vampire show I was watching is a Documentary.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Do we need to infantilize women? Just because you decided to walk someone to their train doesn’t make it dangerous. Talk about fear-mongering.

It’s the Buddy system, it’s as old as dirt. Gender does not matter, two people are much more safe than someone who is solo. Be it crackwh***s, meth heads or just people looking for trouble.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

When was the last time you actually went downtown and left the safety of your keyboard? 😏

Nearly every day I do a return trip between downtown and Chinook. There is nothing to be scared of. Yeah, there are people using the shelter at Chinook that are doing drugs most mornings. Does it affect me in any way or make me feel unsafe? No. Do I see weird stuff? Sometimes.

Do you have any actual stats to back up your worrying over random unprovoked attacks by drug addicts?

[flamesfever]

I understand the Calgary Police Department are aware that many people feel unsafe on our LRT, and have a plan in place to address the problem.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Nearly every day I do a return trip between downtown and Chinook. There is nothing to be scared of. Yeah, there are people using the shelter at Chinook that are doing drugs most mornings. Does it affect me in any way or make me feel unsafe? No. Do I see weird stuff? Sometimes.

Do you have any actual stats to back up your worrying over random unprovoked attacks by drug addicts?

That is flat out unacceptable. Shelters are for transit customers to keep out of the elements while waiting for the c-train. They aren't to be used as crack dens. While you might not bat an eye, many others will refuse to take the train or let their children use transit to get to school because of crap like that being common place and accepted. The notion that we need to tolerate that is repugnant.

[btimbit]

CT has their own hot line you can text and they send their own peace officers to deal with those situations right away.

Trouble is one in 500 people actually use it, they just walk by and go "How is this acceptable!?!?!?!" but then allow it to continue by not properly reporting it

That gets them removed that day, but that's pretty much all that can be done at the moment

Edit: Text line is 74100. No need to stick around, just "Hey, there are people doing drugs in xyz location" and they'll reply something like "Thanks, officers are being dispatched"

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

That is flat out unacceptable. Shelters are for transit customers to keep out of the elements while waiting for the c-train. They aren't to be used as crack dens. While you might not bat an eye, many others will refuse to take the train or let their children use transit to get to school because of crap like that being common place and accepted. The notion that we need to tolerate that is repugnant.

I dunno. You see people partaking in other vices like smoking or drinking all the time, what's the difference? Should I tattle on the construction worker drinking a beer on the train after work in the summer? I find the odours from vaping and smoking cigarettes or weed more obnoxious than anything the guys using drugs do.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

That is flat out unacceptable. Shelters are for transit customers to keep out of the elements while waiting for the c-train. They aren't to be used as crack dens. While you might not bat an eye, many others will refuse to take the train or let their children use transit to get to school because of crap like that being common place and accepted. The notion that we need to tolerate that is repugnant.

I do hate to be 'that guy' but as we've been discussing in this thread over and over, the 'normalization' of this behaviour is contributing to the problem.

Average Joe Commuter might call once or twice, but if its day after day after day...I mean, eventually people are going to stop calling.

My sister-in-law works for the City in the Transit Department, its a problem, they know its a problem.

And combine copious crackheads hanging out on Public Transit with the advent and proliferation of from Work-From-Home combining to reduce ridership the 'normies' are being gradually outnumbered.

So Calgary Transit acknowledges its a problem. CPS acknowledges its a problem. I dont think Average Joe Commuter identifying it as a problem is something we can hand-wave away and dismiss as irrational Pearl Clutching.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I dunno. You see people partaking in other vices like smoking or drinking all the time, what's the difference? Should I tattle on the construction worker drinking a beer on the train after work in the summer? I find the odours from vaping and smoking cigarettes or weed more obnoxious than anything the guys using drugs do.

Cool, you are one of those 'why are those substances legal, while these substances are illegal?' edgelords. I'm not defending the use of the other substances you mentioned on the street or on transit in saying this, but if you need to delineate why most people make that distinction is probably because someone doesn't revert into resembling the walking dead after smoking cigarettes or having a beer after work. That said I would find it equally unacceptable if people were getting tanked off of booze or hotboxing the train shelters too!

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

That is flat out unacceptable. Shelters are for transit customers to keep out of the elements while waiting for the c-train. They aren't to be used as crack dens. While you might not bat an eye, many others will refuse to take the train or let their children use transit to get to school because of crap like that being common place and accepted. The notion that we need to tolerate that is repugnant.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...rain-1.6483690

So far this year, the crime rate has been 47 per cent higher than the three-year average, from 287 crime occurrences to 422.

On the platform, a group of three men stood around, speaking loudly. One waved a foot-long metal pipe around — "I dare anyone to f--k with me," he told his friends, who laughed.

"It's kind of scary, mostly because of all the drugs and everything that's going on. They sit on the train frequently doing [drugs], even in front of little kids. I don't feel safe, so I'm pretty sure all the families don't feel safe either,"

Marlborough was the craziest station that day: obvious drug use on the platform, those two overdoses and visits by EMS, police and fire crews.

Finally, I caught a train back to Chinook — but things looked a little different. By now it was late afternoon. All three of the enclosed glass shelters were occupied. Two to four people in each platform shelter were using drugs. The shelter by the bus loop was packed full.

Three overdoses in one day for me.

This time we were lucky. The stations were emptier than expected. At one point, three out of the only four people on the Chinook platform were doing drugs or were obviously under the influence.


EDIT:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...-use-1.6503503

First they found a phone number on a bus bench at Banff Trail station in Calgary.

Then — following instructions from that phone call — Vanessa Redmond drove her daughter to Lion's Park Station and let her out. Soon she was watching her adult daughter smoke drugs on the platform, metres away from another mother and her young child.

Calgary is facing an opioid crisis and drug use is now common at stations up and down the line. In addition to the heartache it causes family, friends and those addicted, Calgarians tell CBC it's driving people away from using critical transportation infrastructure.

So why are people choosing transit stations to use?

For Redmond's daughter, it was the easiest place to access what she needed.

All of it creates an unpredictable environment. Transit riders talk about being constantly on edge, carrying their keys to be used as weapons, preparing themselves psychologically before heading out each day.

Calgary residents texting with CBC Calgary have said they drive instead, if possible, or they simply go out less. Some feel trapped on transit.

"I've been riding the train for 20 to 25 years and that's the first time I really felt unsafe," said Kathy Austin, who can't drive herself because she's blind.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

Cool, you are one of those 'why are those substances legal, while these substances are illegal?' edgelords. I'm not defending the use of the other substances you mentioned on the street or on transit in saying this, but if you need to delineate why most people make that distinction is probably because someone doesn't revert into resembling the walking dead after smoking cigarettes or having a beer after work. That said I would find it equally unacceptable if people were getting tanked off of booze or hotboxing the train shelters too!

I am just saying none of those make anybody feel particularly unsafe, so why is anybody feeling unsafe about people doing other drugs?

I'd still be interested in the stats of how many unprovoked attacks on strangers occur that justify elevated concerns of safety around the trains. I am wondering why I don't feel as scared as other people seem to be.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I am just saying none of those make anybody feel particularly unsafe, so why is anybody feeling unsafe about people doing other drugs?

I'd still be interested in the stats of how many unprovoked attacks on strangers occur that justify elevated concerns of safety around the trains. I am wondering why I don't feel as scared as other people seem to be.

Based on your profile location, you're used to it.

Seriously though, I think the average person is familiar enough with alcohol and weed to recognize a potential problem or threat. Like, we can all recognize a drunk and pretty accurately assess if they're likely to be aggressive or violent.

On the other hand, the average person is far less familiar with harder drugs, the users and the potential effects. It may be at least partly based on stereotypes, but I don't think it's unreasonable that the average person is more afraid of a meth-head (oops) at a C-Train station than the example of the construction worker cracking a beer on the train. I can't believe that argument was made.

[Doctorfever]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I am just saying none of those make anybody feel particularly unsafe, so why is anybody feeling unsafe about people doing other drugs?

I'd still be interested in the stats of how many unprovoked attacks on strangers occur that justify elevated concerns of safety around the trains. I am wondering why I don't feel as scared as other people seem to be.

I don’t know why you do or don’t feel scared. It’s irrelevant.

Fact is, if there are younger kids, younger men and / or women that don’t feel safe, then we have a problem.

Nobody cares how you feel. Can you think how some others, younger or with disabilities might feel? My cousin is older and a decent size guy, but is challenged mentally. Unfortunately he does not feel safe taking public transit.

There is a problem, just because you don’t have a problem with it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

I have literally read it all now on this message board - having a meth head with a 10 year criminal history pushing women into the LRT tracks or assaulting them is now an acceptable risk vs ….. getting this person out of society ?

My brain is literally exploding reading some posts in this thread

I’m not sure this is in response to me or not but I think you have it backwards.

In a society where a meth head assaults a random stranger and people assault strangers they meet in bars I am far more concerned about the more common occurrence and that affect on the people I care about.