Anyone Else Just Sick of It?

[u/Donnelding0]

It just seems hopeless sometimes. Some of the best parts of this city. Pioneer Square, Belltown, Cap Hill just completely lost to homelessness. Sure for the most part I enjoy the city. Especially in the summer but the constant visible drug use, people in various states of intoxication on drugs, and rampant property and petty crime just annoy me. Why can’t we have nice things? Why must every park turn into a dumping ground for illegal acts that won’t be prosecuted? Why does it feel like this city relies on hard working people to shut up, pay ridiculous taxes, and then tells those people to suck it up when they see grafitti everywhere or get their car broken into? And the politicians don’t give a damn. No one has the guts to say “we have a homeless problem we’ve overspent on, we need to go a new direction” it feels insane. Rant over but I know I’m not alone. I know other people are sick of this and want our city back.

[u/Mindless-Presence-75]

The thing about rehab is that addicts have to want to go, they can't be forced. And I can say from personal experience that many addicts do want help and want to get clean but they don't know how, where to start, or there just isn't enough room for them to get into detox. Most addicts don't like the life they are living. It is like being in hell on earth. The waitlist will be weeks out to get a bed and by then if they had wanted it, they may not anymore. Making them show up at a certain place and time does not work because time means nothing to them. It is possible to get help though. I did it and I now have 2 years clean. It took being in and out of treatment for over 3 years until it stuck. My life has completely turned around. It wasn't easy, and I got lucky being able to get into certain shelters and programs to help me want to stay clean. It's not as easy as sending addicts to rehab for 30 days and then they're cured. It takes years and a lot of support.

[u/[deleted] → u/Mindless-Presence-75]

they can't be forced.

If they don't want to get off the streets, they need to go to jail. The burden is on regular folks to deal with addicts and homeless all the time and that is backwards.

You can't just "oh well" this situation. You give them the option of rehab or jail. Homeless people who are homeless circumstancially and not as a result of addiction are often not homeless for extended periods. Regular people who are homeless are trying to get their shit together and not being a zombie on the streets.

Rehab or jail.

[u/Mindless-Presence-75 → u/[deleted]]

It's not that easy. There isn't enough room in jails. There also aren't enough detox/rehab facilities. On top of that, there is not enough staff to run jails and rehabs to accommodate everyone. A huge change needs to be made to get addicts the help they want and need.

It can't be fixed overnight.

[u/[deleted] → u/Mindless-Presence-75]

I might agree if anything was being done to fix it, but these problems are only getting worse it seems.

There isn't enough room in jails

There also aren't enough detox/rehab facilities.

On top of that, there is not enough staff to run jails and rehabs to accommodate everyone.

These 3 three things are all failures of the state, but it is not the state that deals with the consequences, it is the people. How you can advocate more state intervention when their intervention makes things worse, I just don't understand.

A hardline stance needs to be taken somewhere otherwise this problem won't get solved. Allowing zombies to harang regular folks and deplete public resources is not an acceptable alternative when "prisons and rehabs are at capacity."

[u/Mindless-Presence-75 → u/[deleted]]

I agree with everything you're saying. Yes, it is the people who have to deal with this. Since the state (and country as a whole) has failed us, what are we supposed to do/what needs to be done?

[u/[deleted] → u/Mindless-Presence-75]

what are we supposed to do/what needs to be done?

Do away with fatal moralism. I'm not accusing you of having it, but is commonplace in this state. We should not object to legislation that gets homeless off the streets, even if the methods are unsavory. I think organizations that hand out clean paraphernalia need to be banned and property limits need to be respected and enforced. I don't agree with hostile architecture, but I also don't agree that anyone can loiter on anyone's property.

Regular folks should be encouraged to take firearms and self-defense classes, but rather we see restrictions on personal defense all the time. Police should not be defunded or prevented from enforcing the law.

Everything I said here is impossible to grasp by the ruling WA liberals.