4 ms·
Isn’t Seattle in shambles because they no longer arrest drug users? I know that this stuff seems like a good idea when it’s theoretical and it doesn’t happen ne
by jimbob45 6y ago
Isn’t Seattle in shambles because they no longer arrest drug users? I know that this stuff seems like a good idea when it’s theoretical and it doesn’t happen near you but when it’s your neighbor doing heroin and the police won’t do anything about it, you start to wish that drug use wasn’t so normalized.
I used to live in Salem. Used to be extremely crime-free with very few homeless. Now, they line the streets of downtown and no one goes there anymore. If we’re leaving drug users on the street too now, the only consequence of this policy will be more white flight. Shame, too, because Salem used to be a hidden gem of the Pacific NW.
- jaggednad 6y agoWhat business is it of yours if your neighbor is doing heroin? We could get people off the streets if we gave them treatment. A drug addicts are sick; Locking them in jail shouldn’t be the answer
- wow_why 6y agoHomeless are the symptoms, not the disease
- pessimizer 6y agoThe disease is kleptocracy, not drug addiction.
- jimbob45 6y agoEasy to say when it’s not your neighbor. Come back to me when you’re letting your daughter walk home from school past the junkie house.
- nine_k 6y agoIf junkies get their fix, it's literally the only thing they care about. It's them not being able to support their habit with a day job what makes them reckless and dangerous. If junkies receive their fix from medical authorities, along with a treatment helping them to quit, they even have a hope to become in-addicted again. Of course, arresting or maybe outright killing a junkie would instantly remove any threat to the neighbors. It just requires stopping to see the junkie as a human in need of help and start seeing the junkie as a violent criminal or even non-human. I wonder if such an approach is sort of dangerous for the society's mental health.
- crispyporkbites 6y agoDefine “shambles” and “line the streets” without using hyperbole. Don’t build straw men “your neighbour” Clearly link your alleged increase in crime and demographic change to drug policy Otherwise this is not an argument.
- knolax 6y agoA city in the US having a large homeless population is actually an indicator of a (relatively) stronger economy. Booming Economy --> Housing Inflation --> Large Homeless Population. I've seen far fewer homeless in Baltimore than in SF but average income in the latter is 2x.
- jniedrauer 6y agoSeattle is in the middle of a housing boom, unfortunately for anyone who wants to move there.