General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[bravado]

It’s wild to me that people walk among us who think that homelessness and drugs are only widespread because they just aren’t illegal enough

You should be ashamed of yourself for advocating illicit drug use, that is reprehensible

The fact that you can't see a difference between feeling empathy about a life of misery vs giving out Free Government Heroin™ on the street corner is revealing about your character.

If you can't see people dying on the street or freezing in a tent in winter and understand that with a different roll of the dice in life that could have been you, is something you should think about.

Even if we disregard silly things like empathy and humanity, Ontario has pretty different laws and jails than Alabama or Moscow - and yet people still live miserable lives from homelessness and drugs across vastly different jurisdictions. Maybe it's a bit more than just the law.

[ac3r]

Do you have a realistic solution for either homelessness or mental health issues?

To quote something dumbest leader on the planet who sometimes does something sensible said a couple days ago: "[signed an executive order] to bring back mental institutions, insane asylums. We're gonna have to bring them back."

I mean I don't know what other solutions people think are an option. It has absolutely nothing to do with the cost of living anymore since these people are both insane and addicted to toxic drugs. After all, we're generally referring to these people...not the hidden homeless who yes may have lost a job or went through a divorce, but who are otherwise capable of moving past that with some self-worth, motivation and resources to help in order to find a home again.

But for the addicts etc that are nodding off on every city block, committing petty crime, making the public uncomfortable and so on...who even cares. I was in the region today. On the LRT in the morning, one guy was nodding off on the train then eventually fell on the floor. Waiting for the LRT later on, two addicts were sitting in the shelter cutting up squares of tinfoil and eating soda crackers while smoking cigarettes, so nobody could shelter from the cold. I see that all the time when in the region and using the LRT. Like...fuck off, do that shit somewhere else. While waiting for the bus in the afternoon, some freak was screaming at nothing and kicking a light pole downtown. Then on the bus I take a seat, pull out a book and then some dope fiend again nods off next to me, starts to fall and bashes his head on the seat in front of him scaring the life out of some young girl coming home from school.

Enough is enough. Pour money into constructing drug addiction facilities and long term mental health hospitals and put these people into them. For those who refuse, make it so they can't keep being a nuisance to society. Find a big field and stick them there.

[Kodra24]

You should be ashamed of yourself for advocating illicit drug use, that is reprehensible

The fact that you can't see a difference between feeling empathy about a life of misery vs giving out Free Government Heroin™ on the street corner is revealing about your character.

If you can't see people dying on the street or freezing in a tent in winter and understand that with a different roll of the dice in life that could have been you, is something you should think about.

Even if we disregard silly things like empathy and humanity, Ontario has pretty different laws and jails than Alabama or Moscow - and yet people still live miserable lives from homelessness and drugs across vastly different jurisdictions. Maybe it's a bit more than just the law.

Please stop your constant virtue signalling and preaching

What is with the "what if's" in your statements, yes if I was homeless now and lost everything life would be difficult but I would overcome it, on the other what if I was a billionaire? What difference does it make?

A homeless addict tried to lure my son at Victoria Park this summer, I'm sorry I wasn't empathetic to his situation at the time

There are many people that need legitimate help and we should help them (turn the safe injection sites into rehab facilities), build new ones, I'm all for it but the ones that simply refuse to be helped need to either go to special mental health/detention facilities or jail (worst case scenario)

Our downtowns would prosper tremendously

[tomh009]

What is with the "what if's" in your statements, yes if I was homeless now and lost everything life would be difficult but I would overcome it (...)

This is an easy thing to say, and I could say the same. But would it really be true? If one is unemployed and homeless, living out of a backpack or a shopping cart, with no meaningful education or history of skilled work, it really isn't easy to find work or otherwise get back on your feet.

I say that if you haven't actually been there, you don't know whether you could overcome it. And, yes, that applies to me, too.

[prisecaru0]

What is with the "what if's" in your statements, yes if I was homeless now and lost everything life would be difficult but I would overcome it (...)

This is an easy thing to say, and I could say the same. But would it really be true? If one is unemployed and homeless, living out of a backpack or a shopping cart, with no meaningful education or history of skilled work, it really isn't easy to find work or otherwise get back on your feet. 

I say that if you haven't actually been there, you don't know whether you could overcome it. And, yes, that applies to me, too.

This is where forced rehab helps. Were also at a point where you cant just get up and get a living wage job walking into a tims, these days that requires education and evne then we live in a terrible economic situation which means alot of educated people are out of work too. I like forced rehab because even i if i would lose everything would lose the will to get back on my feet, and only pressure from others could help.

[Momo26]

I step away for a moment and the discussion here got heavy!

[danbrotherston]

This is an easy thing to say, and I could say the same. But would it really be true? If one is unemployed and homeless, living out of a backpack or a shopping cart, with no meaningful education or history of skilled work, it really isn't easy to find work or otherwise get back on your feet. 

I say that if you haven't actually been there, you don't know whether you could overcome it. And, yes, that applies to me, too.

This is where forced rehab helps. Were also at a point where you cant just get up and get a living wage job walking into a tims, these days that requires education and evne then we live in a terrible economic situation which means alot of educated people are out of work too. I like forced rehab because even i if i would lose everything would lose the will to get back on my feet, and only pressure from others could help.

I suspect you have never endured or even pondered what it would mean to lose your physical freedom. 

Pressure from others, I dunno, maybe it helps someone. For me, internal motivation is much stronger. But I am certain that if I was confined, with no control over my own life in the way that forced rehab requires (let’s not mince words that’s a euphemism for prison, maybe you imagine something less cruel than a US style prison, but it is still forcible confinement) that would in no way help any recovery. 

But at the end of the day rehab of any kind does not work if you don’t solve the underlying socioeconomic situation that creates the conditions which put people on the street.