How can we put more effective pressure on those who make things happen to get far more robust services and policing for public behavior disturbances? This needs to be the utmost priority because otherwise these folks wreck everything. It’s disheartening reading about all the new transit etc being designed when meanwhile the drivers and public alike are trying to figure out how to stay safe from people in crisis in the systems we do have. Including psycho drivers intentionally threatening cyclists and pedestrians in addition to the random street violence, intimidation and intoxication, and literally a section of town a “no stop zone.” Anything we build will be busted until we can address public safety (so much of which is related to substance use), with truly robust treatment services or at least holding cells for public intoxication. And they can’t be only voluntary! People can’t be allowed to be out tripping balls or having a psychotic break in public where they endanger others. We have to have truly thoughtful policies looking at what has worked and failed in the rest of the world to try to address this with sanity and with compassion.
Our country has the usual global burdens of a)family and social issues and b)economic crisis/inequality and c)mental health issues and d)alcohol access: and then added are drugs, guns, and a hugely inequitable and inadequate medical/mental health treatment system. It’s really too much strain for anything less than seriously intensive management to handle!
submitted by /u/finnerpeace
[link] [comments]