All of us are victims of the impacts of mental illness and addiction afficting the city
By Lethbridge Herald on July 21, 2023.
LEAVE IT TO BEEBER
Al Beeber
Lethbridge Herald
The summer is half over but with the airshow coming up and a long weekend ahead, the fun is just getting into high gear.
But with the scorching heat we’ve been enduring, I honestly don’t see much fun in being out in the sun all day if I don’t have to. Some in our midst are because of their situation in life, the only respite they get being some shade in a park or on a tree-lined street.
And whether it’s sub-zero weather or hot enough to fry an egg on a sidewalk, we have an obligation to think about the circumstances of our fellow human beings. Most of us, I think, wouldn’t let a dog or cat suffer in extreme temperatures but when it comes to fellow humans, there seems to be less of that compassion.
And some are struggling to find that compassion within them. Downtown, as we know, has some serious social issues. And yes, many people – if not most – understand that the cause is addictions and mental illness but that doesn’t change the impact the behaviours of some homeless are having on the community.
One person told me recently it feels like Lethbridge citizens are being held hostage to the anti-social, to put it gently, behaviours of some who are unhoused.Â
The expectation that people feel sympathy and show compassion to these individuals can be hard to accept when their activities are interfering in the rights of others to feel safe or have their property respected.
Needles laying around alleys and parking lots, defecation in doorways and garbage strewn everywhere are hard to stomach even for people with compassion. Because it can seem no matter how much compassion is shown, no matter how much help is offered, some don’t respond or accept it.Â
Yes, mental illness and addictions can – and will – destroy self-respect and respect for others. We see that in spades in every community
But should that be allowed to destroy our communities?Â
One business operator recently had to endure a stabbing threat from a person after this individual threatened to tear apart that business. Another just across the alley from us here showed me where against a wall someone had defecated, the stench absolutely rancid even in the early morning. Just yards away, someone had tunnelled under a wrought iron fence between two properties and covered both ends with cardboard. Feet away, a young man with one shoe was diligently, almost obsessively, sweeping dirt away from a piece of pavement under a tree. Near him could be seen a fence that may have been burned.
Walking past the downtown library can feel like walking a gauntlet and it could be intimidating for someone like an older person or someone who is timid.
I can’t be intimidated and I’m not afraid of a confrontation. I’ve been around too long for someone to put any fear into me unless of course, there’s a weapon involved and the day I was being shown that fence, I swear I saw an individual with a small pistol partially hidden in his palm shuffle past and out of sight.Â
Was it actually a gun? I’m not sure but I definitely wouldn’t rule it out.
One business person told me everyone carries a knife downtown – is that exaggeration or reality? I don’t know. Would it surprise me if some do? Nope, not a bit. And maybe with the dangers of life on the street, some form of protection is necessary.
But if protection is needed for those who are homeless, it should also be for those who live and work downtown or who frequent city parks.
If people suffering from addictions and mental illness are victims, they aren’t the only ones. People who have to deal with the fallout from these individuals’ conditions can’t be expected to have their concerns ignored or themselves dismissed as being insensitive.
There has to be some sort of balance between showing compassion towards, and respecting the dignity, of those who are suffering and respecting the rights to safety for the rest of us. Should we let the serious problems of a minority of people who occupy our community dictate to the rest of the city?
Addictions and mental illness are complex issues and in one way or another we are all victims.
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