SAGE Clan talks to SACPA about challenges faced by the homeless
By Steffanie Costigan - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on May 26, 2023.
Herald photo by Steffanie Costigan
SAGE Clan founder Mark Brave Rock speaks during Thursday's SACPA session.It’s hard to imagine what it would be like living on the streets, wondering if you will be able to receive the opportunity of a meal.
Secure, Assist, Guard, and Engage (SAGE) Clan Patrol shared the challenges homeless individuals face daily at the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA) on Thursday at noon.
The founder of SAGE Clan, Mark Brave Rock, was one of the guest speakers. He talked about the vital part Indigenous people play in the community and the understanding needed.
“We are part of the community, and we are big, we are a vital part of this community. Right now we’re mired in drugs and addictions, and it’s still happening and it’s only getting worse. And so that crisis first began as a cry for help. And it’s that cry that is still here. We are still asking for some understanding. We’re not asking to be to be treated special, but understand where we come from,” said Brave Rock.
Brave Rock shared his family’s personal history with the residential schools and how damaging that experience was to their identity.
“I saw the loss of identity.”
He spoke on addictions, circumstances resulting into individuals becoming homeless, and the role SAGE plays within helping the homeless.
Karen Smith-Myles, a volunteer with SAGE, said her experience patrolling with SAGE and the gratitude she has witnessed among the homeless.
“I experience nothing but gratitude from the people that are on the street. And we’re giving a very simple lunch, just a sandwich, maybe some orange slices, some chips, nothing big. But people are so grateful for what they’re given. They’re forgiving when at times, we don’t have enough to go around,” said Smith-Myles.
SAGE Clan is operated through donations. Their mission is to not only provides lunches to the homeless but specialize in helping those that struggle with addiction, says Brave Rock.
“What’s more important is getting the people out of there that don’t want to be there. But I’ve been forced in a way to be there to have had no way of knowing how to live. In five years, we have succeeded. And now I can safely say I have arrived to make sure that I am OK to say this. I know, honestly 21 people are not on the streets out here. And I don’t know how we did it safe, man. But they got away from this drug that just grabs the person’s heart, mind, body, and soul”
SAGE is always welcoming new volunteers or donations at chuffed.org.
Attendee Terry Shillington asked for more details on Brave Rock’s thoughts about the supervised consumption site.
Brave Rock gave his opinion on the impact the site had.
“The consumption site, it was a in my opinion, it was brought up to fast and again did not study the effects it would have had it. The demographic was not studied. It created more addicts than you did save lives.”
Brave Rock shared the importance of understanding without judging and the impact it has on families.
“I am addressing the importance of understanding what really happens, and I am not the only one person. I know I am not the only one person this has happened to. I am not the only one burying their kids.”
18-17
I am sorry I missed your presentation Mr Brave Rock. I, as you know support a facility out of town adjacent Blood Land. I presented that as a solution at the last SACPA meeting on the 15th of the month.
My concern is twofold. One, as you say, the problem is getting worse and my belief that the patience of businesses and downtown residents that are struggling to survive is wearing thin.
I have seen in the past where a group is then blamed for the problems and that then generates vigilante groups. So my solution was to protect the addict from that kind of vigilantism and to create a home facility outside of Lethbridge. There would be buses running every hour so it offered no isolation but it also exposed the addicts to Indigenous healings. It also saved the Lethbridge Downtown.
During my presentation, I noted with some amusement as the audience rolled their eyes for a number of reasons. One I did not say, love, cuddle, embrace, communicate and all of the nice drop words used by UofL in their theory on how to solve the problem (as long as its a long way from where they live and work) and two, I did not have a degree hanging on my wall saying I studied everything out of a book. All I have is 28 years observing all the things wrong the eyerollers are doing that has failed elsewhere, numerous times!
Drop terms like “evidence based” were used to dismiss my solution because, if the evidence presented was to stand on its own it would shine a huge spotlight on the failings of SCSs and other facilities. Mr Brave Rock I caution you, the majority of people invested in these programs are in it for the money they can remove from the taxpayer, that is not anecdotal its “evidence based”.
For instance, people site the use of SCSs as saving lives and of course just so happened to generate in our case 177 jobs and $350,000 wages. I could open a building tomorrow and have 2 people standing beside an addict as he shot up and generate the same lives “saved”! The function of an SCS is not secret, its not mystical nor is it practical unless looking at it from a pay check point of view. It is, as you say ” It created more addicts than you did save lives.” However, you will never see that evidence, because it is purposely suppressed. Not surprisingly, there was a shingled panelist (at my SACPA debut) that to this day, believes the SCS was a raging success, and got applause from the eyerollers!
I often wonder why UofL has not considered my solution to the SCS. Assign 3 people working 8 hour shifts assigned to each addict. Have the assignee carry a backpack full of Naloxone, bandages, a cot, sheets,toilet paper, pooper scooper, food, a direct line to an ambulance and try to make room from the contraband the addict steals to support his habit, he then could call the “fence” for the stolen goods and keep the addict going. No one would die, I would suggest the person should have a degree in physcology as well, dollars would explode because an addict needs supervision 24/7/365 and would generate “evidence based info” supporting this approach as the ultimate in “Savin Lives and Killing Livelihoods”! It would be a win/win for the Dollar hungry and the Addict.Not so much however for Downtown and Downtown Residents.
I will promise you this, the Indigenous will be blamed,(racism is alive and well in Lethbridge) their will be vigilante groups and businesses will close down and there will be some very very bitter people. That, is evidence based! Add to this the expansion of the Drug Gangs into Lethbridge (that also will be blamed on the Indigenous) and I worry that you are not looking at this in the longerterm. The eyeroller NDP who sat in the crowd at SACPA and could see me ruining some great Jobs so ignored my “Sage” advice, please do not do the same.
Do your self a favor Mr Brave Rock look at the “evidence based data” I presented which showed a 70% increase in deaths when people are put in an SRO (Single Residency unit) So if you want to save 7 out of every 10 people stop “housing agencies” from housing addicts too soon. This is where “evidence based data” does not count because it interferes with money! Click on ” Location of Opioid Deaths tab” at top right https://healthanalytics.alberta.ca/SASVisualAnalytics/?reportUri=%2Freports%2Freports%2F1bbb695d-14b1-4346-b66e-d401a40f53e6§ionIndex=0&sso_guest=true&reportViewOnly=true&reportContextBar=false&sas-welcome=false
I have now assumed I have lost and my solution will not see the light of day! This was confirmed after seeing Marshal Smiths Presentation at the Premier Showing of “Canada is Dieing” at the Movie Mill. Both the UCP and NDP intend on killing our downtown based on “their” evidence based data! The NDPs first job, if elected,, install another SCS in our downtown! The Community Care Campus will be installed in the area from the Shelter to 5th North on Stafford. By the time you get to act as a resident to stop it, it will be too late and Council will pretend they had no choice, they did, they do, they want it in our downtown. So pick your poison!
On a personal note, Mr Brave Rock be very careful, sometimes becoming the “face of change” can cause problems, I have “evidence based data for that” ! Far to many people in this city see dollar signs, not an addicted person, getting in their way is problematic. I wish you Great Luck, you are going to need it!
Too many lives have been lost by the mistakes we make in dealing with the issues and too many families have been devastated.
I have personally known too many I dealt with while working downtown die on our streets from the addictions and it can be prevented and the fatal overdoses dramatically reduced with effective treatment programs. They can lead productive and normal lives, but need to get off the streets and into treatment programs, followed up job placement and continuing counseling for a period while they learn to lead normal lives. They will always be an addict, but with that knowledge and preventative steps they can get through it.
I am happy that you stated regarding the safe consumption sites . . . ” It created more addicts than you did save lives.” . . . because many are still brainwashed into believing they work. I do applaud your efforts Mr. Brave Rock, as I do Alvin Mills in his efforts to save people.
I have talked to addicts who said the SCS was bad for them, a negative impact on their lives as they tried to get off the streets . . . some are now dead.
SCS sites are killing machines that enable users and they say no one dies in their sites, but ignore the many who just left the sites and died within blocks. Ask LPS how many people they had to give Naloxone with blocks of the SCS when it was open, after the addicts had just left the SCS.
Vancouver DTES has many die in the alleys and on the streets where these ‘safe’ sites are, just after leaving the site! They give the wrong impression that the addict can get high in safety!
These issues increase crime and organized crime and last night, across the street from where I live, 12-15 gang members were fighting, some with pipes and bats, and escalation by using weapons from a fight by 12 members just over a week ago in the same area.
There are so many negative impacts these issues bring to the area that many are not aware of such as increased human trafficking, increases in violence/stolen goods brokers/weapons dealers, etc., which impact many of our citizens.
We need less enabling the addicts and more effective treatment programs and for those who believe that SCS sites work and help here are some facts for you . . . first of all if they worked, BC started them in 2003…20 years ago and since then there have been increases in fatal overdoses, numbers of addicts/crime/homeless, so if they worked, there should have been reductions.
BC had 2272 fatal overdoses last year, Alberta about 1600, Saskatchewan and Manitobe about 400-450 each. Lets look at per capita vs fatal OD’s
BC has over 30 SCS/OPS sites per capita deaths 4.2
Alberta 7 sites ……………………..per capita deaths 3.5
Saskatchewan 1………………….. per capita deahts 3.7
Manitoba zero …………………… per capita deaths 3.3
If Safe Consumption Sites worked, then Saskatchewan and Manitoba deaths should be much higher than Alberta and BC, due to the lack of them.
The province with the highest number of fatal overdoses and highest number by far of these sites also has the highest per capita fatal overdoses.
We need to get tough on drug addiction and get these people treated, without them getting a criminal record to compound the issues, which is what drug courts do and what involuntary treatment does.
We need to return to what saved the most lives and didn’t destroy communities!
Too many have died needlessly and the Indigenous have suffered the highest losses!