By Marilyn Brennan
Well, well. So the City Council in their ivory tower got a tiny taste of what we all are subjected to every day in oh so many ways. And after the horror of it all, they all had to take a break (SMDP, June 24, page 1). Welcome to our world. The man who disrupted the meeting did need meds and help. They all do. So why not fund services that will provide it, instead of what we now have?
The current services to the homeless, the mentally ill and addicted do not provide the necessary help. Perhaps to the abused women and children, these services do some good. But for the mentally ill and addicted, providing them with meals and sleeping arrangements and letting them use the city for a public toilet will only help them become sicker and in the case of the addicted, help them to die.
Get these addicted people sober and then see if they can be helped to help themselves. If a program does not require sobriety as a criteria for help given, that program should be run out of town, after all funding to them is cut.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 28, 2004. Read the original PDF.