Help worthy families, not criminals
THE PLAN OFFERED to create a homeless refuge on West Side open space is really a bad one. This is a supplemental idea to the Sanctuary City mentality that creates unsolvable messes like San Francisco faces today. I fail to understand why progressive leaders here can’t learn from their California counterpart’s catastrophic mistakes.
There are relatively few in the homeless population who are good families, unfortunately displaced, and in search of a way to a better life. Those select people do need and deserve our help and are hopefully taking advantage of the many shelters and new-start programs currently provided for them in Albuquerque.
The ones contributing to the crime problem, business disruption and drug culture crisis — that you mention in the Journal — (article) are not going to use or appreciate this glorified encampment. The drugs and illicit opportunity are in the city, and as long as someone can stand on a corner with hands out collecting $50 - $100 a day or more, they will gladly keep doing so. After hours, they become an opportunistic and unaccountable group looking for the easiest dollar and most convenient unlocked gate. This has become a public safety issue, and is near to becoming a public health issue given unclean camps, public urinating and defecating, and discarded drug paraphernalia everywhere.
Making it more comfortable to be homeless is not the answer! The problem will quickly grow worse, as Albuquerque will have an increasing reputation as a safe haven. Much of the homeless circumstance is a personal choice; taking drugs is a personal choice; committing crimes is a personal choice.
There are opportunities for people who are responsible and reliable — also personal choices. Learning a skill becomes a jackpot plan for creating a better life.
I was recently in a small city in Colorado where this problem seemed to be nonexistent. It might be worth learning how they are accomplishing this before jumping headfirst into another Albuquerque black hole. CHARLIE BURK Albuquerque