Austin Homeless Free for All Ordinance

[Deej 76,543]

4 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

I'm sure you are signin' up for the next APD Cadet class?  maybe you can teach the "fuzzy embrace" move.

Give him a break. He pays the people of color who clean his house and mow his yard $3.50 an hour.

[Guest Lobo]

 

[phdhorn 6,224]

19 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

 

 

Give this guy a call:
 

[BurntOrange&White 39,618]

4 minutes ago, phdhorn said:

Give this guy a call:
 

[Cajun 11,675]

19 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

I'm sure you are signin' up for the next APD Cadet class?  maybe you can teach the "fuzzy embrace" move.

Just make sure it's not a furtive fuzzy embrace.

amirite?

[Hate 20,103]

1 hour ago, dcar00 said:

yep.  I was at 290 and 35 area and in the median there were a couple of spots with just a huge circle of trash where it was obvious someone just picked up and left.

Edit - If was downtown I'd be migrating north or south because you know that is the first place to get cleaned up.  strategically they should be looking for 183 north underpasses and then farther south.  I have no doubt after downtown and the places south of 51st get cleaned up it will stop. not sure what its like south of the river until you get to ben white.

They are all going to Bottlecap's.

[dcar00 14,030]

22 minutes ago, Cajun said:

Just make sure it's not a furtive fuzzy embrace.

amirite?

agreed.  it needs to be an authentic true self fuzzy embrace

[fattyflattie 4,636]

9 hours ago, crash_davis said:

the best was going to work one morning and seeing some homeless dude squatting in the middle of an overpass bridge, taking a dump in his hand and throw the shit over the bridge into traffic below. that was peak austin homeless for me. 

homeless shitting on and throwing shit on Austinites. perfect metaphor.

That. That is fucking amazing.  

[52-80 19,081]

10 hours ago, Deej said:

Seemed to be fewer people camped out downtown today. The parking lots under I-35 at 7th seemed thinned out. Maybe they are beginning to migrate. 

bottlecap took them in

[Dbeasy 14,963]

Edit. 

Edited May 5, 2021 by Dbeasy

[williemackgarza 1,826]

Adios mofos

[MAUFRAIS 6,573]

i guess you think i'm kicking you, bum.  but it ain't so.  what i'm doing is talking, you hear?  i'm talking to all those homeless down there in kansas.  i'm talking to all those homeless in missouri.  and all those homeless down there in cheyenne.  and what i'm saying is there ain't no hobo gold.  and if there was, how they wouldn't want to come looking for it anyhow.

[Bevo 13,525]

12 hours ago, Hate said:

They are all going to Bottlecap's.

If Bottlecaps was a bar, what would it look like?

[Incredulity 11,559]

2 minutes ago, Bevo said:

If Bottlecaps was a bar, what would it look like?

[Bottlecap 1,519]

more like a bunch of fat dads in brewery logo gear and bent brim random sports teams hats

[Guest Lobo]

2 minutes ago, Bottlecap said:

more like a bunch of fat dads in brewery logo gear and bent brim random sports teams hats, coming to drink after one their local team groups won its sports game.  

Fixed it to really look like something you'd say out loud.

[Armybrat 40,725]

14 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

how many empty air force bases do you have? (asking for a friend)

Those are filled up with border crashers

[Js1 85,095]

On 5/3/2021 at 6:44 PM, McFly said:

Just catching up here but is there a chart where I measure my dick so I know how to vote. TIA

Just send pics. I’ll let you know. 

[smokebomb 357]

I've been thinking about this for a while so I now present my longest post ever:

smokebomb's Austin Homeless Solution

First - I think it is important to divide the homeless up into 4 distinct groups:

1. People who are homeless due to circumstance and are trying to get out of it. This is the population that most people are the most sympathetic.
2. People who are homeless due to mental illness. I would argue that this segment has the a lot of sympathy from the population as well.
3. People who are drug addicts. This population has some sympathy but is lower down the chain.
4. People who do not want to conform to societal norms or who just don't give a fuck. This is the segment no one cares for and who give homelessness a bad name. Rightfully so.

This is important because we need to create a solution that focuses not on group 4 but groups 1-3. Fuck Group 4. We can help them but we don't have to cater to their lazy asses.

My solution (and it has been mentioned by many others): Use the Home Depot at I-35 & St John's the city purchased over a decade ago. We don't even need the building - just the parking lot.

With the Home Depot lot:

1. Allow anyone to camp out in the parking lot - draw out 12x12 boxes and let people put up their tents. Even offer free tents to those who need them.
2. Provide port-a-potties. Have them emptied daily. Maybe provide some outdoor showers.
3. Provide police patrols and implement quiet hours. Arrest anyone dealing drugs as well as buying in the parking lot. Kick out anyone who is involved in a fight or who is disturbing the peace. Make it safe but don't focus on making it a place for PIs & pot busts.
4. Provide dumpsters & create a trustee system to pay people to keep the area cleaned.
5. Have doctors come weekly & provide checkups.
6. Have social workers onsite daily to help with those that need it.
7. Eventually use the Austin City Library and provide training

The above ideas could be implemented in a week (except maybe the showers). Even if it took a few weeks/months, it would be a start. 

Once certain people have shown they can live in the lot and contribute (maybe through the trustee system?), put them on the list for the hotels / city-assisted living. Give those that are actively trying to better situation a much needed boost.

With the social workers, maybe they can identify those that really need mental help and convince/guide them to the correct facilities.

With drug addicts, maybe the social workers can help them achieve sobriety. Even it is just one, it is a win.

For others, they will take advantage of the system. Some of these people will not follow the rules. That is fine - deal with them accordingly. Kick them out if they cause problems but let them stay in the parking lot if they don't. Some of these folks will not want to change their situation but if we offer them a place where they can live safely and not disturb other residents, everyone in Austin benefits.

However, this alone will not solve the homeless issue because a one-size-fits all solution will not work. Some people will use the above assistance while others won't. It simply provides a first step but a first step that the city council so far as failed to even attempt.

Now my Adler/City Council Rant:
Telling people to just camp where they want to and ignoring the situation was not a solution. It was criminal for the mayor and the city council to think so and then not do anything in the last two years to address the issue. The fact that Adler tried to make it a Democrats vs Republican right before the election was almost as disgusting as the city's inaction. However, it was even sadder that voters fell for it.

The best part of last weekend's election wasn't just Yes on Prob B, it was No on a strong mayor. This showed Adler that the city is tired of his schtick. Hopefully people come out in the primary and vote his grifting ass out of office or he will continue to push his bullshit, real-estate agenda.

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by smokebomb

[We’reTexas 1,468]

6 hours ago, smokebomb said:

I've been thinking about this for a while so I now present my longest post ever:

smokebomb's Austin Homeless Solution

 

What you are describing is, basically, the Tenderloin in San Francisco. The city oscillated between compassion and toughness for decades before Gavin Newsom (then mayor) announced an ambitious plan very similar to yours (and Adler’s - to provide 3,000 housing units in 5 years). And it worked. Some 12,000 people had moved from the streets into supportive housing by the end of his administration. Yet the number of unsheltered homeless never wavered, and is likely higher than ever today. 
 

In other words, there is a larger systemic issue causing homeless that can’t be patched up by social services at a municipal level. The primary cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. There is a strong correlation between the increase of housing prices and homelessness. Mental health services (or lack thereof) are of course a huge issue too. There will be no effective long-term solution until there is state and federal involvement. 

[dcar00 14,030]

6 hours ago, smokebomb said:

I've been thinking about this for a while so I now present my longest post ever:

smokebomb's Austin Homeless Solution

First - I think it is important to divide the homeless up into 4 distinct groups:

1. People who are homeless due to circumstance and are trying to get out of it. This is the population that most people are the most sympathetic.
2. People who are homeless due to mental illness. I would argue that this segment has the a lot of sympathy from the population as well.
3. People who are drug addicts. This population has some sympathy but is lower down the chain.
4. People who do not want to conform to societal norms or who just don't give a fuck. This is the segment no one cares for and who give homelessness a bad name. Rightfully so.

This is important because we need to create a solution that focuses not on group 4 but groups 1-3. Fuck Group 4. We can help them but we don't have to cater to their lazy asses.

My solution (and it has been mentioned by many others): Use the Home Depot at I-35 & St John's the city purchased over a decade ago. We don't even need the building - just the parking lot.

With the Home Depot lot:

1. Allow anyone to camp out in the parking lot - draw out 12x12 boxes and let people put up their tents. Even offer free tents to those who need them.
2. Provide port-a-potties. Have them emptied daily. Maybe provide some outdoor showers.
3. Provide police patrols and implement quiet hours. Arrest anyone dealing drugs as well as buying in the parking lot. Kick out anyone who is involved in a fight or who is disturbing the peace. Make it safe but don't focus on making it a place for PIs & pot busts.
4. Provide dumpsters & create a trustee system to pay people to keep the area cleaned.
5. Have doctors come weekly & provide checkups.
6. Have social workers onsite daily to help with those that need it.
7. Eventually use the Austin City Library and provide training

The above ideas could be implemented in a week (except maybe the showers). Even if it took a few weeks/months, it would be a start. 

Once certain people have shown they can live in the lot and contribute (maybe through the trustee system?), put them on the list for the hotels / city-assisted living. Give those that are actively trying to better situation a much needed boost.

With the social workers, maybe they can identify those that really need mental help and convince/guide them to the correct facilities.

With drug addicts, maybe the social workers can help them achieve sobriety. Even it is just one, it is a win.

For others, they will take advantage of the system. Some of these people will not follow the rules. That is fine - deal with them accordingly. Kick them out if they cause problems but let them stay in the parking lot if they don't. Some of these folks will not want to change their situation but if we offer them a place where they can live safely and not disturb other residents, everyone in Austin benefits.

However, this alone will not solve the homeless issue because a one-size-fits all solution will not work. Some people will use the above assistance while others won't. It simply provides a first step but a first step that the city council so far as failed to even attempt.

Now my Adler/City Council Rant:
Telling people to just camp where they want to and ignoring the situation was not a solution. It was criminal for the mayor and the city council to think so and then not do anything in the last two years to address the issue. The fact that Adler tried to make it a Democrats vs Republican right before the election was almost as disgusting as the city's inaction. However, it was even sadder that voters fell for it.

The best part of last weekend's election wasn't just Yes on Prob B, it was No on a strong mayor. This showed Adler that the city is tired of his schtick. Hopefully people come out in the primary and vote his grifting ass out of office or he will continue to push his bullshit, real-estate agenda.

 

what would say is the percentage of the 3K homeless in Austin in each of your 4 groups?

[Incredulity 11,559]

13 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

what would say is the percentage of the 3K homeless in Austin in each of your 4 groups?

15, 15, 15, 55

Edited May 6, 2021 by Incredulity

[Judge Roybeanbag 11,806]

22 minutes ago, We’reTexas said:

What you are describing is, basically, the Tenderloin in San Francisco. The city oscillated between compassion and toughness for decades before Gavin Newsom (then mayor) announced an ambitious plan very similar to yours (and Adler’s - to provide 3,000 housing units in 5 years). And it worked. Some 12,000 people had moved from the streets into supportive housing by the end of his administration. Yet the number of unsheltered homeless never wavered, and is likely higher than ever today. 
 

In other words, there is a larger systemic issue causing homeless that can’t be patched up by social services at a municipal level. The primary cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. There is a strong correlation between the increase of housing prices and homelessness. Mental health services (or lack thereof) are of course a huge issue too. There will be no effective long-term solution until there is state and federal involvement. 

What that tells me is there is a solution, but 90% of America doesn’t participate in it, so it will never work.  Instead the homeless go where the money is.  

[TKthunder2 4,980]

16 minutes ago, We’reTexas said:

The primary cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. There is a strong correlation between the increase of housing prices and homelessness.

There are tons of affordable options around the nation, just not in Austin, SF, Seattle, or the like.  If affordable housing was the problem, these people from Missouri would be moving to Eagle Pass, Longview or Abilene.  The reason these people are moving to major cities is because they are enabled, either by government/non profit assistance or by regular citizens that are supporting their panhandling.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for providing assistance and a path out of homelessness, but if you simply enable people like Casar wants, then you’re only going to attract more homeless that are choosing that lifestyle and waste our city’s resources.

[Bevo 13,525]

11 minutes ago, TKthunder2 said:

There are tons of affordable options around the nation, just not in Austin, SF, Seattle, or the like.  If affordable housing was the problem, these people from Missouri would be moving to Eagle Pass, Longview or Abilene.  The reason these people are moving to major cities is because they are enabled, either by government/non profit assistance or by regular citizens that are supporting their panhandling.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for providing assistance and a path out of homelessness, but if you simply enable people like Casar wants, then you’re only going to attract more homeless that are choosing that lifestyle and waste our city’s resources.

To add to this - the median home price in San Francisco is $1,425,867. The lowest priced single family home in San Francisco is $800,000. Lots of people would want to move to San Francisco if the government is paying for it even if it is crappy housing. So why do homeless people get the option over low income wage earners? Personally, if someone gave me a bunch of money to dole out to constituents, single working moms would be much higher on my list for assistance.

[dcar00 14,030]

9 minutes ago, Bevo said:

To add to this - the median home price in San Francisco is $1,425,867. The lowest priced single family home in San Francisco is $800,000. Lots of people would want to move to San Francisco if the government is paying for it even if it is crappy housing. So why do homeless people get the option over low income wage earners? Personally, if someone gave me a bunch of money to dole out to constituents, single working moms would be much higher on my list for assistance.

and then we can go with the working poor.  I've got an idea...why don't we put all the money in a pot and split it up evenly. one for you, one for you.

[David Dennison 18,652]

12 minutes ago, Bevo said:

To add to this - the median home price in San Francisco is $1,425,867. The lowest priced single family home in San Francisco is $800,000. Lots of people would want to move to San Francisco if the government is paying for it even if it is crappy housing. So why do homeless people get the option over low income wage earners? Personally, if someone gave me a bunch of money to dole out to constituents, single working moms would be much higher on my list for assistance.

Sadly, there is some overlap between this group and the homeless.

[gmr548 16,491]

Moving that direction is pointless. Plus y’all have that Haven House program thing that’s working. El Pason and Arlington are proud participants in the Built for Zero program and the Panhandle won’t put up with that shit. Best to move westward. Out of state. 

The panhandle won’t put up with panhandlers, or panhandlers won’t put up with the panhandle?

[We’reTexas 1,468]

3 hours ago, TKthunder2 said:

There are tons of affordable options around the nation, just not in Austin, SF, Seattle, or the like.  If affordable housing was the problem, these people from Missouri would be moving to Eagle Pass, Longview or Abilene.  The reason these people are moving to major cities is because they are enabled, either by government/non profit assistance or by regular citizens that are supporting their panhandling.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for providing assistance and a path out of homelessness, but if you simply enable people like Casar wants, then you’re only going to attract more homeless that are choosing that lifestyle and waste our city’s resources.

I don’t think you understood my point. If I lived in Austin, I would have voted for Prop B. But I live in San Francisco, and trust me, I am familiar with the research over homelessness. Affordable housing s the problem. I meant that the current municipal approach is a waste of money because it does nothing to address the underlying causes of homelessness. In 2018, SF approved a tax on gross receipts to bring in another $300 million per year for homeless services. I opposed it. The root cause of homelessness is that, as another poster noted, the median house price in SF is $1.5 million. It costs $700k to build a new unit. Median price for the nine Bay Area counties is around $800-900k. And yet, by my count, the confederacy of dunces that is the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has built less than 1,000 affordable housing units in the past twenty years. Housing needs to be affordable to address homelessness. 
 

Homeless are of course attracted to cities because cities offer the services they need, which is precisely my point - cities like SF and Austin are futilely trying to provide what California, Texas and the federal government should be providing. The bulk of homeless in a given city are from that region - it’s inaccurate to think of them all as grifters from Missouri. Nationally, about 80% of homeless in a city had a residence there prior to being homeless. But there needs to be regional collaboration on housing. It makes no sense to build housing in SF when it’s much cheaper in Sacramento, or in Austin when it’s cheaper in La Grange. 
 

This is a very complex issue. I am disgusted as anyone when I wake up to someone smoking meth on my doorstep or see some guy scream and upend a family’s table outside at a Michelin star restaurant (all within the past month), but I try to think about to address this dispassionately. 

Edited May 6, 2021 by We’reTexas

[MissingInAction 24,810]

APD doing good work here tonight they busted a couple of thieves that I've seen prowling through my complex.

 

 

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by MissingInAction

[Snake Diggity 4,614]

9 hours ago, We’reTexas said:

What you are describing is, basically, the Tenderloin in San Francisco. The city oscillated between compassion and toughness for decades before Gavin Newsom (then mayor) announced an ambitious plan very similar to yours (and Adler’s - to provide 3,000 housing units in 5 years). And it worked. Some 12,000 people had moved from the streets into supportive housing by the end of his administration. Yet the number of unsheltered homeless never wavered, and is likely higher than ever today. 
 

In other words, there is a larger systemic issue causing homeless that can’t be patched up by social services at a municipal level. The primary cause of homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. There is a strong correlation between the increase of housing prices and homelessness. Mental health services (or lack thereof) are of course a huge issue too. There will be no effective long-term solution until there is state and federal involvement. 

Totally agree that it is futile for a city to try to combat homelessness without coordination/buy-in at at least a regional level.  
 

Austin allowing camping anywhere and saying that is a solution to homelessness is akin to the City of Austin instituting an income tax on the wealthiest earners who live in the city limits and claiming they are combating income inequality.

[Wally Pryor 5,244]

17 hours ago, smokebomb said:

The best part of last weekend's election wasn't just Yes on Prob B, it was No on a strong mayor. This showed Adler that the city is tired of his schtick. Hopefully people come out in the primary and vote his grifting ass out of office or he will continue to push his bullshit, real-estate agenda.

The wet rag is done at the end of '22.   Term limits. 

 

[Armybrat 40,725]

9 hours ago, We’reTexas said:

I don’t think you understood my point. If I lived in Austin, I would have voted for Prop B. But I live in San Francisco, and trust me, I am familiar with the research over homelessness. Affordable housing s the problem. I meant that the current municipal approach is a waste of money because it does nothing to address the underlying causes of homelessness. In 2018, SF approved a tax on gross receipts to bring in another $300 million per year for homeless services. I opposed it. The root cause of homelessness is that, as another poster noted, the median house price in SF is $1.5 million. It costs $700k to build a new unit. Median price for the nine Bay Area counties is around $800-900k. And yet, by my count, the confederacy of dunces that is the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has built less than 1,000 affordable housing units in the past twenty years. Housing needs to be affordable to address homelessness. 
 

Homeless are of course attracted to cities because cities offer the services they need, which is precisely my point - cities like SF and Austin are futilely trying to provide what California, Texas and the federal government should be providing. The bulk of homeless in a given city are from that region - it’s inaccurate to think of them all as grifters from Missouri. Nationally, about 80% of homeless in a city had a residence there prior to being homeless. But there needs to be regional collaboration on housing. It makes no sense to build housing in SF when it’s much cheaper in Sacramento, or in Austin when it’s cheaper in La Grange. 
 

This is a very complex issue. I am disgusted as anyone when I wake up to someone smoking meth on my doorstep or see some guy scream and upend a family’s table outside at a Michelin star restaurant (all within the past month), but I try to think about to address this dispassionately. 

Those women left very affordable  Missouri to come to the most expensive place in Texas to live and are complaining about the lack of affordable housing ?..... I fail to follow that logic.

[utee94 15,745]

10 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

The wet rag is done at the end of '22.   Term limits. 

 

If he were just a wet rag things would be a lot better.  We've had plenty of incompetent or irresponsible or ineffective mayors over the decades.

The problem is, he's an actively horrible, greedy, despicable grifter.  He's a villain from a 19th century melodrama, the only thing missing is the oiled mustache.  And I don't think the voters of Austin are smart enough to recognize their mistake, and insist on someone better the next time.

 

[Steel Shank 9,413]

My plan is to lay more pipe.

[We’reTexas 1,468]

51 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Those women left very affordable  Missouri to come to the most expensive place in Texas to live and are complaining about the lack of affordable housing ?..... I fail to follow that logic.

Because you didn’t read my post. They are outliers and if you focus on them you are missing the forest for the trees. Nonetheless, as I alluded I support measures like camping bans and even quality of life prosecutions to disincentive to antisocial behavior and deter opportunistic drug users, train jumpers and drifters like those Missouri women.

But they are what - maybe 10-30% of a homeless population in any locale? That’s certainly something to reduce. Every homelessness feature in the San Francisco Chronicle has a moment where the reporter asks some guy why he isn’t shooting up on a sidewalk in Oakland or San Jose, and the guy just laughs and says because he’d be locked up for doing this shit anywhere else. I don’t think those people deserve my tax dollars either and I want them kicked back to Ohio or New Mexico or wherever. But you are giving them a disproportionate amount of weight in the context of homelessness. 

[Armybrat 40,725]

They aren’t outliers. They are liars, junkies & alkies who have chosen that lifestyle.

[MissingInAction 24,810]

9 hours ago, MissingInAction said:

APD doing good work here tonight they busted a couple of thieves that I've seen prowling through my complex.

 

 

 

I was pretty hammered at the time so ill provide more detail now. 

Took the dog out for our midnight walk through the complex. I've been Cinco de mayoing it all day so I'm completely oblivious to my surroundings. 

I see some shadows skittering about then BLAM! Headlights come on from every where, and I see three crack head looking fucks right in the middle of it.

APD had staked out the parking lot waiting for them. 

Fucking glorious watching them get thrown into the squad SUVs.

[RollLeft 5,040]

Now's the time to be handing out free greyhound tickets to Kansas City, Atlanta, NOLA and LA.  Open up your hearts and wallets folks!  

[HookEm 2,443]

Quote

Word travels fast in any community. Even in those with “chronic” homelessness. Adler/Casar and the dipshits of the round table put out the “Welcome” mat. Quite a few of our homeless since 2019 (ban lifted without voter say so) came from many other places. 

This.  Everyone knows which cities are "homeless friendly". Our strategy has been horrible.

[Cajun 11,675]

1 hour ago, MissingInAction said:

I was pretty hammered at the time so ill provide more detail now. 

Took the dog out for our midnight walk through the complex. I've been Cinco de mayoing it all day so I'm completely oblivious to my surroundings. 

I see some shadows skittering about then BLAM! Headlights come on from every where, and I see three crack head looking fucks right in the middle of it.

APD had staked out the parking lot waiting for them. 

Fucking glorious watching them get thrown into the squad SUVs.

Same shit at my condo complex here the other night.   Dog woke me up at 3am and I figured she needed to hit the grass for a squatchy.  As I'm stepping outside I see a dude in a hoodie and cargo shorts just roaming through the carports.  When he sees me he makes a bee line for crossing the street, so I decide to do a little Crazy Ivan on him.  Put the dog up at my place and then quietly go to my car parked by the front door (this guy was in the back) and start it in battery mode (it's a hybrid) so I can creep to the back w/o being heard.  I get around the corner and then hit the lights on high beam.  There he was, hiding behind one of my neighbor's cars.  I gassed it right at him and mf'er took off like Daffey Duck walking on water.

Fuck these cunts.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Cajun

[Cajun 11,675]

1 hour ago, Armybrat said:

They aren’t outliers. They are liars, junkies & alkies who have chosen that lifestyle.

Yep, majority are this.  There are those who didn't bring their consequences upon themselves, but they are the outliers.

[Steel Shank 9,413]

I enjoyed the story the AAS did a while back that quoted an unemployed construction worker here in Austin. 

Wait - he lost his job? In construction? In Austin?

[Cajun 11,675]

There's always a story, isn't there?

[dcar00 14,030]

4 minutes ago, Cajun said:

Yep, majority are this.  There are those who didn't bring their consequences upon themselves, but they are the outliers.

the issue is that everyone declares a junkie or alkie mentally ill and being mentally ill isn't their fault.  so you basically have mentally ill and those who are homeless due to an economic circumstance.

[Steel Shank 9,413]

1 hour ago, RollLeft said:

Now's the time to be handing out free greyhound tickets to Kansas City, Atlanta, NOLA and LA.  Open up your hearts and wallets folks!  

I been to Memphis baby, I been to Kansas City too
Never met a woman who could love me like you do
Going back to Louisiana,
To that girl I left behind

[Cajun 11,675]

@dcar00

That's because "everyone" doesn't know what they're talking about.  Look, the AA thing about being powerless over alcohol (insert whatever other mind altering substance you want) is real.  100%.  There are people who do not choose the drink, it chooses them.  That said, there is a rock solid way past it and where choice comes in is when the mf'er CHOOSES not to take that path.  A path, by the way, that requires serious accountability, honesty, and most of all, removes your victim card.

It took a lot of pain for your's truly to take that path and I thank god everyday for the people who loved me enough to turn their backs on me until I did.  They loved me enough to not rob me of the experience of getting to the point where the physical & psychic pain was so accute that I was ready to be dipped, dunked, spayed or neutered to find a way out.  The ones who kept rescue rangering me kept me rolling around in my dirty diaper for a long time.  Nice, warm, and squishy in there and I've got them coming to pat me on my head and tell me it's "ok", why leave that gig?

The enablers are killers.  They don't even know it, but they are.

I know legions of people, many who were homeless for long periods of time who are now kicking ass and taking names in life.  And they sure as shit aren't there b/c of the bleeding hearts.

 

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by Cajun

[dcar00 14,030]

20 minutes ago, Cajun said:

@dcar00

That's because "everyone" doesn't know what they're talking about.  Look, the AA thing about being powerless over alcohol (insert whatever other mind altering substance you want) is real.  100%.  There are people who do not choose the drink, it chooses them.  That said, there is a rock solid way past it and where choice comes in is when the mf'er CHOOSES not to take that path.  A path, by the way, that requires serious accountability, honesty, and most of all, removes your victim card.

It took a lot of pain for your's truly to take that path and I thank god everyday for the people who loved me enough to turn their backs on me until I did.  They loved me enough to not rob me of the experience of getting to the point where the physical & psychic pain was so accute that I was ready to be dipped, dunked, spayed or neutered to find a way out.  The ones who kept rescue rangering me kept me rolling around in my dirty diaper for a long time.  Nice, warm, and squishy in there and I've got them coming to pat me on my head and tell me it's "ok", why leave that gig?

The enablers are killers.  They don't even know it, but they are.

I know legions of people, many who were homeless for long periods of time who are now kicking ass and taking names in life.  And they sure as shit aren't there b/c of the bleeding hearts.

 

 

agreed.

[BurntOrange&White 39,618]

28 minutes ago, Cajun said:

@dcar00

That's because "everyone" doesn't know what they're talking about.  Look, the AA thing about being powerless over alcohol (insert whatever other mind altering substance you want) is real.  100%.  There are people who do not choose the drink, it chooses them.  That said, there is a rock solid way past it and where choice comes in is when the mf'er CHOOSES not to take that path.  A path, by the way, that requires serious accountability, honesty, and most of all, removes your victim card.

It took a lot of pain for your's truly to take that path and I thank god everyday for the people who loved me enough to turn their backs on me until I did.  They loved me enough to not rob me of the experience of getting to the point where the physical & psychic pain was so accute that I was ready to be dipped, dunked, spayed or neutered to find a way out.  The ones who kept rescue rangering me kept me rolling around in my dirty diaper for a long time.  Nice, warm, and squishy in there and I've got them coming to pat me on my head and tell me it's "ok", why leave that gig?

The enablers are killers.  They don't even know it, but they are.

I know legions of people, many who were homeless for long periods of time who are now kicking ass and taking names in life.  And they sure as shit aren't there b/c of the bleeding hearts.

 

 

Fantastic post.

[Armybrat 40,725]

Yep, once a person has gone down that road, they have to sack up and be willing to make the change.... and the community should provide the path to help them achieve the goal of reentering society.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Armybrat
Some might need a little boot in the butt to help turn them towards the right direction.