We did this to ourselves over the course of a few short years. This photo could have been taken in Portland, Oregon or Portland, Maine…it was the latter. It really doesn’t matter because scenes such as this one are commonplace in any decent sized “Progressive” city. How did we get here? How did homelessness and filth overtake our once proud and clean cities? We as a collective society have allowed it to happen and it may be too late to turn things around.
I was a statewide drug agent in the early 2000’s and I was shocked when I realized the extent of the drug problem during that time period. Heroin was killing people, but Fentanyl had not entered the drug pipeline yet. I had been a police officer for 13 years when I started investigating drug cases in the Portland, Maine area. I saw firsthand the evil grip of addiction as well as the need for greed by drug dealers who sold purely for profit. It is a dirty business, but it is a business nonetheless. I had one simple goal while fighting the war on drugs for over 5 years…keep the drug trade underground and out of view of the law abiding citizens and children. I tried to offer help for those addicted and a jail cell for those who strictly dealt to make money.
Our criminal justice system has eroded in many ways since then. Lawmakers have decriminalized the possession of specific drugs, marijuana has become a tax producing commodity, criminal activity has become acceptable and rarely prosecuted, and the laws and foundational principals that this country were founded on have been gutted and redefined. We have done this to ourselves.
I am not picking a side politically because I am not a fan of many, if any politicians. Our legislative bodies are the law making branch of government and they dictate the rules and policies that govern our behavior. Laws are only meaningful if they are adhered to and prosecuted fairly and across the board. We have laws on the books, but there seems to be no will to enforce them. We excuse bad and criminal behavior and coddle those committing it. When there are no consequences for bad actions, those committing them have no need or incentive to stop. This simple premise starts when we are children and hopefully it is ingrained in us when we reach adulthood. Everything is somebody else’s fault now and personal responsibility has been thrown out the window.
I empathize with the homeless, but we must ask ourselves how and why it has become so prevalent in recent years. Because we allow it…that’s why. We let squatters put up tents wherever they want and we leave them there for fear of stigmatizing them. We allow open air drug markets because we decided to treat those possessing and using illegal drugs as patients with a medical issue instead of criminals who should be offered rehabilitation options. The police have had their hands tied, the prosecutors dismiss or diminish criminal cases regularly, and only the worst of the worst are held in a jail or prison for any period of time. We the people have allowed this to happen because we elect the people who make these laws. We become complacent and don’t actively participate in the “process” because in most cases we live in a bubble protected from the insanity around us.
I believe there are good intentions that lead to terrible consequences. We have seriously mentally ill people walking the streets because individual choice has superseded public safety. We as a society don’t want to label people, upset people, or challenge people…so innocent people get hurt or killed. We need to find a balance between compassion and enabling. We need to stop blaming others for the state of our country and start asking what we can do to change it. We need to accept the fact that there are some really bad and dangerous people walking the streets who should be behind bars. How about we provide people with the opportunity to turn their lives around while also holding them accountable for their actions?
We did this…period. We allowed the degradation of our values and principals while trying to be more understanding of those in need of help. Those who suffer the most are the law abiding citizens who become victims of those who in many cases shouldn’t be walking the streets in the first place. We have become fearful and hesitant to speak our mind because others are quick to label or attack us. Our silence and inaction only perpetuates the growing problem, which has no end or solution in sight. This is not leadership…this is chaos and the decay of our country.
I think you’ve made some fine points about the balance between compassion and accountability.
I think what has led us to our current state is quite simply corruption. I agree with you that we’ve allowed this to happen by continuing to elect these corrupt politicians. But it goes deeper than politicians.
Big Pharma had corrupted the FDA, doctors and pharmacists to the point that these highly addictive pain medications have been handed out like pez.
I too fought the uphill battle of the prescription drug epidemic in the 2000s.
It was a bandaid on a bullet wound.
To fix this will take leadership that, quite frankly, the masses don’t want. So the problem will continue to worsen. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t thinks so.
Corruption has become commonplace, which is a sad commentary on our country.
Steve, first? thank you for your service. I don’t live in the US but I served in the forces that protected her for many years. As I look at the pictures of the once wonderful clean cities and what they have become, it makes me sick. The once great nation has been traded away by the money hungry, lying leaders that we supposedly elected to take care of us. You are correct, we are sinking fast and most are not paying attention. I hope this turns around but unless there is a drastic change in our government, it won’t. The government must stop looking overseas and start cleaning up our backyard. Thanks’
Amen…and thanks for your service! It is because of you that I ended up being in law enforcement. Many of us make a difference without even knowing it.