From FB group Orange Talk, Jul 27
Heidi Norris Dawson
Before Reagan when there still were ‘mental hospitals’, the 6th floor of SATCH (now Western Global Medical Center on Tustin Ave), had keys on the elevator buttons. They didn’t ‘force’ mental patients into staying, a patient could leave by signing out. Most stayed.
I’m not sure I understand why you have a complete absence of compassion for human beings who have come to the end of their rope and can’t hang on anymore. In my mind that’s an extremely jaundiced view of life. After Reagan’s closures, the jails ended up as warehouses for the mentally Ill. That contributed to the overcrowding, so the courts in their questionable wisdom demanded a cutback in the jail populations. Just as with the S.A. River homeless, the courts kicked the crazies out of the jails and now we all have to deal with them on the streets. That was just throwing the burden on all of the people, instead of limiting the burden’s effect by warehousing them.
But then I don’t have to be too concerned. The watch dogs keep us alert to strangers, and there are those with bad attitudes, such as spouses of LEOs, who have zero compassion and make the homeless lives miserable.. 😕😏
