It’s hard not wonder about those poor souls locked in the illicit drug trade.
If we are to take the City of Boston’s word on things, we can imagine the slo-mo donkey travel from the highlands packed out with drugs, followed by the submarine rides to the shores of America, transfers to high speed launches, drugs landed in the dead of night, packed into watermelons or the like and smuggled into big cities where, in Boston’s case, the drugs find their way to a particular tent encampment at “Mass and Cass” where a gang of homeless can splash the cash for drugs but otherwise cannot afford adequate food or shelter.
Something seems a little out of whack here, as Boston declares this particular tent nuisance to be “the locus of the city’s drug trade.” This is the source of immeasurable profit harvested by South American drug barons? With their shipping expenses, it’s amazing they’re not all on welfare.
Now, we are well aware that drug abuse has traditionally been one of the chronic health problems of the people who experienced homelessness in days not long past, before thousands upon thousands of low income individual families in rent arrears began arriving on the streets. But it seems as if illegal drugs have curiously now become so linked with homelessness that Boston cannot refrain from mentioning both in the same sentence.
And this all the while that Boston is swearing that it will act with dignity and respect towards people who experience homelessness and their property. But not, however, failing to add that any resistance to the city’s good will gestures will amount to a criminal act leading to involuntary incarceration (a.k.a. jail).
Boston’s struggle to manage this growing tent-city, highly-visible form of homelessness is shared by other big cities in North America. Many of those others cannot be bothered even mouthing terms such as “dignity” and “respect,” whether towards individuals or their sparse but precious belongings.
By sticking its neck out with gestures of compassion that are not backed up by serious action, Boston has ironically made itself more vulnerable to criticism from housing activists. As such, the interaction between the City and its critics make useful reading for all municipalities inclined to talk the talk but not walk the walk when it comes to finding meaningful solutions to the galloping homelessness crisis which is engulfing the continent.
Read more at BOSTON.com: Doctors and researchers are concerned about the city’s efforts to remove tents at Mass. and Cass. Here’s why.
