MacLac
Senior Member
I love been hearing bits and pieces that this was indeed occurring……..if true, Knack needs to send a delegation to SF including the Chief and getting some sort of blueprint on how to mirror their strategy in YEG…..
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- Thread starter Stevey_G
- Start date
archited
Senior Member
^ I think that SF could offer several points of interest to Edmonton vis a vis the unhoused, drug use, retail recovery, and tourism -- all in broad strokes of course since the two are very different cities.
Glenco
Senior Member
Over 700 people overdosed in Edmonton last year. That is two a day. It is a wonder to me there are any left. Clearly liberal attitudes towards drug use is more harmful.
SarcasticMarmot
Active Member
Excuse me, how are "liberal attitudes" to blame? We haven't had a liberal/leftist/progressive approach to homelessness in 7 years!
Even then, we never followed thorough on any of the liberal ideas that are so often villianized. We never decriminalized drugs.
We never defunded police. We never implemented housing first (plan yes, actual housing no.) No UBI or social supports that actually provide a livable amount. The tiniest amount of harm reduction but nothing at scale.
Then over the last 7 years we have had program and support cut after cut after cut! Access to welfare has been buried in a litany of paperwork projects to prevent "fraud" and eligibility has been drastically tightened. Basically all supports have been stripped away in favor of a profit oriented "recovery model", how's that actually going?
The current situation is in no way the blame of "liberal social justice warriors" because we haven't actually had any power to implement anything!
I am very sympathetic to the frustration and the vulnerability that folks feel being exposed to "social disorder" but at least place the blame on the side of the spectrum that's actually been in power.
David A
Senior Member
Good point, everything that happens within a large radius is somehow attributed back to the downtown core by those who want to make it seem super scary there, but the Alex is actually some distance from there.
Actually there also seem to be more serious incidents recently at West Ed mall recently than downtown, but the stereotypes about downtown being dangerous and the suburbs safe persist.
Glenco
Senior Member
Liberal as in open drug use and very little or no consequences for flagrantly flouting the law.
ADob
Active Member
So it looks like both "dollar stores" at 101 St and 107 Ave, which were always surrounded by drug sellers, drug buyers, and other delightful personages, have now been shut down. The one south of 107 Ave has been boarded up for a few weeks now and the one north of 107 Ave has looked closed as of last week. I wonder where all the illegal commerce moved to for our boys on BMX bikes.
Glenco
Senior Member
The King Thunder effect
MacLac
Senior Member
Those are rookie numbers…….we gotta get those to exponentially increase…..just to make sure
thommyjo
Senior Member
We can dislike all the negative externalities of drugs and the people using them without being dehumanizing or essentially wanting genocide of addicts. Let’s be careful with the language please. Still humans with families.
IanO
Superstar
^well said TJ.
David A
Senior Member
Whatever our governments are doing now seems to be neither effective or humane.
fromtraintotower
New Member
There is still the stereotype that north Edmonton (and the definition of "north" can be as loose as anything north of the river; i.e. the left bank) is dangerous, and WEM is definitely "north of the river."
Kosy123
Senior Member
Not Edmonton, but I'm sure we have similar stories
David A
Senior Member
Well done article and I agree not different from here. There is a very interesting quote in the last paragraph "It doesn't matter where I am. I see people panhandling at suburbia drive-thrus.
While it may be more noticeable, crime and social disorder does not magically stop at some invisible boundary of downtown, these people do get around and create issues throughout the city.