Pearl committee claims little improvement around shelter
Dec. 3 update includes invitation to hear County Commissioner Meghan Moyer
The Pearl District Neighborhood Association Shelter Oversight Committee has released another update on community livability conditions related to the Northrup Street Shelter. The latest report is the longest of all—10 pages—and includes an invitation to hear Metro District Commissioner Meghan Moyer address the findings at a Dec. 19 gathering at The Fields Bar & Grill.
You can’t bring a large population of people addicted to drugs or battling severe mental illness into a neighborhood and expect things to remain the same…. That fact is becoming more and more obvious to those who didn’t realize it from the beginning. These people need help not a place to crash. Millions have been spent on a deflection center that by all accounts is a complete failure. People with debilitating mental illnesses can’t help themselves and expecting someone suffering from drug addiction to suddenly start making good decisions is never going to be successful. Megan Moyer and Multnomah County have taken us down this path and as everyone can see….”all is not ok”
Deflection/diversion was a failure, and it is time to forget about them. Jail, followed by civil commitment for those who break public laws and have severe mental disorders. People are still underestimating the public consequences of the severely mentally ill homeless. Start with jail and civil commitment and give them a few weeks in the hospital.