Not NIMBY, but rather:

"He's brought the challenge that we're facing, street-level social issues in our community to the forefront..."

Yes, please video the area. People are regularly attacked and/or raped in situations like these. Just because they are drug addicts doesn't mean we should shrug it off. A comatose teen girl was repeatedly raped in downtown Anchorage in the middle of the day after using spice. The only reason they caught the guy was because he kept going back for more.

Teakers use Meth, Junkies use Opiates.

GIT YR H8 STR8!

What we need is to declare war on drugs. Problem solved. Your welcome.

Let’s blame the destitute and not try anything different that works. The Housing First program works. So why is it not used here? Its better than using the cops and emergency services which fails to solve the issue and probably less expensive.

The Cam is still up and running. I just watched it as of 5:30 pm 11/09

Sylvia Anderson, CEO of the Everett Gospel Mission, told KING 5 that the live stream would do more harm than good. "This will not solve the problem," she said. "Humiliating people has never been a successful tactic in changing behaviors. In fact, it will alienate them even more and keep them from getting help."

I wouldn't worry about this so much. Drug addicts, especially meth users (which I used to be) basically generate an infinite supply of alienation and self-victimization all by themselves. They are more than capable of observing that the sun is rising in the east and spinning that into an intricately constructed rationale for how that proves that the world is against them and deliberately undermining them and forcing them to do more drugs dammit.

When the time finally came to clean myself up, all of those accumulated petty little hurts and insults and alienations played zero role in my decision to seek out or not seek out help. I sought it out when I was damn good and ready.

So I am totally 100% OK with stigmatizing drug usage. I completely understand why people do it; I did it myself. And I hope it is a barrier to keeping other people from falling into addiction.

On the other hand, I do wholeheartedly favor decriminalization, harm reduction (needle exchanges and the like) and easy access to a broad spectrum of treatment options. I basically view harm reduction as keeping alive long enough to get you into treatment, treatment as a means to save your life, and decriminalization as a means to ensure you have access to a good future when you do get clean.

But yeah, stigmatize away. Doing meth or crack or heroin is fucking stupid. You're a moron if you pick any of them up and you'll become nothing better than human garbage for a long as you're on them.

@7: But if stigmatization is encouraged, won’t that negatively impact the hoped for result of decriminalization (“access to a good clean future”)?

@8 One thing we've lost sight of is the idea that just because something is legal doesn't mean it's OK to do it. And conversely, just because something is morally wrong doesn't mean we have to invoke the power of the state to prevent people from doing it.

Societies have lots of lesser ways of punishing bad behavior besides sending out the cops. Doing stuff like this to shame people who are behaving badly is one of them. Drug users should feel bad because what they are doing to themselves and to people around them is bad.

But that doesn't mean we should throw them in jail or saddle them with a criminal record.

Corydon, why don't you run for office? You are articulate, level-headed, and most definitely know whereof you speak. At the least, keep yourself in the public conversation. I look forward to more comments and suggestions from you.

The dangerous drug alcohol is legal and can do more harm than other drugs but making it legal makes it safer for us. Legalizing drugs can make it safer for society.

As a recovering person myself (woman) I don’t agree with shaming addicted people. We shame ourselves enough without any help. Many have to get over self hatred to get a foot forward in recovery. At first I couldn’t get clean for myself because I hated myself and wanted to die. At first I sought recovery because of my child. That was the only thing I could live for and that was my beginning. I have lost loved ones to this addiction and I try to set an example because that is what I can do, Since we shame ourselves and that can kill I am against public condemnation. However, I thank you for your brave testimony Coydon.

It is not because we have a "shameless society". I think people just give up on hope. Could it be the surge in income inequality? I mean, it has gotten pretty obscene!
This problem is only going to get worse.
Think about yourself, as a teenager. Did you have hope for your future? Did you know that as long as you had a full time job, you would survive?
It isn't that way anymore.
We have a generation of hopelessness.
Not all, but a lot.
Imagine your life as a constant fight, you can't pay rent, you can't pay medical bills, you sure in the fuck can't go to college, have a shitty job working for one of the 2 corporations that now own all the grocery stores, no health insurance, owe $15,000 in court fines and interest, and all the no tab tickets because you couldn't pay for that one $1,500 ticket for accidently going the wrong way one a one way road, because now you can't buy tabs, and your license is now suspended.
What you you do??? You know these is no way in hell anything can change.
Some give up, and THAT is what I think could be a factor causing this.
But, that is just my opinion, but I am pretty aware of the fact that the two issues are growing rapidly. And, this is what I hear from people I know that are homeless. Watch as it gets worse. Or change the way our economy is ran.

It is not because we have a "shameless society". I think people just give up on hope. Could it be the surge in income inequality? I mean, it has gotten pretty obscene!
This problem is only going to get worse.
Think about yourself, as a teenager. Did you have hope for your future? Did you know that as long as you had a full time job, you would survive?
It isn't that way anymore.
We have a generation of hopelessness.
Not all, but a lot.
Imagine your life as a constant fight, you can't pay rent, you can't pay medical bills, you sure in the fuck can't go to college, have a shitty job working for one of the 2 corporations that now own all the grocery stores, no health insurance, owe $15,000 in court fines and interest, and all the no tab tickets because you couldn't pay for that one $1,500 ticket for accidently going the wrong way one a one way road, because now you can't buy tabs, and your license is now suspended.
What you you do??? You know there is no way in hell anything can change.
Some give up, and THAT is what I think could be a factor causing this.
But, that is just my opinion, but I am pretty aware of the fact that the two issues are growing rapidly. And, this is what I hear from people I know that are homeless. Watch as it gets worse. Or change the way our economy is ran.