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Originally Posted by 89blkcivic
Buddy, you're late for the party. Again. What you're saying has been said before. We get it. It's too late. Just like the HST. It's too late. But protesting, no matter how stupid or useless does bring to light, the issues. There's a chance that in the future, organizers of such events will think more about shit.
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The opposition should have channeled their displeasure into a political force. The NDP is eerily silent and has been for quite some time...
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It's been how many years since the announcement that the Olympics were coming here? The organizers had enough time to do something creative to address the issues with the homeless. They couldn't come up with much of anything. A lot of these people today may not have expressed their feelings so much if steps were taken to address the issue. Of course, there will always be some who will never be satisfied. But............
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Well, it's tough politically to give the homeless free or severely below-market housing in the DTES which is the last undeveloped/un-gentrified neighbourhood in the downtown core. It would have also been extremely difficult to 'ship' the homeless out to the suburbs or out of province. Seven years to deal with the problem seems like it was enough to get something tangible done, but I think change will take much more time (~20-30 years.) and here's why:
- Drug use. It's enough of a challenge to cut the demand since drugs like crack and heroin are highly addictive, but how do you cut the supply when drugs are so easily available? Organized crime is huge in this city and there are plenty of middle-class kids who are ready to assume the ranks of those who have been taken down by the police.
- Mental issues. Is there enough political will to build a new Riverview-like institution to get these people off the streets?