Street people running town
The Cowichan Valley citizens are on their own with street people. They are in every nook and cranny of this town and our valley. Some areas are so dangerous people cannot walk down the street. The filth and drugs and violence created by these people goes uncontrolled by police and bylaw.
Residents and business have been threatened and assaulted and no one charged. Police are ineffective or just doing nothing. Businesses are suffering heavy losses due to thefts and shoplifting. Security is being told they are not to touch the street people and the street people are receiving this information. These people are sleeping in the daytime in protected areas like Lewis Street where Warmland is located. They prowl all night stealing anything not nailed down. Drugs are seen every day being sold on our streets and street people with needles hanging from their arms are sitting in drug inflicted stupors.
Our business community is suffering; our citizens are at risk with many living in fear for their lives if they go out to get anything. Police and courts are not responsive. If citizens can see drug dealers, why is it the police cannot and none are being arrested? This situation is amplified by government money going to these people and they do not qualify for it. Yet no one investigates why and how they manage this. Every day the welfare cheques and government cheques come out there is a critical spike in overdoses and people dying. Is this how governments help?
This is a death knell for our town and its business community. Businesses will close with no law and order. Tourists will not come here when they see the filth and street people out there. One of these people is going to cause an altercation and either a businessman or an employee or a citizen is going to react and one of these street people is going to be hurt or killed. Then what? The citizen or businessman or his employee will get charged by police because street people are not accepted by Crown counsel?
Think for a moment, we are under government programs putting these people into hotels or camps. They are provided with everything — food, medicine, clothing, protection, counselling. What do they provide? Where is there any incentive to improve their lives? They have everything provided — life is good. They even still get welfare cheques and some have found ways to get $2,000 a month federal aid cheques — lots of money for drugs.
What is it going to take to get our town and valley back? Do we need to do what history shows and rebel and take it in our own hands since the people we pay to protect us are stopped from doing so because this is a government sponsored program?
When government shows it has no idea what to do to control this situation with street people and drugs it is time for a new plan and our government must restore the rule of law and order equal for everyone.
Larry Woodruff
North Cowichan