Re: Drug bag found in alley
The public shaming demonstrated in this article was appalling. The sarcastic attempt to reunite the makeup bag with its owner by displaying its contents for all to judge is a perfect demonstration of why the shame and stigma around substance use exists.
The number of people dying as a result of the opioid crisis is significant because the culture of shame prevents people from coming forward for help. Stigma and shame are also why people often use and overdose alone, worried to tell anyone about what they are doing behind closed doors.
In publishing flippant articles like this, you continue to encourage the false belief that the biggest problem associated with illicit drug use is the inconvenience of the associated paraphernalia that may be left behind.
When you reference the need to “clean up the streets of Kelowna” by ridding them of people who take up space or treat it like their living room, you’re dehumanizing the issue.
Looking back, society was able to justify atrocities including slavery and the colonization of our Indigenous population because they denied those individuals their personhood.
I encourage you to consider the vulnerable people and the trauma they have endured while trying to cope with homelessness, addiction, or many of life’s other challenges that none of us are exempt from. Treating people with respect and compassion rather than contempt is a much more likely way to ensure the safety of Kelowna and all of its residents.
Tasha McAdam, Kelowna