RICHMONDITES SELFISH

The Editor,

I am a long time Richmond resident -- one of the few born and raised here.

It is amazing to me (and disgusting) how selfish the residents of
Richmond have become.

There are many aspects that make up a community -- good and bad.
Instead of a real community, the "new" Richmondites have decided that
it's not what's best for the residents, it's only what looks good on
the surface. Only families with kids and "elders" are allowed in our
neighbourhoods. Anyone that doesn't fit that description, isn't wanted here.

Nobody wants this recovery house in their neighbourhood, so let's all
bury our heads and pretend that the problem doesn't exist. Richmond
has become a very large, thriving city and has a responsibility to
take care of its citizens -- even if they don't "fit" the image that
the residents prefer to see. If we continue to pretend that the
problem doesn't exist, we run the risk of an increase of street
people, addicts panhandling on our streets and parks, thefts and break-ins.

The idea of a recovery house is that these people have reached out
for help and are attempting to make positive changes in the face of
crippling addiction. They deserve the chance to get better and to be
close to their family and friends, instead of being written off and
sent away to be dealt with somewhere else because we don't like the
way it looks. They also deserve the opportunity to become
contributing members of the community that helped and supported them.
The people in recovery aren't the ones you should fear. I would worry
more about the things you pretend aren't there.

You could very easily have active drug addicts move in next door. Or
drug dealers. Or a meth-lab. And there is nothing that you could do about it.

Give these people the credit that they deserve for getting help. And
stop being afraid of what you don't know. And I pray that someone you
love doesn't ever need these services.

Lisa Parker, Richmond