TOUGHER SENTENCES

Re: Drug addicts are ruining our town (letters, Aug. 11).

One must empathize, at the very least, with the frustration of P.
Harmon. Yes, we are in an epidemic and been for some years. The police
have raided crack houses and marijuana houses and this has not even
made a small dent in our problem.

I do not know the statistics for runaway, lost, hopeless, abused,
children in this province (you put in the adjective). But in
Washington, the statistics show that more than half do not complete
high school, one third become addicts, one third become homeless and
nearly all are involved at one time or another, to different degrees,
in crime.

There are some solutions which have not been tried because of
political correctness. No one wants to be labeled racist or
anti-youth. We have a Young Offenders Act which is not only useless
but gives the youth the motivation to continue their sad lives knowing
they will receive, at best, a slap on the wrist. There is the question
of lighter sentences for any person of the First Nations as they are
'special'. We are only making matters worse for these people by not
taking them out of the environment which feeds their addiction.

Police have told me that they are loath to arrest a juvenile because
of the paperwork involved and the fact that in all likelihood, they
will never receive a sentence. To ask parents of these troubled youths
and adults to take an active part inparenting is a joke, as the
parents have abandoned their children years ago and merely watch as
their offspring join the cycle of welfare, crime, prostitution, drugs.
We should ask our legislators to do their job and give our police the
authority they need to make a difference, to strengthen the Young
Offenders Act to where the punishment will indeed fit the crime and
get rid of judges who won't hand out meaningful sentences.

Every homeless person, every drug addict, every petty thief, every
rapist, every grand offender started out as a baby waiting to be
taught and shown the way to a productive and happy life. In many cases
they were, sadly, deceived, used and abused.

Talk to your MP and MLA by phone, letter or email and let them know
that we will not sit by and see our wondrous city brought down by a
few unfortunates. Expect, of course, to be inundated by every liberal
freedom-for-citizens groups who seem to jump out of the woodwork when
ever an issue such as the homeless come to the fore. But you will not
see these groups taking a front position to house them in their own
homes. I have not the answers but the legislators have if only they
had the courage.

Harry B. Battle

Maple Ridge