DON'T TURN A BLIND EYE

Editor, The Record

Turning a blind eye to the growing problems associated with drug dealers,
pan handlers, and prostitutes on Main Street only gives those people
control over the rest of us and turns First Avenue into another East
Hastings Street.

They know most people will look away when the drug deals go down on every
corner on Welfare Wednesday or when a prostitute offers someone a chance to
become HIV positive.

The problems associated with the downtown core are not solely limited to
that one area. I chose not to turn a blind eye to what is happening. Yeah,
yeah, I can hear the bleeding hearts say how mean can I be. Well, like
Prime Minister Trudeau once said about bleeding hearts, go bleed all over
yourselves.

Most people can't tell who is really in need of a helping hand and who are
just the con artists, although I have done my best to spread the word about
those that I know are more in need of a kick in the pants than a hand out.

I am sorry for those who have fallen on hard times but until some major
clean up downtown and in the surrounding business areas happens, I want
them all shown the way out of town. Perhaps I could start pan handling
myself and collect enough money to buy the dealers and prostitutes a one
way ticket on the West Coast Express back to East Hastings. Hey bleeding
hearts, covered yet?

I want people to stop turning a blind eye to what is happening and stop
hoping things will get better on their own. It will only get better when
people actively take the streets back. By all means help those who can be
helped but it is naive in the extreme to think that every prostitute and
dealer can be saved or even wants to be saved.

Doing nothing about cleaning up the problems will only make things worse.
We have no right to tell school kids to stop bullying and then let the
dealers and prostitutes bully us into silence because people prefer to turn
that blind eye towards the problems rather than confront them head on and
risk unknown "repercussions."

If the city can't or won't do anything to help, maybe people should start
thinking in terms of "shame the Johns" activities like recording car plate
numbers or gathering in groups where the dealers and prostitutes hang out.

We already know that the courts won't help. The police do the best they can
given the almost straight jacket restraints imposed by the courts.

So that just leaves you, me, and the majority of people who want our town
back to make their feelings known loud and clear.

Tell the stores you won't shop there if things don't change. Stop handing
out your loonies without knowing if the need is real or not. Make it known
through your own efforts to change things that it is no longer business as
usual either downtown or anywhere else in Mission.

Yes, our problems are no different than those of any other town or city in
this province. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't let it be known that
our town is no longer an easy mark. I'll bring the tar if someone brings
the feathers.

Robert T. Rock, Mission