To the editor:
Re: Letter of the week, Aug. 12
Downtown Eastside "do-gooders," including government, non-profit and religious, are actually "do-harmers." We have over 15 years of volunteer experience serving people in the area, mostly outdoors, three to four times per week, 52 weeks of the year.
Independently, we have shared Scripture and prayed for people in the alleys. We love the people of the area. They know it. We want to share what they tell us. Policies like harm reduction and agencies like Insite prolong harm. Ex-addicts say they needed harm elimination. They didn't need life to be any easier or safer to continue as slaves. Most addicts want to be set free, forever. Harm reduction is hateful. Swallow political pride. Stop it.
The Union Gospel Mission, the Salvation Army, Catholic charities and other non-profits enable addicts to comfortably continue to be enslaved. Agencies feed an addiction to the Downtown Eastside lifestyle, with its daily "job" of souplines, meals and handouts. They provide little hope for a better life.
People tell us that the Downtown Eastside is a great place to "live," to get free food, free clothing, free shelter and free services, which frees up their government money for "free" drugs.
Stop enabling Downtown Eastside addicts.
Ron Hutchison and Clark Katona, Vancouver
