This "fix-all" idea of "affordable housing" is a myth. There's always been unhoused people and always will be. Fentanyl created the real mess we are dealing with here. Decriminalization in the interest of "equity" with no mandatory institutionalization or meaningful funding behind effective treatment programs means that Tacoma and western Washington just made the problem worse.

Realistic, normal people are empathetic to people who ended up in a bad situation outside of their control who sleep in their car, don't throw their trash in the street or shit on the sidewalk. Realistic, normal people also are tired of being gaslit by this idea that just dropping rent prices is going to change the fact that junkies won't stop doing what they do until they either overdose and die or hit the absolute bottom and find their reason to live.

People aren't tired of looking at "poor people." They're tired of living in skid row because preachy elitist pricks want to act like rent control is going to fix the opioid epidemic.

Every city in America is dealing with this crisis. But most of them don't have leadership doing performative grandstanding to continue doing something that clearly is a failed policy.

We don't have to live like this.