Homelessness

A man on meth drove his truck into a Boulder park where homeless people congregate and sleep (Sept. 19). A few weeks ago, two women overdosed in the park. In May, five homeless people overdosed in the park in 36 hours. Today’s Daily podcast (NYTimes Sept. 22) covered a homeless man’s plight as he tried to get off fentanyl only to find himself convicted of murder. Listen to his description of what fentanyl does to the body and the challenges of getting clean. It’s enlightening.

I often ride our Boulder bike paths. Every day, I dodge people sitting in the path, putting themselves and cyclists in danger. They are sometimes doing drugs as I pass. Other times, walking dazed and incoherently into the path. There is garbage spilling into the path, but it is the people I worry about. It sickens me to see us give up on fellow humans who have fallen on hard times and cannot get back up.

Boulderites have big hearts and have opened our wallets to help. We have an amazing system for assisting people who want to get off the streets, and we have been building a lot of new housing. Building more houses has nothing to do with this group. They cannot function. They need our help.

Governor Polis, Colorado legislators, Boulder Mayor and City Council: please recognize this crisis for what it is. Escalate your demands to the state and federal government to prioritize funding. Get innovative and aggressive with policy. Other cities and states are doing it. It’s the humane thing to do. How many will die before you act?