Sunday, June 01, 2008

The Insite Appeal: When Ideology is Murder














I'll never forget the first time I came face to face with a heroin addict.

I had just moved into a place I had rented in Vancouver's Yaletown. I was flicking through the channels on my TV when on the inhouse security channel I saw some guy shooting up in my doorway.

At first I was fascinated eh? I had heard about the city's legendary drug addicts. And there was one live and on TV ..... right on my own doorstep!

Then I freaked out. I barrelled down the stairs intending to kick his ass out of there, only to come face to face with a scrawny, sickly, whacked out teenager.

And when I saw his arms I immediately forgave him. Both of them were covered with bloody tracks, scars, and ulcerated sores. From his wrists to his shoulders.

I can't remember what he said... except that he wanted to go to Hawaii. All I could do was give him some cigarettes, and make him promise that he would see a doctor IMMEDIATELY.

But who knows what happened? Did he listen to me? I doubt it. Did somebody reach him in time? Is he still alive? It still bothers me.

That's why I was so glad to hear about about this wonderful site.














Where people like that poor kid could get treatment, receive counselling, and hopefully be cured of his addiction before he overdosed in some other doorway, or got AIDS or Hepatitis C.

And why I was so angry when I heard about this disgusting decision.
Because how could these monstrous Cons put their hideous ideology before the lives of their own people?

The Insite project is supported by doctors, frontline workers, police officers, and even the merchants in the neighbourhood. It's the only sensible, human, and Canadian thing to do. Harm reduction. Period.

You know it's one thing to let them get away with shaming our country all over the world.

But murder is murder.

And enough is ENOUGH...


----------------------------------------


P.S. For Kevin.... hoping he made it to Hawaii.

Or Australia.

Or just far away from this...

No comments: