Point of View

The Soapbox: Overdose numbers aren’t perfect but reflect strides being made in Manchester

While these numbers might not be perfect, for a variety of reasons, they certainly don’t lie. The article which is cited as the source for these numbers comes from AMR Representative Christopher Stawasz. In that article he talks about the two best ways of reducing the fatality levels for opioid overdoses. The first is to increase the availability and education about Narcan. Narcan and education about it is widely available, often for free. It will effectively prevent the fatality of an opioid overdose as long as it is administered in time, and administered correctly. The second is to increase education and awareness about best practices for using in ways that will help to prevent more needless fatalities. Most importantly: “Never use alone!” READ MORE

Community

The Soapbox: Clearly, the city is intent on moving the homeless from parks – but where should they go?

Let’s be clear in saying that there is absolutely no harm done at all to anyone when someone goes into a park with a shopping cart, a tarp, a large umbrella, or a pair of bicycles. Nobody is being harmed from the use of these items, even when they’re used to create some form of temporary “privacy barriers,” for the people who have absolutely no private places of their own. READ MORE

Point of View

OPINION: Can we just stop the sweeps of homeless encampments until we have someplace for them to go?

In a nutshell: You are taking the most desperate of all people in this city, rendering them way more desperate, and then scattering them into everyone else’s neighborhoods. Can’t you see that? Do you really have to watch firsthand, like I’ve done way too many times, just to realize what you’re doing here? Do I have to explain how that’s bad for everyone, whether you live in a camp or merely live in any home in this city? READ MORE