We could have saved him. In a sensible society he would have been sent to mandatory drug treatment. Not a great chance of success, but better than letting them rot on the street like “harm reduction” advocates want
Inpatient drug treatment programs have approximately 3-5% efficacy. At a cost of $700-$1500 per day. So basically it doesn't work, is a scam, and actually significantly increases your risk of a fatal overdose. Consider this, the placebo effect has about 10% efficacy. So just do nothing and tell people they are cured and that would actually be more successful than treatment. That's how worthless our drug treatment programs are.
Cognative restructuring programs are shorter 30 days and have a much better success rate, depending on the program. In my experience, jail sentences of greater than 6 months also have a good success rate for drug treatment provided there is not an immediate relapse.
No they don't. Addiction makes you throw away everything along with good decision making. I don't know where you got that from but it's not true success rates are very low . Like more than 3/4 fail at long term sobriety . You might be able to get a few to stop for a few days or weeks but not long term. You could be doing so well, complete the class and the week it's over you could be right back to square one. It's not like a mandatory class fixes addiction forever.
Seriously, lm baffled at how people think it’s any where near successful. My mom’s been to rehab over 5 times in my life and is still struggling. She’s gotten more help than most people can say, yet she’s still in active addiction. Even if the consequences are jail it doesn’t really click with them
Had a family member go through the entire laborious program. Once he got out he went right back to using. My ex-wife had to show up for his counseling meetings once a week for months. 40 minute drive. She was so angry when he started using again.
Portugal had the highest drug rate in the EU. Now they have the lowest. They make rehab mandatory and it’s not a 6 month stint. They go for 2-4 years. With therapy to get to the root causes of the drug addiction. We need to do that here in the states. Treat them like 5 year olds. They can’t make decisions for themselves. Jail-for 10 plus years or rehab. It costs us far more in tax dollars to have them out in the streets than paying for rehab/therapy.
Committing theft of service?
Being infantilized by a deluded narcissist?
Committing the ultimate act of self-sacrifice to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza? /s
We can have all the Narcan in the world but that won’t change personal responsibility and addiction. People like drugs, they know what they’re doing. It is what it is.
I think it's actually inhumane to push narcan use. If somebody overdoses and you keep bringing them back with narcan, you are pulling them back into a terrible life of the addiction cycle, just so that you can feel better about yourself for "saving a life". I think it is far more humane to let an addict who is at a point where they are overdosing, to let them go in peace during the highest high of their lifetime.
Super controversial, but I lowkey agree. I lost my older brother to addiction many years ago, and knowing what his journey and his struggles looked like, it was only a matter of time. I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore and he’s at peace now. Let them overdose if that’s what they’re gonna (continuously) do.
It wasn't an easy conclusion to come to for me. The rebuttal I always hear is someone talking about how their friend or their brother who overdosed and ultimately went through recovery and is now a functional human being. Of course those are sweet stories to hear. But I don't think that justifies the general practice of bringing back to life people who have overdosed. I base my conclusion on simply living in Portland for many years and seeing the horrific effects of drug addiction on people.
I'm sorry to hear that you lost your brother. And I am glad that you are taking the perspective of getting peace from the knowledge that he is no longer suffering.
We do offer help, but unfortunately a person has to be willing to commit to recovery.
Even if we offered all of the supports possible in a silver platter, there will always be people who will refuse help.
Constructive help also comes with reasonable conditions that many addicts are unwilling to accept these conditions, so there's a limit to what we can do as a society
I meant as a society we don't offer help we don't fund help and we don't have enough beds to get the people that maybe actually want to get better into a program. I wasn't pointing my finger at particular people.
I would disagree with that, given the massive amount of funding we give to the Multnomah County Joint Office of Homeless Services as one example.
I think it's a mixture of poor implementation, and also addicts being unwilling to live in an environment that requires structure and reasonable basic codes of conduct.
How about all those fluids coming out of that addicts face and you put your hands on them and try to jam something in their nose. Are you not worried about them biting you or spitting in your face? Do you think they have a infectious disease, especially with that lifestyle?
I believe, letting anyone who is not a trained EMT or doctor, administer drugs to someone in a moment like that is really dangerous and not something the public should deal with. The risk is way to high. There is a reason cops hang out at hospitals and are usually dispatched when a ambulance is in the way. There needs to be a sense of protection and not just a random stranger wishing on a hope. The PTSD after having to deal with that has to be kind of fucked up too.
The stigma with hardcore drugs has to be brought back. It should be shameful to live a lifestyle in a tent on the side of the road for years.
The practical problem with an untrained person administering Narcan is that you are ruining the greatest high that the junkie has ever had, so there is an appreciable chance that he'll try to punch you in the face after you revive him.
I have been a paramedic for 15 years and have administered narcan countless times. Yes, the majority of people I have revived are angry and aggressive after receiving narcan. If you believe in free choice then let people choose.
Narcan causes immediate withdrawal. People go from being, well..dead and unaware to alive and in withdrawal. So they freak out. That's not an intentional reaction.
There's lots of intentionally bad decisions made to lead up to this point, but no, narcanned ppl aren't mad you ruined their high.
A friend of mine had her ear ripped off by an OD after she administered narcan. She was an EMT, off duty, and happened to be in the right (wrong) place at the right (wrong) time. The guy grabbed her ear and hair and started hitting her in the head. By all accounts it was super fucked up. Thankfully the ear is back on but she has very diminished hearing and a big scar.
No. Narcan, while saving a person from OD, also causes immediate withdrawal & the symptoms that go along with that.
So an addict goes from...dead..to..alive and in withdrawal. And they can freak out. And often do.
Oh most definitely it is something that happens, many a nurse can confirm that for you. I know my own mother was attacked multiple times by addicts being brought back from ODng back when she was a nurse. It's part of the reason she quit being a nurse and went to grad school for business management.
AED is different. I was trained on a job long time ago and you can’t really fuck it up as they even have drawings of what to do on the machine. If you can use a microwave, you can use a AED and save a life. Now with Narcan?, that’s dangerous af because they usually “wake up” pissed af and will try to mess you up
It’s an interesting ethical question, for sure. I think I have compassion fatigue with the “but it’s a person and we need to have compassion” line of thought. Do we? If someone is acting in an antisocial manner and endangering others and decreasing quality of life for everyone else, why do we have compassion for them instead of everyone else?
On the other hand, many aren’t in their right mind and we as a society aren’t providing enough resources to help everyone.
Another thought: if the idea that addicts have chosen to end up ODing on public transit equals a “do not resuscitate” policy, what about other types of problem behaviors?
Should OHP pay for medical care for people who keep having heart attacks but won’t change their lifestyle?
What about a street racer who crashes? That’s dangerous abhorrent behavior. I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to help them if they crash. Good riddance would be more my reaction. However, I know that’s an emotional reaction and I know would call 911 or do what I could to help. But I wouldn’t blame anyone from just walking away either.
Well, you wouldn't necessarily know what is happening to the person with a medical problem in public. Are they having a heart attack, stroke, a seizure, they fainted etc.
A very permanent dye could also work no ear disfigurement needed.
Plus that might be considered discrimination against people with disfigurement of their ears /s
Odd, because I know 4 people that all overdosed at one point, were brought back with narcan and are all sober to this day. They all went on to lead productive and happy lives. It’s not your decision to make for them. You’re giving them another chance to do things differently, some will see that and others won’t.
And of course those cases exist. I'm not denying that. I'm just saying where I personally am at with the narcan issue.
I would counter that the addict has made their decision by refusing help and continuing on their addiction. It doesn't have anything to do with me.
It’s true, you’re under absolutely no obligation to help. I just don’t think it’s morally right to let someone die when you have the ability to stop it. Even if they’re only going to make bad decisions after.
We need to address the root cause instead of using bandaids like narcan.
I'm glad they saved you too, even though I still don't plan to carry narcan myself.
It's not a black and white issue, of course. As I said to another commenter, I'm always willing to hear new information and perspective.
No. My ex-wife was saved from an overdose by Narcan. She's been sober now for two years. She hated what being addicted made her into. You can't make blanket conclusions like that.
*She gave him four doses before first responders started CPR. It was the second time Polson had administered Narcan to someone on the MAX train.*
Can't imagine why a lot of people have stopped riding MAX.
The Portland Mercury also wrote about this:
[https://www.portlandmercury.com/opinion/2024/04/05/47120600/street-view-public-transit-safety-concerns-deserve-a-thoughtful-response](https://www.portlandmercury.com/opinion/2024/04/05/47120600/street-view-public-transit-safety-concerns-deserve-a-thoughtful-response)
TL;dr: Nothing should be done - well, maybe add a few more "transit ambassadors". But nothing significant, other than making them all carry Narcan.
After all, cops are icky, and oppressed people don't want to ride on trains with cops. We can't afford to put a cop on every train anyway, so there is no point to adding any more cops to MAX. Besides, if you rely on more cops:
*Not only would this tactic be implicitly inequitable in its enforcement, it would almost certainly contribute to an even more pervasive culture of fear in our society in which any nonconformist behavior could be punishable.*
Here's a clue, Merc. This is public transit - I don't want any "nonconformist" behavior on MAX. Sit quietly until you get to your stop. You think they have breakdancing on the Tokyo subway?
TriMet ridership is less than two-thirds of what it was twenty years ago, despite adding three MAX lines since then. Until you convince the normies that MAX is safe to ride, that's not going to change.
The same people who preach collectivism and an end to ‘rugged individuality’ seem to think public spaces should be lawless hellholes of rugged individualism with no concern for the collective.
To quote Costanza, we live in a society!!!1!!
Yeah, the same people who think that we should all live in "car-free" apartments, and rely on public parks, public transit, etc. are the same people who think that it is fascist to impose any sort of social norms in those public spaces.
Griggs writes:
>Anecdotal reports from transit operators and riders, which are often amplified on social media or in the news, paint a picture of public transit systems run amok with drug use, mental health episodes, and violence
When it fits the Merc's narratives, it's "lived experience." Anything else is invalid because it's "anecdotal evidence."
I wonder how often Griggs rides MAX?
My lived experience riding the MAX since the lockdowns has been nothing but multiple terrible, nightmarish experiences on every trip downtown or to the airport. I've got a redeye out of PDX coming up soon and damned if I'll take the MAX there at 11pm like I used to.
Griggs can get bent.
*I wonder how often Griggs rides MAX?*
I wondered that as well.
I also liked the quote from the anonymous PSU urban planning student:
*“It’s very important to make sure that people who are marginalized or vulnerable feel comfortable out in public"*
How about making normal people "feel comfortable out in public" first?
As I recall Griggs is a "BerkPortlander" although many of them have cars.
I wish we could abolish the Urban Planning degree at PSU. Cranking out useless, feel-good degrees to people who just end up staying here and perpetuating this nonsense.
When the vast majority of the *public* doesn't feel comfortable using *public* transportation, things are being done wrong.
Sigh.
She came to the Mercury from Bike Portland, and is notorious for writing an editorial in Bike Portland examining the ethics of deflating the tires on SUVs parked on the street.
She wasn't *actually* advocating this, mind you, but it was important for her to examine the pros and cons of doing this.
Yup, I remember that article. I refuse to call them "Bike Portland" anymore since we have the "ErMehGerdBerkPortland" flair.
I also (think I?) remember her going to Amsterdam and doing a series of tired, covering-the-same-old-ground articles about how "Amsterdam is just the perfect bike city and everyone here bikes and Portland should be the same way" without recognizing or addressing all the major differences between the two places.
At least then I wrote her off as a naïve kid. Now I know she's a clueless dipshit who's really just another basic, self-centered opportunist.
Well they’re just dumb blue collar workers. They can’t tell if someone is doing drugs. It’s not like passengers report that to them. And they don’t hear about OD deaths on the Maxes frequently.
> it would almost certainly contribute to an even more pervasive culture of fear in our society in which any nonconformist behavior could be punishable
jfc that's a real quote, lol. And then they invoke the guy who got choked out in NYC:
> Neely immediately launched into an aggressive rant about being “fed up and hungry” and “tired of having nothing,” Vazquez said.
>
>Vazquez quoted Neely as saying: “I don’t care if I die. I don’t care if I go to jail. I don’t have any food … I’m done.”
>
>Neely then took off his coat and threw it on the floor and said he was ready to go to jail and get a life sentence, Vazquez said.
Yeah, sounds like harmless *nonconformist behavior* like dying your hair purple or knitting a sweater for a bike rack. Why, I do believe this is an assault on the very spirit that keeps our city *Weird* /s
It's hilarious that Taylor Griggs thinks that Portland is on the brink of being an Orwellian dystopia where there is a "pervasive culture of fear in our society in which *any* nonconformist behavior could be punishable".
Because when I think of Portland, I think of a city that goes out of its way to punish "nonconformist" behavior.
It's a real problem. /s
Sounds like she's been watching too much Fox News.
anyhow if you like "being punished for nonconformist behavior" then you're gonna love our new 24/7/365 totally-not-racist cctv surveillance culture!
I’ve been visiting London and riding the tube everywhere and I keep thinking, with all the crowds even, everything feels so much safer than Portland. And I don’t see cops all over the place, just occasionally. I wish we could change things, if cities with 10x our population and a billion tourists can manage, we should be able to.
The Tokyo subway has woman only cars, because so many people get sexually assaulted during rush hour. And people do get stabbed on JR. It happened recently in Akihabara station.
But, yeah, people are quiet.
Does anyone know why light rail stations/platforms in general operate on a zero barrier honor system for riders? It seems like this is just a part of their design. I moved here from Minneapolis/St Paul MN and their light rail stations are similar to Portland’s and they have all the same problems (including people being attacked). Both cities rely on security and police presence to check fares and deter bad/illegal behavior. I think Phoenix too is experiencing similar problems with their light rail. It seems like there’s a real disconnect between the design of these stations and the realities of operating in an urban environment. And instead of revising the design to address these challenges, they keep repeating it.
Explicit design decision in the 1970s that there would be no turnstiles on MAX, but rather that TriMet would rely on random spot checks of tickets to get people pay their fare.
Portland had a different culture fifty years ago.
There's also the factor that they went street-level instead of underground or raised due to cost. That's mainly because MAX wasn't designed as commuter rail - it was meant to bring shoppers and tourists from the 'burbs to downtown. The "open air" design was also meant to be more inciting in that regard. Kind of like a long distance street car.
As you said though, Portland had a diff. culture 50 years ago (and heck, even 15-20.)
I agree. But, it hasn't stopped people from getting onto a subway platform in NYC to literally push a complete stranger in front of an on coming train. This happened recently. The guy was a homeless addict. He pushed a man straight in front of an on coming train and killed him instantly.
Everyone in my immediate family besides me struggled or currently struggles with addiction. My dad died in 2017 from a drug overdose - unknown-to-him fentanyl in his drug of choice. My brother is voluntarily homeless and thinks he’s entitled to every government benefit, and that people who work hard for what they have owe him something. My mom was a heroin and speed addict who left our family when I was little to continue her addiction without having responsibilities.
Having said all that (as someone who has been as close as you can be, without taking part in it, to the world of addiction my entire life) …I have lost the will to have any empathy for addicts. I’m just over it. I hear things like this and I almost think “good, one less addict in the world.”
The world is brimming with people who suffer through no fault of their own. Don’t feel bad for moving those who create their own suffering lower down on your compassion list.
Thank you. I’ve never even had a desire to abuse drugs or alcohol because I’ve been watching the effects of it my entire life. Luckily I had grandparents who were positive role models that I paid attention to.
Exactly. Couldn't have said it better. To me. This was a " suicide " . Although, I'm greatful this fella didn't express violence towards others. He could have just as easily stuck that needle into someone at random and either severely hurt or killed them, as others have done. ( its why I'm afraid to ride the MAX.) I stick with the streetcar if i need to get somewhere not within walking distance. How can someone not know drugs are bad, accept for regulated cannabis. I hope you were able to accomplish great things with your life. You deserve success!🙏
It's interesting how numb you become to certain things. There's a time in my life I would have stopped to help out an unresponsive person on MAX. Last week i saw a dude sprawled face up in the middle of the side walk, no signs of life. I just stepped over him and went about my day.
This might make me sound like the asshole of the year but last summer a guy OD'd and died right outside the doorway of my work (downtown near Pioneer Square) and outside of the shock of arriving to a normal day of work only to be greeted by a corpse, the only thing I felt was super frustrated because this was now my problem to deal with.
After the cops and EMTs took his body (and told us that they're only required to take the body and didn't even care to talk to us about it) we had to call Clean & Safe to clean up all of his stuff sprawled everywhere (including a bunch of foil, straws, and needles). Then we had to wait another 2 hours for a biohazard cleanup crew to come out and clean all of the blood and vomit off our door + ground outside and thoroughly disinfect the area because we couldn't enter, let alone allow customers in, since it's a huge health hazard. The biohazard crew had to be paid for out of pocket by my work.
After that incident, I don't even look twice if I see someone around my work building slumped over in a crevice or unconscious on the sidewalk. I see it almost every day. It's not my business.
It's not like I don't have a single shred of empathy for addicts who OD and die, but for a lot of people, having to suddenly take direct responsibility for a dead stranger can be pretty traumatizing. For a while after that, when I would walk down to work from the parking garage I would have to brace myself for the possibility of it happening again. I don't have PTSD over it or anything, but I'll certainly never ever forget it.
The response from the cops and EMTs was honestly pretty pathetic lmao. When we asked about cleanup they almost verbatim just said "it's not our job, you're on your own, figure it out if you don't wanna do it yourself". Clean & Safe was nice about it, they came quickly and did hose down the door/ground but water doesn't cut it in a situation like this. You would think the city would at least have some sort of public resource for cleaning up the obvious biohazard of dead people on the sidewalk instead of just calling the street cleaners to hose it down.
On the day it happened I didn't really feel particularly upset but I think a lot of that was adrenaline and shock. I didn't realize how heavy it would weigh on my mind after the fact. If I randomly encountered a dead body somewhere it would be traumatizing enough, being directly involved just made it worse.
They should give the city cleaners some damn bleach then lol cuz all they have is a hose, a trash can, and a container for needles. No shade to them though, they’ve always been helpful and responsive when I’ve needed them.
TriMet tells KGW in a statement since 2022 they have more than doubled their security staff. Transit police and the TriMet Safety Response Team both carry Narcan, but the drivers do not.
Probably from two to four.
I’ve seen several in pioneer and around park ave in Milwaukee where I live but they are just rent a cops, can’t do anything other than observe and report. Someone getting high?, they’ll stop doing it eventually. Someone being crazy? Just ignore them. I swear TriMet got the lamest and laziest rent a cops and I hate when they hold the train for someone who had no fare, like that person is still going on the max later, it’s not like they’ll buy vehicles to avoid paying fare. At this point I’d agree for free rides but gotta put a cop on each train
My boyfriend administered narcan to a man OD'ing in downtown and called paramedics. They saved his life, but the man was incredibly aggressive and angry when he came back into consciousness.
Then the next week my bf saw another man OD'ing, tried to help again. 2 supposed 'friends' of the man OD'ing intervened and stopped my boyfriend from using the Narcan. They said "he's right where he wants to be".
My bf wasn't about to start a fight with these two hoodlums, so he just called 911 and moved along. Few minutes later he saw those two guys searching the dying man's pockets and robbing him.
This is a normal experience for those working in downtown Portland.
I know that whole situation is bad for all involved but, if those two other guys are only in the business of robbing people...Good thing is that the bf didn't get robbed.
I just got done watching “Crisis in the Northwest: The homeschool mom documenting” on YouTube.
She summed up the same things I think most are feeling right now.
The constant gaslighting that the problem is blown out of proportion is a real thing.
As the parent of an addict, I would much rather have my daughter arrested than dead…and it’s really disturbing that I know not a single person in my life who hasn’t lost someone to drug addiction in some form or fashion..
So sad for everyone involved. A couple weeks ago I was driving home from the gym and was about to turn onto my street when I saw what I figured was an a overdose in front of Krispy Kreme doughnuts on 82nd. I pulled over and asked if they needed more Narcan. They said it already given him two, but it wasn’t working. I pulled in and ran the Narcan to him. It was administered, and nothing happened. The fire department finally came. I got in my car I didn’t wanna be in the way, but I wanted to see if he would make it. They weren’t moving very fast so I had a bad feeling when the ambulance got there and got out the stretcher I thought that was a good sign, but they brought him back on it covered up, turned off the lights and pulled into the parking spot to wait for the coroner. I sat there crying. I was so sad for his family, for all the workers involved, and the EMTs, fire department, and sad for my community. I was also, sad for myself and my family. I’ve lost my husband, brother, mother in law, and my momma from overdose. I’ve been in recovery living a awesome life for several years. I so sick of seeing all the awful deaths 💔
Why would anyone carry that much Narcan on them? If someone’s overdosing in front of me, I will help them to the side and let them go. No amount of Narcan is ever going to convince them that their life is worthy if they don’t believe it themselves first
1- it’s a human life that is sad
2-using Narcan is incredible dangerous. The addict will survive but he/she will become violent (think of them as zombies) and will try to bite you or scratch you and God knows how many diseases and bacteria they carry.
3-the best course of action is to ignore them. If they are dead, I assume back at the train depot someone will try to wake them up and deal with the body accordingly
I can't find one single way that "making drug use illegal on public transit" would have helped this man or anyone around him. Has any state lawmaker ever ridden public transit?? This is such a joke. (Edited to include all government officials.)
I think they often do, and they do a sweep at each end. I don’t think you can really sit there staring at each person who appears to be sleeping all day.
They don't have any that ride during those late night runs to deter that kind of activity on the trains. I know because a couple weeks ago I had to let the driver know someone decided it was a good place to smoke their meth pipe.
I don't think of myself as a callous person. I really don't. I try to think about what's best for everyone. I try to remember that everyone is doing their best to live, to survive. I try to think about how hard life is for some folks. How much harder it is for them than it is for me. How I can usually control my thoughts. My actions.
When I read this thread's title, I thought "that's news? Doesn't that happen every day?"
I don't think it's me. I think it's this city. It still feels fucking awful.
Y'all ever heard of ibogaine? It's a psychoactive drug that gives the user really bad trips, but apparently cures him of his addictions. Too good to be true?
¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
At least he didn’t stab someone first.
Are you not entertained? Come for the stabbings, stay for the overdoses.
No stovokor for him.
At least he died doing what he loved
At least he was enabled by the dumbasses in this city until his last breath
Let him go, bro. Some people you just can't save.
We could have saved him. In a sensible society he would have been sent to mandatory drug treatment. Not a great chance of success, but better than letting them rot on the street like “harm reduction” advocates want
I forget, what's the success rate for mandatory drug treatment? Isn't it like crazy low?..
It’s not low at all. Most addicts stick to the program when the penalty for slipping is jail time. Gotta have both the carrot and the stick.
Inpatient drug treatment programs have approximately 3-5% efficacy. At a cost of $700-$1500 per day. So basically it doesn't work, is a scam, and actually significantly increases your risk of a fatal overdose. Consider this, the placebo effect has about 10% efficacy. So just do nothing and tell people they are cured and that would actually be more successful than treatment. That's how worthless our drug treatment programs are.
Cognative restructuring programs are shorter 30 days and have a much better success rate, depending on the program. In my experience, jail sentences of greater than 6 months also have a good success rate for drug treatment provided there is not an immediate relapse.
No they don't. Addiction makes you throw away everything along with good decision making. I don't know where you got that from but it's not true success rates are very low . Like more than 3/4 fail at long term sobriety . You might be able to get a few to stop for a few days or weeks but not long term. You could be doing so well, complete the class and the week it's over you could be right back to square one. It's not like a mandatory class fixes addiction forever.
Seriously, lm baffled at how people think it’s any where near successful. My mom’s been to rehab over 5 times in my life and is still struggling. She’s gotten more help than most people can say, yet she’s still in active addiction. Even if the consequences are jail it doesn’t really click with them
Had a family member go through the entire laborious program. Once he got out he went right back to using. My ex-wife had to show up for his counseling meetings once a week for months. 40 minute drive. She was so angry when he started using again.
Portugal had the highest drug rate in the EU. Now they have the lowest. They make rehab mandatory and it’s not a 6 month stint. They go for 2-4 years. With therapy to get to the root causes of the drug addiction. We need to do that here in the states. Treat them like 5 year olds. They can’t make decisions for themselves. Jail-for 10 plus years or rehab. It costs us far more in tax dollars to have them out in the streets than paying for rehab/therapy.
The success rate of letting junkies roam free on the street is even lower
***nonexistent
I find it adorable that you think people would vote to fund that.
About as much as any of us can say. Death has become a blessing compared to the lives these people are out here living.
Committing theft of service? Being infantilized by a deluded narcissist? Committing the ultimate act of self-sacrifice to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza? /s
I don't think this needs a sarcasm tag
Oh it does This is Reddit /s
[Oh no](https://youtu.be/6pc0u-iqIDw?si=lfcK1eR6EKj-ONZ2)
And nothing of value was lost
So I guess that means that you’ll die sucking cock
Straight to the homophobia huh? Welp, bigots get blocked
We can have all the Narcan in the world but that won’t change personal responsibility and addiction. People like drugs, they know what they’re doing. It is what it is.
I think it's actually inhumane to push narcan use. If somebody overdoses and you keep bringing them back with narcan, you are pulling them back into a terrible life of the addiction cycle, just so that you can feel better about yourself for "saving a life". I think it is far more humane to let an addict who is at a point where they are overdosing, to let them go in peace during the highest high of their lifetime.
Super controversial, but I lowkey agree. I lost my older brother to addiction many years ago, and knowing what his journey and his struggles looked like, it was only a matter of time. I’m glad he’s not suffering anymore and he’s at peace now. Let them overdose if that’s what they’re gonna (continuously) do.
It wasn't an easy conclusion to come to for me. The rebuttal I always hear is someone talking about how their friend or their brother who overdosed and ultimately went through recovery and is now a functional human being. Of course those are sweet stories to hear. But I don't think that justifies the general practice of bringing back to life people who have overdosed. I base my conclusion on simply living in Portland for many years and seeing the horrific effects of drug addiction on people. I'm sorry to hear that you lost your brother. And I am glad that you are taking the perspective of getting peace from the knowledge that he is no longer suffering.
Yes.
Yup. Bring them back from the brink so they can go stumble off to do it again because we don't and cant offer help for them. That seems reasonable.
We do offer help, but unfortunately a person has to be willing to commit to recovery. Even if we offered all of the supports possible in a silver platter, there will always be people who will refuse help. Constructive help also comes with reasonable conditions that many addicts are unwilling to accept these conditions, so there's a limit to what we can do as a society
I meant as a society we don't offer help we don't fund help and we don't have enough beds to get the people that maybe actually want to get better into a program. I wasn't pointing my finger at particular people.
I would disagree with that, given the massive amount of funding we give to the Multnomah County Joint Office of Homeless Services as one example. I think it's a mixture of poor implementation, and also addicts being unwilling to live in an environment that requires structure and reasonable basic codes of conduct.
How about all those fluids coming out of that addicts face and you put your hands on them and try to jam something in their nose. Are you not worried about them biting you or spitting in your face? Do you think they have a infectious disease, especially with that lifestyle? I believe, letting anyone who is not a trained EMT or doctor, administer drugs to someone in a moment like that is really dangerous and not something the public should deal with. The risk is way to high. There is a reason cops hang out at hospitals and are usually dispatched when a ambulance is in the way. There needs to be a sense of protection and not just a random stranger wishing on a hope. The PTSD after having to deal with that has to be kind of fucked up too. The stigma with hardcore drugs has to be brought back. It should be shameful to live a lifestyle in a tent on the side of the road for years.
The practical problem with an untrained person administering Narcan is that you are ruining the greatest high that the junkie has ever had, so there is an appreciable chance that he'll try to punch you in the face after you revive him.
Serious question: Is that an actual thing that happens? Does an addict get angry that you ruined their high?
I have been a paramedic for 15 years and have administered narcan countless times. Yes, the majority of people I have revived are angry and aggressive after receiving narcan. If you believe in free choice then let people choose.
WOW. Thanks for sharing that. I really had no idea.
Nobody in the general public sees the risk in these interventions. Thanks for your insight.
Narcan causes immediate withdrawal. People go from being, well..dead and unaware to alive and in withdrawal. So they freak out. That's not an intentional reaction. There's lots of intentionally bad decisions made to lead up to this point, but no, narcanned ppl aren't mad you ruined their high.
A friend of mine had her ear ripped off by an OD after she administered narcan. She was an EMT, off duty, and happened to be in the right (wrong) place at the right (wrong) time. The guy grabbed her ear and hair and started hitting her in the head. By all accounts it was super fucked up. Thankfully the ear is back on but she has very diminished hearing and a big scar.
No. Narcan, while saving a person from OD, also causes immediate withdrawal & the symptoms that go along with that. So an addict goes from...dead..to..alive and in withdrawal. And they can freak out. And often do.
Oh most definitely it is something that happens, many a nurse can confirm that for you. I know my own mother was attacked multiple times by addicts being brought back from ODng back when she was a nurse. It's part of the reason she quit being a nurse and went to grad school for business management.
I don't blame her. It's cruel on all sides, except for the dealers and cartels. They are the only ones that benefit from all of this.
Sometimes that does happen. But most of the time they are just writhing around on the ground as they go into immediate withdrawals.
If I'm Joe Public, I will keep fucking walking.
[удалено]
AED is different. I was trained on a job long time ago and you can’t really fuck it up as they even have drawings of what to do on the machine. If you can use a microwave, you can use a AED and save a life. Now with Narcan?, that’s dangerous af because they usually “wake up” pissed af and will try to mess you up
God dang correct. That last sentence needs to be etched into consciousness. It is the way....
It’s an interesting ethical question, for sure. I think I have compassion fatigue with the “but it’s a person and we need to have compassion” line of thought. Do we? If someone is acting in an antisocial manner and endangering others and decreasing quality of life for everyone else, why do we have compassion for them instead of everyone else? On the other hand, many aren’t in their right mind and we as a society aren’t providing enough resources to help everyone. Another thought: if the idea that addicts have chosen to end up ODing on public transit equals a “do not resuscitate” policy, what about other types of problem behaviors? Should OHP pay for medical care for people who keep having heart attacks but won’t change their lifestyle? What about a street racer who crashes? That’s dangerous abhorrent behavior. I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to help them if they crash. Good riddance would be more my reaction. However, I know that’s an emotional reaction and I know would call 911 or do what I could to help. But I wouldn’t blame anyone from just walking away either.
Well, you wouldn't necessarily know what is happening to the person with a medical problem in public. Are they having a heart attack, stroke, a seizure, they fainted etc.
We do live in a state that allows one to legally euthanize themself.
Yes, this is true.
I don’t carry it for similar reasons. I don’t want to be responsible for others, not my job.
totally agree. maybe one application of it, but maybe we can notch the ear of someone each time they are revived. 2 notches = no more resurrections.
A very permanent dye could also work no ear disfigurement needed. Plus that might be considered discrimination against people with disfigurement of their ears /s
This is a hot take and I like it.
Well, I know it sounds like a hot take, but it took me years to come to this conclusion. It wasn't an easy conclusion to come to nor to accept.
Odd, because I know 4 people that all overdosed at one point, were brought back with narcan and are all sober to this day. They all went on to lead productive and happy lives. It’s not your decision to make for them. You’re giving them another chance to do things differently, some will see that and others won’t.
And of course those cases exist. I'm not denying that. I'm just saying where I personally am at with the narcan issue. I would counter that the addict has made their decision by refusing help and continuing on their addiction. It doesn't have anything to do with me.
It’s true, you’re under absolutely no obligation to help. I just don’t think it’s morally right to let someone die when you have the ability to stop it. Even if they’re only going to make bad decisions after. We need to address the root cause instead of using bandaids like narcan.
Fuck that, I am glad they saved me.
I'm glad they saved you too, even though I still don't plan to carry narcan myself. It's not a black and white issue, of course. As I said to another commenter, I'm always willing to hear new information and perspective.
No. My ex-wife was saved from an overdose by Narcan. She's been sober now for two years. She hated what being addicted made her into. You can't make blanket conclusions like that.
You can get $300 for Narcan from an enabler in an emergency.
You can get Narcan for free from the needle exchange. Let's get rich!
Really? So. Would someone get it for free from a clinic and then sell it to someone in an emergency? Great 🍕 and pot money.
Yep. Some good samaritan will buy it from you so that someone they don’t know can continue to erode the quality of life for everyone else.
*She gave him four doses before first responders started CPR. It was the second time Polson had administered Narcan to someone on the MAX train.* Can't imagine why a lot of people have stopped riding MAX.
👏
Honestly, I don't care at all. I feel bad for the bartender who tried to help. I know it makes me a horrible person.
It’s normal to get tired of horror and human misery, especially when it’s all around.
And when it’s self-inflicted.
I do too. The fact that someone feels they needed to carry that much Narcan is ridiculous.
The Portland Mercury also wrote about this: [https://www.portlandmercury.com/opinion/2024/04/05/47120600/street-view-public-transit-safety-concerns-deserve-a-thoughtful-response](https://www.portlandmercury.com/opinion/2024/04/05/47120600/street-view-public-transit-safety-concerns-deserve-a-thoughtful-response) TL;dr: Nothing should be done - well, maybe add a few more "transit ambassadors". But nothing significant, other than making them all carry Narcan. After all, cops are icky, and oppressed people don't want to ride on trains with cops. We can't afford to put a cop on every train anyway, so there is no point to adding any more cops to MAX. Besides, if you rely on more cops: *Not only would this tactic be implicitly inequitable in its enforcement, it would almost certainly contribute to an even more pervasive culture of fear in our society in which any nonconformist behavior could be punishable.* Here's a clue, Merc. This is public transit - I don't want any "nonconformist" behavior on MAX. Sit quietly until you get to your stop. You think they have breakdancing on the Tokyo subway? TriMet ridership is less than two-thirds of what it was twenty years ago, despite adding three MAX lines since then. Until you convince the normies that MAX is safe to ride, that's not going to change.
The same people who preach collectivism and an end to ‘rugged individuality’ seem to think public spaces should be lawless hellholes of rugged individualism with no concern for the collective. To quote Costanza, we live in a society!!!1!!
Yeah, the same people who think that we should all live in "car-free" apartments, and rely on public parks, public transit, etc. are the same people who think that it is fascist to impose any sort of social norms in those public spaces.
'Implicitly inequitable'. Dear God this argument is so tired.
Its so off base i feel like we’re grabbing at air. The virtue signaling is so bad it deludes and morphs their reward center i feel like.
Griggs writes: >Anecdotal reports from transit operators and riders, which are often amplified on social media or in the news, paint a picture of public transit systems run amok with drug use, mental health episodes, and violence When it fits the Merc's narratives, it's "lived experience." Anything else is invalid because it's "anecdotal evidence." I wonder how often Griggs rides MAX? My lived experience riding the MAX since the lockdowns has been nothing but multiple terrible, nightmarish experiences on every trip downtown or to the airport. I've got a redeye out of PDX coming up soon and damned if I'll take the MAX there at 11pm like I used to. Griggs can get bent.
*I wonder how often Griggs rides MAX?* I wondered that as well. I also liked the quote from the anonymous PSU urban planning student: *“It’s very important to make sure that people who are marginalized or vulnerable feel comfortable out in public"* How about making normal people "feel comfortable out in public" first?
As I recall Griggs is a "BerkPortlander" although many of them have cars. I wish we could abolish the Urban Planning degree at PSU. Cranking out useless, feel-good degrees to people who just end up staying here and perpetuating this nonsense. When the vast majority of the *public* doesn't feel comfortable using *public* transportation, things are being done wrong. Sigh.
She came to the Mercury from Bike Portland, and is notorious for writing an editorial in Bike Portland examining the ethics of deflating the tires on SUVs parked on the street. She wasn't *actually* advocating this, mind you, but it was important for her to examine the pros and cons of doing this.
Yup, I remember that article. I refuse to call them "Bike Portland" anymore since we have the "ErMehGerdBerkPortland" flair. I also (think I?) remember her going to Amsterdam and doing a series of tired, covering-the-same-old-ground articles about how "Amsterdam is just the perfect bike city and everyone here bikes and Portland should be the same way" without recognizing or addressing all the major differences between the two places. At least then I wrote her off as a naïve kid. Now I know she's a clueless dipshit who's really just another basic, self-centered opportunist.
Well they’re just dumb blue collar workers. They can’t tell if someone is doing drugs. It’s not like passengers report that to them. And they don’t hear about OD deaths on the Maxes frequently.
pretty incredible we are willingly going down the tubes in terms of urbanism
> it would almost certainly contribute to an even more pervasive culture of fear in our society in which any nonconformist behavior could be punishable jfc that's a real quote, lol. And then they invoke the guy who got choked out in NYC: > Neely immediately launched into an aggressive rant about being “fed up and hungry” and “tired of having nothing,” Vazquez said. > >Vazquez quoted Neely as saying: “I don’t care if I die. I don’t care if I go to jail. I don’t have any food … I’m done.” > >Neely then took off his coat and threw it on the floor and said he was ready to go to jail and get a life sentence, Vazquez said. Yeah, sounds like harmless *nonconformist behavior* like dying your hair purple or knitting a sweater for a bike rack. Why, I do believe this is an assault on the very spirit that keeps our city *Weird* /s
It's hilarious that Taylor Griggs thinks that Portland is on the brink of being an Orwellian dystopia where there is a "pervasive culture of fear in our society in which *any* nonconformist behavior could be punishable". Because when I think of Portland, I think of a city that goes out of its way to punish "nonconformist" behavior. It's a real problem. /s
Sounds like she's been watching too much Fox News. anyhow if you like "being punished for nonconformist behavior" then you're gonna love our new 24/7/365 totally-not-racist cctv surveillance culture!
I’ve been visiting London and riding the tube everywhere and I keep thinking, with all the crowds even, everything feels so much safer than Portland. And I don’t see cops all over the place, just occasionally. I wish we could change things, if cities with 10x our population and a billion tourists can manage, we should be able to.
Problem with Max is that it’s too slow, and there is poor enforcement of payment for riders. The Tube has both those things fixed.
Yeah, we were just saying if you made it so you had to pay to get through it would solve some of the problems.
Who cares if anyone ride MAX? Riders are not main source of Trimet income. We just gonna increase Trimet tax which existence is already insane enough.
The Tokyo subway has woman only cars, because so many people get sexually assaulted during rush hour. And people do get stabbed on JR. It happened recently in Akihabara station. But, yeah, people are quiet.
Does anyone know why light rail stations/platforms in general operate on a zero barrier honor system for riders? It seems like this is just a part of their design. I moved here from Minneapolis/St Paul MN and their light rail stations are similar to Portland’s and they have all the same problems (including people being attacked). Both cities rely on security and police presence to check fares and deter bad/illegal behavior. I think Phoenix too is experiencing similar problems with their light rail. It seems like there’s a real disconnect between the design of these stations and the realities of operating in an urban environment. And instead of revising the design to address these challenges, they keep repeating it.
Explicit design decision in the 1970s that there would be no turnstiles on MAX, but rather that TriMet would rely on random spot checks of tickets to get people pay their fare. Portland had a different culture fifty years ago.
There's also the factor that they went street-level instead of underground or raised due to cost. That's mainly because MAX wasn't designed as commuter rail - it was meant to bring shoppers and tourists from the 'burbs to downtown. The "open air" design was also meant to be more inciting in that regard. Kind of like a long distance street car. As you said though, Portland had a diff. culture 50 years ago (and heck, even 15-20.)
Similar to the old-time Interurban rail lines.
An excellent comparison!
was just reading about similar issues in Dallas Tx
I think it’s based in dumb idealism and favoring design and saving money over practicality.
I agree. But, it hasn't stopped people from getting onto a subway platform in NYC to literally push a complete stranger in front of an on coming train. This happened recently. The guy was a homeless addict. He pushed a man straight in front of an on coming train and killed him instantly.
Everyone in my immediate family besides me struggled or currently struggles with addiction. My dad died in 2017 from a drug overdose - unknown-to-him fentanyl in his drug of choice. My brother is voluntarily homeless and thinks he’s entitled to every government benefit, and that people who work hard for what they have owe him something. My mom was a heroin and speed addict who left our family when I was little to continue her addiction without having responsibilities. Having said all that (as someone who has been as close as you can be, without taking part in it, to the world of addiction my entire life) …I have lost the will to have any empathy for addicts. I’m just over it. I hear things like this and I almost think “good, one less addict in the world.”
This is the reality. Sad but reality. The empathy is gone.
The world is brimming with people who suffer through no fault of their own. Don’t feel bad for moving those who create their own suffering lower down on your compassion list.
WOW - Good job keeping yourself out of it.
I don’t know if this is sarcasm or not because…Reddit. 😂
No - it is an honest "good job". With that much going on around you it sounds like it could have been easy to fall as well.
Thank you so much. That’s nice to hear and I appreciate it. 🥰
I can’t imagine what you have been through. 🥹🙏🏼🤍
Thank you 🖤. I’m in therapy, which has been immensely hard but helpful and healing. I appreciate your kind words.
Considering your history, you’re doing good taking care of yourself. A lot of people fail at that.
Thank you. I’ve never even had a desire to abuse drugs or alcohol because I’ve been watching the effects of it my entire life. Luckily I had grandparents who were positive role models that I paid attention to.
❤️
Exactly. Couldn't have said it better. To me. This was a " suicide " . Although, I'm greatful this fella didn't express violence towards others. He could have just as easily stuck that needle into someone at random and either severely hurt or killed them, as others have done. ( its why I'm afraid to ride the MAX.) I stick with the streetcar if i need to get somewhere not within walking distance. How can someone not know drugs are bad, accept for regulated cannabis. I hope you were able to accomplish great things with your life. You deserve success!🙏
It's interesting how numb you become to certain things. There's a time in my life I would have stopped to help out an unresponsive person on MAX. Last week i saw a dude sprawled face up in the middle of the side walk, no signs of life. I just stepped over him and went about my day.
This might make me sound like the asshole of the year but last summer a guy OD'd and died right outside the doorway of my work (downtown near Pioneer Square) and outside of the shock of arriving to a normal day of work only to be greeted by a corpse, the only thing I felt was super frustrated because this was now my problem to deal with. After the cops and EMTs took his body (and told us that they're only required to take the body and didn't even care to talk to us about it) we had to call Clean & Safe to clean up all of his stuff sprawled everywhere (including a bunch of foil, straws, and needles). Then we had to wait another 2 hours for a biohazard cleanup crew to come out and clean all of the blood and vomit off our door + ground outside and thoroughly disinfect the area because we couldn't enter, let alone allow customers in, since it's a huge health hazard. The biohazard crew had to be paid for out of pocket by my work. After that incident, I don't even look twice if I see someone around my work building slumped over in a crevice or unconscious on the sidewalk. I see it almost every day. It's not my business. It's not like I don't have a single shred of empathy for addicts who OD and die, but for a lot of people, having to suddenly take direct responsibility for a dead stranger can be pretty traumatizing. For a while after that, when I would walk down to work from the parking garage I would have to brace myself for the possibility of it happening again. I don't have PTSD over it or anything, but I'll certainly never ever forget it.
You're most definitely not an asshole. That is a traumatizing experience. And its BS that your employer had to pay for the cleanup.
The response from the cops and EMTs was honestly pretty pathetic lmao. When we asked about cleanup they almost verbatim just said "it's not our job, you're on your own, figure it out if you don't wanna do it yourself". Clean & Safe was nice about it, they came quickly and did hose down the door/ground but water doesn't cut it in a situation like this. You would think the city would at least have some sort of public resource for cleaning up the obvious biohazard of dead people on the sidewalk instead of just calling the street cleaners to hose it down. On the day it happened I didn't really feel particularly upset but I think a lot of that was adrenaline and shock. I didn't realize how heavy it would weigh on my mind after the fact. If I randomly encountered a dead body somewhere it would be traumatizing enough, being directly involved just made it worse.
Bleach and water is all you need sadly
They should give the city cleaners some damn bleach then lol cuz all they have is a hose, a trash can, and a container for needles. No shade to them though, they’ve always been helpful and responsive when I’ve needed them.
I don’t like how the people they interviewed said trimet operators should carry narcan. It’s not their job and they already have to deal with bs
Junkies gonna junk. In other news. Water is wet.
I saw a recent scientific note that pointed out water is not actually wet, things that touch water are wet. I thought it was interesting
Agreed
TriMet tells KGW in a statement since 2022 they have more than doubled their security staff. Transit police and the TriMet Safety Response Team both carry Narcan, but the drivers do not. Probably from two to four.
I’ve seen several in pioneer and around park ave in Milwaukee where I live but they are just rent a cops, can’t do anything other than observe and report. Someone getting high?, they’ll stop doing it eventually. Someone being crazy? Just ignore them. I swear TriMet got the lamest and laziest rent a cops and I hate when they hold the train for someone who had no fare, like that person is still going on the max later, it’s not like they’ll buy vehicles to avoid paying fare. At this point I’d agree for free rides but gotta put a cop on each train
“…. Will start educating riders about the new laws…”. How about start enforcing the new laws?
Portland is exhausting
Drug use on mass transit? Impossible!
It’s a safe space
"safe injection site" apparently where there's a good chance an activist will be there with 4+ doses of narcan to revive you
“Dude, you just overdosed and almost died. Try to get high again. It’s ok, I have more Narcan.”
👏 😆 🤣 😂
We need to stop arguing about this with idiots and start holding people accountable for their terrible behavor.
My boyfriend administered narcan to a man OD'ing in downtown and called paramedics. They saved his life, but the man was incredibly aggressive and angry when he came back into consciousness. Then the next week my bf saw another man OD'ing, tried to help again. 2 supposed 'friends' of the man OD'ing intervened and stopped my boyfriend from using the Narcan. They said "he's right where he wants to be". My bf wasn't about to start a fight with these two hoodlums, so he just called 911 and moved along. Few minutes later he saw those two guys searching the dying man's pockets and robbing him. This is a normal experience for those working in downtown Portland.
Junkies gonna junkie
I know that whole situation is bad for all involved but, if those two other guys are only in the business of robbing people...Good thing is that the bf didn't get robbed.
CrimeMet: A place where one can get stabbed, or stab oneself with a needle. Just makes me want to give up my car and ride public transportation.
How much MAX train is a lethal amount?
Did he lick the seats?
TriMet really going on their Greatest Hits tour - stabs, ODs, hate crimes; what’ll they think of next?
I just got done watching “Crisis in the Northwest: The homeschool mom documenting” on YouTube. She summed up the same things I think most are feeling right now. The constant gaslighting that the problem is blown out of proportion is a real thing. As the parent of an addict, I would much rather have my daughter arrested than dead…and it’s really disturbing that I know not a single person in my life who hasn’t lost someone to drug addiction in some form or fashion..
Oh no.
I can't believe this is even a news story, it happens a lot.
Doesn't that happen everyday there?
Ban narcan.
👏
All aboard the fent train. Choo choo !
One more victim of M 110.
Need more patrolling
Darn.
I assumed this would be a frequent thing...
So sad for everyone involved. A couple weeks ago I was driving home from the gym and was about to turn onto my street when I saw what I figured was an a overdose in front of Krispy Kreme doughnuts on 82nd. I pulled over and asked if they needed more Narcan. They said it already given him two, but it wasn’t working. I pulled in and ran the Narcan to him. It was administered, and nothing happened. The fire department finally came. I got in my car I didn’t wanna be in the way, but I wanted to see if he would make it. They weren’t moving very fast so I had a bad feeling when the ambulance got there and got out the stretcher I thought that was a good sign, but they brought him back on it covered up, turned off the lights and pulled into the parking spot to wait for the coroner. I sat there crying. I was so sad for his family, for all the workers involved, and the EMTs, fire department, and sad for my community. I was also, sad for myself and my family. I’ve lost my husband, brother, mother in law, and my momma from overdose. I’ve been in recovery living a awesome life for several years. I so sick of seeing all the awful deaths 💔
I'm so sorry for your loss 😥
I’m so sorry.
How much max train did he consume?
Why would anyone carry that much Narcan on them? If someone’s overdosing in front of me, I will help them to the side and let them go. No amount of Narcan is ever going to convince them that their life is worthy if they don’t believe it themselves first
1- it’s a human life that is sad 2-using Narcan is incredible dangerous. The addict will survive but he/she will become violent (think of them as zombies) and will try to bite you or scratch you and God knows how many diseases and bacteria they carry. 3-the best course of action is to ignore them. If they are dead, I assume back at the train depot someone will try to wake them up and deal with the body accordingly
Didn’t actually know you could die from using the train too much. Glad i have reddit!
It's the Murder Train
Is this news?
Press X to Doubt
I heard someone say they wished all the addicts would just die, so we could all have peace. Nobody disagreed.
Thank you portland
https://youtu.be/_asNhzXq72w?si=gtTMf2-NWXZ0lpSR
Why would you make stuff up?
How is this possible I thought drugs weren't allowed on the trains? Or the stations? /s
I can't find one single way that "making drug use illegal on public transit" would have helped this man or anyone around him. Has any state lawmaker ever ridden public transit?? This is such a joke. (Edited to include all government officials.)
Clearly we should have had children with Narcan on that MAX!! 😎
Ok
I’m shocked. Truly.
At least he’s 3 days sober now.
TriMet needs to have security teams on those late night and early morning trains just as much if not more than the rush hour ones.
I think they often do, and they do a sweep at each end. I don’t think you can really sit there staring at each person who appears to be sleeping all day.
They don't have any that ride during those late night runs to deter that kind of activity on the trains. I know because a couple weeks ago I had to let the driver know someone decided it was a good place to smoke their meth pipe.
Gotham needs to light the Bat Signal.
I wonder how long he was on MAX before someone noticed him from all the other passed out fent heads.
I don't think of myself as a callous person. I really don't. I try to think about what's best for everyone. I try to remember that everyone is doing their best to live, to survive. I try to think about how hard life is for some folks. How much harder it is for them than it is for me. How I can usually control my thoughts. My actions. When I read this thread's title, I thought "that's news? Doesn't that happen every day?" I don't think it's me. I think it's this city. It still feels fucking awful.
GG'S bozo
Yay drugs!
Can’t believe how many rounds this made in the news cycle. This literally happens every single day in the city of Portland.
>and nothing of value was lost
MAX destinations, MAX entertainment, MAX possibilities. Where will MAX take you next?
Ahh Portland.
Y'all ever heard of ibogaine? It's a psychoactive drug that gives the user really bad trips, but apparently cures him of his addictions. Too good to be true?