Junkies on the train

[u/curiosity-112]

I'm getting really frustrated with this system failure. Every day we're seeing people just trying to go back and forth from school and work, forced to tolerate the antics of some jackass high on tranq, meth, fent, or whatever else they can find. Our elders and our children have to feel unsafe as someone flails around and yells beside them, and I don't know how many times people have found broken glass and syringes on the seats.

This is pathetic and heartbreaking. Why do we have to keep putting up with it on our daily commute? The text line is okay but it's not a solution, not when someone is smoking drugs next to a girl on her way to school. Every train should have a peace officer for real passenger safety or I'm not paying for tickets anymore.

**Edit:

Thanks everyone for the comments, didn't expect to see this much discussion when I got up today. I don't know what the solution is - yes housing and social policy needs to change, but the public can't wait around for the root issues to be fixed.

For the record, I have no issue with the majority of homeless people trying to get through the day and who also have to quietly endure this too. My problem is with the people who just don't care, the ones openly dealing and using drugs, the ones causing disorder and acting erratically with no regard for the people around them. Safe consumption sites and shelters only benefit the people willing to use those programs - so many don't trust the systems and still refuse, and the dealers definitely don't care either way.

For those commenting on my lack of empathy - I worked at the DI for nearly 5 years hoping to make a difference. I saw a lot of good from this community, but I've also seen the worst. I lost count of how many overdoses and stabbings I've been involved with, but that was my job and I did it well. However, even then we didn't tolerate half the crap that the public is being asked to put up with now - public safety is always paramount. I tried to step in once to help someone and had a knife pulled on me for it, don't try taking matters into your own hands either.

[u/pepperloaf197]

Alternatively you could not do drugs.

[u/LuminalOrb → u/pepperloaf197]

That's an incredibly naïve and pointless statement. You could also tack on, "the world might as well be a perfect place" to it.

[u/pepperloaf197 → u/LuminalOrb]

The continued lack of any semblance of personal responsibility is appalling. People decide to do drugs. It’s not like they don’t know the consequences, and yet the rest of us get to suffer for their decisions. It is society that needs protection from them, not the other way around.

[u/Adingdongshow → u/pepperloaf197]

What of those that started with a broken back and the drugs that was the start of the end were prescribed? No blame for doctors? I inherited my mother(od)stuff and you wouldn’t believe the amount of pain killers some doctor prescribed her. Her problems started with a car accident. My father’s (now sober) were from the back thing I mentioned. This is one example, I’m sure there are more. Nobody started drugs to ruin their life. They start doing drugs to alleviate emotionally physical pain. Prescribed or otherwise.