November 13, 2024 • 40 mins
The Brockton City Council voted 7 to 4 to ban homeless encampments on public property and set a $200-a-day fine for violations. Brockton has seen rampant homelessness in their downtown area that has led to many concerns. Is this an effective way to tackle the problem of homelessness? Should homeless encampments be banned?
*Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan has denied our request to join this evening*
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*Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan has denied our request to join this evening*
Ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio and listen to NightSide with Dan Rea Weeknights From 8PM-12AM!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's night time with Dan Ray.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm telling you easy Boston cit Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:07):
All right, we're talking about a problem in Brockton, Massachusetts.
It is not necessarily just Brockton, Massachusetts. As a matter
of fact, it's any major city in America, and that
is the homeless problem in Brockton. It evidences itself with
homeless encampments. Last hour, we talked with Brockton City Councilor
Shirley Asak, one of seven councilors who have passed an
(00:28):
ordinance basically giving police authority not only to move and
close the encampments, but also to tell the homeless members
of those the members of those encampments that if they continue,
they face the possibility of being arrested or being summoned
to court and presented with the two hundred dollars fine.
And obviously if you don't pay a fine, you can
(00:48):
end up spending some time in jail. So there's an
effort by Brockton to solve the problem, if not solve
the problem, at least impact the problem. Love to hear
what you think. We have full lines to stick with it.
I always appreciate when we find a subject that my
audience can respond to. Sometimes you listen to interviews and
(01:08):
you're delighted. But I can only tell if you like
the subject by the number of phone callers that generate.
So let's go to Scott and Quincy. Scott first, this
hour and nightside your thoughts about what Brockton is doing.
Quincy's not that far from Brockton.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Go ahead, Scott, Well, sadly, it's a sign of the
times and something that needs to be done in my opinion.
If I remember, there are chapters of mass law that
actually use the terms bums, tramps, and vagrants to describe
persons who live on the streets without means.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
And well, I'm sure that's probably politically correct at this point,
but you're probably factually correct.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Yes, indeed, And you know many of your callers have
made the point that it's a large problem, and you
know there's there's nothing else to be done. Really, the
the administration and law enforcement has to put their foot down,
because there are people who who make a choice to
(02:11):
be out there living on the streets, addicted to alcohol
and other substances and living that lifestyle.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
They do.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
They make an intellectual choice or their lifestyle forces that
choice upon them. Either way, it's it can't be tolerated.
It has to be addressed. Uh, and we have cats
problems in this country right now, and that this is
one that needs to be addressed.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
I mean, can't we get back to having obs houses
or poor farms places in the state where all these
people can be collected and say all right, here you go,
this is this is your home. Now you're you're going
to grow crops. If you're going to you're going to
live here until you get your life back together.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
I don't know that you're able to force people to
work if they haven't committed a crime. If you've committed
a crime and you're incarcerated, yeah, you can work in
the light, producing license plates and all of that. These
people are not probably committing crimes per se. And then
the other question is you put them all on a
farm if they're addicted. How's that going to solve the problem?
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Well, they would have to just work through their addiction
without So isn't vagrancy a crime or has that been
eliminated from the books by.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Well, a lot of those crimes were eliminated because they
were considered to be a vague, vague and capricious, capricious
of the terms that are used. Okay, I think this
is more specific, and I think it will pass muster
under the decision the Court handed down Grant's Pass Oregon
decision from last June, the end of last term, and
(03:54):
that is that these people are engaging in activities which
are detrimental to the community at large. I think people
will will agree that if you're living outdoors and you
have nowhere to avail yourself to take a shower, to
you know, use a toilet when nature calls, and you're
finding yourself doing what people do, what bears do in
(04:15):
the woods, and you're doing it on Main Street, that's
a problem. That's a problem. And I think that slowly
but surely, the attitude of our population is kind of
turning around a little bit here and saying, hey, we've
tolerated this enough. It's been long enough. We've had Republican administrations,
we've had democratic administrations. Now it is up to the communities.
(04:35):
There was some conversation at this city council meeting when
this ordinance was discussed that one of the councilors was, well, well,
we really need here is some support, more money from
Washington or from Beacon Hill guess what. Guess what. Those
days are long since gone. And anyone who thinks that
more money is coming from Washington to Beacon Hill not happening,
(04:56):
not happening, Jack, So was that? And I think that
a lot of these politics who think that way need
its need for them to consider retiring and get out
of the way, and let communities selects some people who
want to actually solve these problems or at least begin
to address the problems.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
I agree, local problems need local solutions.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
I'm with you totally. Scott has always appreciate your call,
appreciate your support of my program. Thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Good night, Dan, good job, Thank you very much.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Appreciate it. All right, take quick break here it is
about fourteen minutes after. Don't want to short change anyone
six one seven thirty six one, seven, nine, three, ten thirty.
This is a good conversation. If you disagree with me,
feel free to bring it on. I just think that
we have reached a point. We're almost at a point
of no return because I'm I feel exasperated. I've been
(05:45):
doing this show. Now, we're into our eighteenth year. We've
talked about these these issues periodically. The Supreme Court has
given communities a green light last June in the in
a Supreme Court decision out of Oregon. And it's up
to unities to have some elected officials who have some backbones.
There's nothing wrong with having a big heart, but you
(06:06):
got to have a backbone too. Sometimes you're relying the heart.
Sometimes you relig on the backbone. Back on Nights Side,
we have full lines. We'll be back right after this.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Night Sight Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Okay, I have callers who have waited a long time here,
and we're gonna go in order. Victor's next, followed by Sherry,
and then we got Coptic, Thomas and Quincy. We'll get
them all in and we're gonna move the train a
little bit more quickly, starting with Victor in Boston. Victor,
I want to hear what you have to say. Go
right ahead, Victor.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Hey, Dan, how you doing.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
That's a good topic.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
I'll start by saying, I, like some of the previous callers,
I've been homeless twice, actually three times. It's not a
good thing. I don't know not a drug user, but
I do know that people who are and have been
drug users. Unfortunately, most of them are not here now.
(07:08):
They died by way of drugs or something, violence or whatever. Now, yeah,
but it's not good.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
But basically victory. It's not a great career path, is
what you're telling.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Me, you know. And and another thing, I don't know
why there are some people think that people who have
been on drugs aren't educated or ignorant. I've known some
very intelligent people who've gone that route. Okay, I think
(07:42):
they had other issues. But the fact of the matter
is that myself, I had to be proactive. I've had
a job most of my life in some form. I
just said I wasn't gonna keep on that path as
far as not. You know, one bad thing happens. Now,
(08:06):
some people will get get deterared by but some people won't.
They might get a little down, but they'll find a way.
I think that's what determination is all about, okay, because
you're not gonna be able to lick everything just at
the drop of a hat, but you gotta keep at it.
(08:27):
Nothing good was ever accomplished without some effort and even pain.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
I think that if you're now living in a homeless
encampment in Brockton, you have hit you've hit rock bottom,
and well you've got to make a decision at that point.
Not you, but I mean that person has to make
a decision. Am I gonna take whatever help is being offered?
Or am I going to just give up?
Speaker 4 (08:52):
People will give up most people a drug addict, you know,
if they're really far gone, it's gonna you know, take
a miracle for them to change their life, because you
know it's not I mean, drugs is it's a it's
a it's a very very bad evil, as most people
(09:16):
know grown ups. But the people who are doing the
drugs don't care what happens. They don't care about going
to jail and camping out. That's nothing to them. Only
if they really really want to get help, that's the
only way.
Speaker 6 (09:32):
I don't think.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
You know that the city can do what it can do,
but it's not going to deter a whole lot. It's
up to the person, period.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Absolutely, I understand that. But sometimes sometimes you need to
get a wake up call. I don't know what your
wake up call was, Victor. Maybe you had it internally
in you.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
I did since I was a teenager and I was
used to that. Yeah, it's it's not an easy thing.
I understand that. But like I said, I've known people
on drugs. These people had been high intellects okay, smarter
than I was in some ways, but the drugs.
Speaker 7 (10:16):
It's the drugs, period.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
So you know I mean, and that's what I'm I'm
getting at it. It's the person you gotta if the
person had to do it, Dan, Seriously, if the person
doesn't want to do it, think of all the influences
out there. Their friends ain't gonna leave them alone. They're
gonna make up their mind to say that's it. I'm
(10:40):
gonna get help. I'm gonna do this no matter what
it takes. Period.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
I'm with you. You've said it well and from your experience,
you have a perspective that no one can argue with.
Appreciate you call, Victor. Thank you so much for listening
to the show, your your comments. Depending upon who heard
you tonight, you may have turned someone's life around tonight
by this phone call, whether you realize it or.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Not, I hope so that's as well.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Appreciate your call. Have a great night. Who's we gonna
who we're gonna go next to? Oh? I know we're Gonna.
Sherry is in Boston. Sherry, I appreciate your patience. You've
been kind and held on. You are next on nightside, Sherry,
go right ahead.
Speaker 8 (11:19):
Thank you so much. So obviously I don't have the answers.
I'm a registered nurse many years. I travel through Boston.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Thank you, thank you for what you do. By the way, Sherry,
thank you.
Speaker 8 (11:32):
Thank you so much. So I travel through uh Mass
and casts. That's the methodon Mile Boston Medical Center. Mayo
Wool was trying to shift people from the Produce Center
to uh Mass and cass and Melanie Melanie Bulevarie. I
(11:57):
believe it's.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Called Trina call.
Speaker 8 (12:01):
Yeah. So every day I go through there and I
think about, like, how is this going to get better?
Like what can we do for these people. They're obviously
addicted to opiates and they come there to get their methadone,
but they're using and abusing of the drugs. They she
(12:25):
breaks down the encampments, she takes away their kents and
their livelihoods, but they go to the neighborhoods. They steal
what they can from those neighborhoods. And I'm witnessed of that,
and how can we help this, you know, it's I don't.
(12:45):
I'm not familiar with Brockton. I don't know about how
we can help that area. But I think there's a
huge problem going on by Boston Medical Center and being
unnursed and yay.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Yeah, sure, yeah, I'm sure the problem is the same
and the causes are the same, and the solutions that
would be the same. I think somehow, some way there
has to be in many cases, almost a miracle that
occurs and someone realizes, hey, my life is worth more
(13:21):
than what I'm doing to myself.
Speaker 8 (13:24):
That's no no, because you know what, Unfortunately, they're so high,
they're so stoned, they're so out of their minds that
they can't think clear.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
Okay, so what do you think that? What do you
think the solution is? You know more about it probably
than I do. What do you think is the solution
if there is one?
Speaker 8 (13:46):
So my opinion and my thoughts registered nurse, is that
maybe we can create safe injection sites like Europe has
in the mass and cast area. There's like prisons that
are vacated, and maybe we can like put all the
(14:10):
homble system in that area in those vacated prisons and
keep them open, but have a curfew they can have
and have registered nurses. Like we'll provide them their meals
like breakfast, lunch, and dinner if like you know, obviously
(14:31):
a lot of times there's no appetite there, but we'll
provide them food, will provide them facilities where they can vacate, stool, urine, shower,
they can all be you know, in one area and
registered nurses can you know, inject them with whatever they
(14:53):
need to come down from that addiction and then start
the methadone and then start the programs of you know, uh,
getting out of the addiction, giving them some skills, some
abilities so they can be productive citizens, and you know,
(15:17):
start to transition them and give them support to the transition,
giving them work opportunities and with the employer knowing fully
that they're coming from this program, and the government supporting
the supplement of the income so the employer doesn't have
(15:39):
to completely pay them, and it's just a complete transition
to getting them healthy again, to getting them feel confident
to get Let me ask let.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Me ask you a question, Sherry, what do you think
it would cost the government to do that for each
of the addicts? What how how much money do you
think you'd have to spend all.
Speaker 8 (16:02):
I really have no idea, that's all I know. All
I know is when I drive through this area.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Oh no, you have a good heart. You have a
good heart. Here's my question. Money does not grow on
trees and the government to do that, it would call
and first of all, I don't know if it would
succeed number one, Okay, to be honest with you, but
let's assume it did. You then are going to have
to take money out of other government programs. Where do
(16:29):
you take the money out? If you take it out
of schools, do you take it out of programs for
for elderly people? Where does the money come from? I mean,
it's unfortunately. I don't know if any trees that are
growing one hundred dollar bills, and if you find some,
let me know. I really don't language.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
Down.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Yeah, no, it's a problem. It's a problem, and we've
spent a lot of money. They had a place down
there was called the Round Hotel. Are you're familiar with
the place down Yeah?
Speaker 8 (17:07):
I am, And they started to let drug outs and
it now pulls down. That was a really poor mistake, I.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Guess it was. But but a lot of the people
who would be. It was what I think it was called.
They called it a low threshold location, which meant people
could go outside, shoot up outside, and then come back inside.
And it was.
Speaker 8 (17:31):
They had macuss up against the walls, they were having sex,
and they were selling themselves. It's disgusting. It's the calls
of drugs and it's just.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Let's see, let's see if if many people out there
support your idea. It's a very generous idea that you.
Speaker 8 (17:54):
Have, that you were safe injection sites. We need a
place to put them up Long Island will the the
bridge was blown up. They're trying to get Quincy to
bring that bridge back.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
You know.
Speaker 8 (18:12):
It's but obviously there's a lot of opposition because they
don't want the drug addicts either.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
I can't of imagine why. I kind of imagine why
the people I kind of imagine why the people in Quincy.
Speaker 8 (18:25):
I conversation. I'm at me and throwing things in front
of my car to.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Try to count.
Speaker 8 (18:34):
I know, I don't I don't have the answer.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
But yeah, right Sherry, I think You've made a lot
of great points, but unfortunately I'm trying to have a
conversation with you, and right now I'm a little frustrated,
and I got the news coming at me. So let's
see what people have to think to have to say
they maybe there's more people out there who agree with you,
and they'll call in and agree with you. Thank you, Sherry,
appreciate your call. Have a great night. Here comes the
(19:00):
news back on Nightside. Right after this.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Night Side with Dan Ray, I'm w BSY, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Here we go. Let's go next to gonna again to
is coptic coptic? You were next to nights. I appreciate
your patience. Go right head coptic.
Speaker 6 (19:21):
Hey Dan, how are you doing?
Speaker 5 (19:24):
Talk you?
Speaker 3 (19:25):
Yeah, that's not my fault. Coptic at six one, seven, two,
five thirty right a headpal.
Speaker 5 (19:32):
Yeah, I really uh agree one hundred percent with the
previous caller. That just some nurse. That's why I was
gonna say my opinion about that. The uh and instead
of the home homeless in Boston or Barkton or anywhere,
it's gonna be with no control. We cannot control them
(19:54):
because they are everywhere. I was suggest as like to
have a fenced camp, Like there's a fence surrounding this
camp and all of them is gonna stay there with
all facilities like shower, like place like the medical support
and all of this stuff. But as you mentioned, who's
(20:17):
gonna pay for all of these costs? The government is
gonna be very tough for the government. But I have
an idea. Well, the idea is not all of these
drug addicts and all of this homeless. They are one
hundred percent hopeless cases. No, I believe that if we
can filter them, you can find like different levels people
(20:40):
like twenty percent. They still can be productive not consumer.
You know, we can engage them in some easy works,
you know, like fixing cars, carpentry or whatever, so they
can't do some work. But the other others, other cases
like which is hopeless, this is different. We're gonna we
(21:03):
canna keep them like in a side, you know, with
the work of the social workers, the nurses, doctors, all
the medication, all of this stuff. But still you're gonna
first you're gonna keep them in one place with control,
you know, better than to leave them everywhere.
Speaker 7 (21:23):
You know, like is.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
Gonna be like very very very bad idea.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
So how are you gonna how are you gonna get
control of them? And they live in a free society? Uh,
in order to put them somewhere in a place where
they're fenced in. You're gonna have to charge them or
convict them of some crime. You can't deprive people of
their liberty just because of their status as a drug addict.
Speaker 6 (21:49):
That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (21:50):
You know, we're gonna keep them in a in a
big place like affinsic camp or something like that, very much, But.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Can think you missed my question. What if they don't
want to go into the big place in the camp,
how do you force them in there?
Speaker 5 (22:04):
I understand. But at the same time, if they refuse
to pay whatever the fee which you said, like two
hundred bucks of all of the stuff, and then you're
gonna put them into jail, I believe this is not
a good idea to you know, to keep them in
the jail or to keep them in all of this stuff. Again,
I understand your question very well. How are you gonna
(22:25):
force them? Uh these people who has like no control
or nowhere about what they're doing. They need to be
uh like handled with some physician, like nurses, some people
like I.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Got it, I got you, I got your point. I
still think that in order to deprive them of their liberty,
you're gonna have to convict them of a crime. And
I think, again, this is this is a difficult thing.
We live in a free society where people can become
drunks if they want, and we've supported them in our society.
(23:03):
But you know, we look at it. We look at
it as a disease. We look at we don't look
at as something that these folks had done to themselves.
We look at it as a condition that they have
found themselves in. And therefore we have to be very careful.
We just can't round people up and put them in
a day, even if it's a nice situation. You know,
That's all I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (23:23):
Legally, I have another thing, just less the thing that
you want to mention. You know, we are dealing with
this problem because it already exists. But we can work
and something to stop doing to stop happening in the future. Like,
for example, we have to teach our kids in the
school that you guys, this is the results when you
(23:46):
go in the way of the drugs and all of
this stuff. You guys, you need to be smart.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
We tried to do that. Remember all the programs in
the schools just say no. That was an abysmal failure.
They had all the police officers that come in and
talk to the kids and remember the ads this is your
drug that they'd take an egg and crack it and
put it on the sidewalk and this is your your
brain on drugs.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
And sometimes when you like lit them, make a trip
to the jails or the prisons. Tell them this is
going to be your end. If you did something wrong.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
They call that scared That program they've done, they called
it scared straight. And there are a lot of people
who are upset about that. You have great ideas, Coptic.
Some of them are different, some of them are new.
Let's see what people say if they if they like
your ideas. Okay, thank you Coptic as always appreciate your call.
Have a great one. Okay, let me go next to
(24:43):
moving people a little bit more quickly. Johns and Braintreet John,
you're next time, niceaga right hand?
Speaker 7 (24:48):
Hey, Hey Dan, how are your captain handsite? How are
you doing that?
Speaker 3 (24:51):
Captain hindsight?
Speaker 7 (24:52):
How are you fantastic? Time to report again? Hey, just
a quick note, this is a real difficult thing all
over the country. All that, and I wonder if there's
a way we could start using the you know, everybody's
looking for a space, looking for a space way to
do it. I'm wondering if we could consider using the
(25:12):
campgrounds that we have, like mile standards and any other
parks that aren't you know, necessarily I don't know that
they're obviously not being used during the winter anyway, but
I'm wondering. Somebody spoke earlier about, Yeah, you've got to
convict them of something, I mean, a three strike vacancy,
and you've got to go in this You've got to
go in this community and there'll be opportunities there. They'll
(25:35):
you know, obviously they're going to have everything everybody told said,
you know, bathrooms and nurses and stuff like that. And
is it are we paying more now to try and
fight the crime and losing the business because people don't
want to go in these areas, these kuys. You know,
I'm very empathetic because I know a lot of them
are mentally ill, and but they don't have a right
(25:56):
to interfere with business and to interfere with people on
their way to work. It is a free country, but
not if you're interfering. And maybe there's a way we
can enforce that three strike vagrancy rule or something, and
then you get six months or a year in the
camp there, and you'll have an opportunity to make money.
If you want to make money to get your drugs,
(26:17):
you'll have an you know, depending on the situation, because
as somebody earlier said, they're all they're all there for
different reasons. But I think I wish I knew what
percentages of it is just mental illness, which percentage is
drug addiction? So what do you think of that?
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Probably in most cases a combination of both, you know, right,
I mean I would think, yeah, to be honest with.
Speaker 7 (26:39):
You, but I know it's a free country. But do
they have a right to do what they're doing in
San Francisco to Brockton, to Boston to all these places?
Speaker 3 (26:49):
And well, what happens is you have you have the
groupsite the A c l U who say, look that
the definition of a crime of being a vagrant, that's
arbitrary and capricious, and it's it's vague, arbitrary and capricious,
it's unconstitutional. I mean, that's what has happened.
Speaker 7 (27:05):
Oh I didn't realize that.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
Well, yeah, oh no, that's what they do to enforce
that law. Now, I do think that you can. You
can probably go in your direction, and I think that
society will over time come to understand that something needs
to be done. I mean, we just saw it in
the election. You know, we had been going along in
(27:28):
one direction for for many years, and the country just
voted for substantial change. And I think if you look
at Trump's cabinet appointments, we're going to get substantial change,
for better or worse.
Speaker 7 (27:43):
Yeah, but you know, it was an experiment that you know,
and I jokingly say this, but who said democracy was
going to be around forever? You know? I mean, who's
arrogant enough to I mean, I love it. Don't get
me wrong. I'm not taking aside yet, but I want
to be the devil's advocate and say, you know, who
says democracy is supposed to last forever? Okay? Maybe I hope.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
I mean, we we have That's my but I'm trying
to We have we have a we have a brilliant
form of government. We have balance of power, we have
you know, three branches, and there's checks and balances. And
if if the new president or the president in the
(28:29):
second term does something that that is challengeable, it'll get challenged.
I hope that the Democrats give him a chance, and
I and I also hope that they give the city
of Brockton a chance. Here. If Brockton can make this
better by enforcing this now, maybe these people will just
relocate to another city. I don't know.
Speaker 7 (28:48):
I don't know, but that's just rolling the kicking the
can down. And you know, I want to make mention
one or anything about somebody told me, I don't know
this is true, but they had visited India and they
said India doesn't have any security over there. If you're handicapped,
if you're a drug you still got to work to
pay your way to get your food.
Speaker 9 (29:06):
You know.
Speaker 7 (29:06):
And I'm like, wow, really, you know.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
That is also that is also a country with an
incredible population. Their population is only second in China. I
don't think they're concerned about people dying in the streets
over there, to be really exactly. I think that particularly
now in the upper middle, they have a you know,
INDI India comes out of a situation where they had
a caste system where if you were born poor, you
(29:32):
could never get out of that system. We have a
system which is part of our democracy, where you can
move up. Look at the guy who's the next vice
president of the United States. He's forty years old. He
was born into abject poverty. JD. Vance has had a
different last He's had three different last names. You know.
His birth name was Bowman. He then had a step
(29:54):
dad whose name was Hamil. His name was JD. Hammel
for a while, and finally he assumed his mother's family
named JD. Vance. And this guy's the vice president. I
staged at the age of forty. It's an unbelievable story.
He was born into poverty that you and I would
never have known. Captain Hindsight really true.
Speaker 7 (30:14):
I've admit we've been very fortunate. I've had enough of
mental and physical health to be a little work like
a dog on my life and get ahead.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
You got it. You've got a Captain Hindsight always great.
Good to see you, talk to you. Come back soon. Okay,
thanks John, we'll take it. We'll take a quick break. Here.
I got who's up next?
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Out?
Speaker 3 (30:33):
We got Linda, I got Gene, I got Tom, I
got Mike. We got room for you at six one, seven,
two thirty.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
Now back to Dan Ray Mine from the window World
night Side Studios on de Wite b Z News Radio.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
All right, let's keep rolling here, going to go to
Linda in Weymouth. Linda, you are in Weymouth, not far
from Brock to go ahead, Linda.
Speaker 10 (30:53):
Yes, are you saying brockdon b R Because I have
a hearing thing and I'm hearing Rockland sometimes.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
No, we're talking about brought.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
The Home of Champions exactly.
Speaker 10 (31:05):
Okay. I've been involved in years passed down at Puck's
Pine straight in in Boston and also by the Bills,
so I kind of get a feel for the clientele
that you're speaking of. I understand fully. You know you're
(31:28):
putting a fine on them and so forth. But along
with that fine, the gentlemen to callers before had some
good ideas, and I want a duct tail on some
of them. Put them, you know, they talked them about
how much it's going to cost for all this. Give
them some jobs like picking up these needles, taking care
(31:49):
of the facilities the area, and I'm sure they'll get
some sort of respect for what they're creating. I am
tossing their needles.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Okay, that's a thought. No one has mentioned that before.
I like that idea.
Speaker 10 (32:08):
I mean, where they're going to go though. But you know,
like the people that i've that are down there at
some of the facilities there, as you say, they have
restrictions on drug usage, et cetera, and so you get
a different clientele than the people that are on mass cast.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
All right, well that's some good suggestions, Linda, thank you,
thanks for calling.
Speaker 10 (32:37):
That's basically what I'm going to saying. I don't need
to expound on it.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
So you did a good job.
Speaker 10 (32:44):
Welcome night, good night.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Let me go next to Thomas and Quincy Thomas next
on nightside, go right ahead.
Speaker 5 (32:51):
Oh, mister Danry, how are you, sir?
Speaker 3 (32:53):
I'm doing fine. Mister Thomas, how are you?
Speaker 11 (32:56):
Oh, I'm fantastic. Okay, I'm gonna this is a conundrum
that in my lifetime they probably will be thought upon,
but not in the ways that will be acted upon.
So many thoughtful callers coming in. Right, But here's my dream.
(33:20):
We have these multi multi billionaires basils mosque in them.
Speaker 5 (33:25):
Right, they have these massive.
Speaker 11 (33:27):
Campuses, you know, Silicon Valley. What if they invest in
the human species, right with a massive campus? Right, were
taking everybody off the street, right, drug addicted or not,
homeless or not.
Speaker 5 (33:47):
They're come inside know said, well that could be a
cult or this and you sign the wail.
Speaker 11 (33:53):
Now we retrain you based on blah blah blah, this
and that blah blah blah. This is feasible ultimately because
you can't use they use feasible by town. Bring it,
Dan Ray question, May I finish my point?
Speaker 3 (34:09):
Yes, I had a question for you. If I had
a question, yes for you my question absolutely, sir. On
these campuses that you envision, can they still use their drugs?
Speaker 5 (34:20):
Absolutely not, absolutely not.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
That could be a problem. I agree with you, But
that could be a problem when.
Speaker 11 (34:26):
When when when you're intake, we go to an extensive
detoxication process, which happens you know regularly in the state
run facilities. But anyways, the conundrum is this, uh, fifty
to sixty homeless in the city of Brockton. That that
that is like, uh, you know who come over that number?
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Double that?
Speaker 5 (34:51):
Trible that and then and.
Speaker 11 (34:53):
Then and then couldn't double that again and again it's
over one thousand people that I know.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
That conversation, don't you think? Absolutely explain that number to you.
The fifty to sixty the number that was quoted to me.
And I didn't do a survey. But the number that
was quoted to me was these were the people who
were chronically sleeping outdoors, setting up tens in public areas.
There's more homeless people than fifty or sixty in a
(35:22):
city like Brocklyn, because Brockden has one hundred thousand people.
But apparently these are the chronically homeless who are now
living outdoors and basically doing everything that you and I
might do indoors. If you get my drift outdoors.
Speaker 5 (35:36):
That's absolutely unacceptable. And here's where I got vexed when
they said there was a new.
Speaker 11 (35:44):
Priest at the church. You have to print people that
you know choose to evacuate themselves around the church, because
a church has no twenty.
Speaker 5 (35:55):
Four us to those people. You know something, there's a
reason there by the church. Yes, you're not doing the
right thing, but there's a reason they're by the church.
Tell us why, Thomas, Actually, in my heart, for the
(36:16):
purity of the call, there's a reason there by the church,
maybe reason, maybe somewhere in their soul they're asking for forgiveness.
Speaker 3 (36:25):
Yeah, okay, fair enough, interesting points. Thanks Thomas, you're gonna
get one more in here. Thank you much for your question.
Good night, bye, good night, mister Thomas, have a good
one and cannumber. One of my favorite conundrum, one of
my favorite words in the dictionary. Jeane and average Jean.
We're gonna wrap the hour with you here, go right ahead.
Speaker 9 (36:40):
Okay, thank you, Dan. This is a good subject. So anyway,
this problem has been spread out into Boston onto three months,
three Boilston three Boston God, and you know, no one
can feel safe. They're shooting drugs up all over the
place and people are afraid, can't even use the subway.
So the mayor has to step into and get, you know,
(37:00):
try to get some help.
Speaker 3 (37:02):
She's building, she's building bike lanes. Come on, she's got
a she's got her plate is full, building bike.
Speaker 9 (37:07):
She's going to have to break, break that schedule and
get some street workers out there to try to help
these people. Winters coming, and it's going to get more dangerous.
But you know, when workers can't walk back and forth
to work and don't feel safe, it's not good.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
No, it's it's absolutely not good. There's a lot of
problems than in Boston right now. We got problems with
school buses running on time. We got problems getting enough
ballots to people to vote on job. We got bike
We got a lot of bike lanes in Boston. So
if you're a bike rider, you're a happy camper.
Speaker 9 (37:45):
I give I give them an F for everything else though,
flindliness that I have a right not to get hepatitis
when I'm walking down the street.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
Too, I totally agree with you. Look, I'm on your side.
I'm giving them an F on bike lanes too. Gene,
by the way.
Speaker 9 (37:59):
I mean yeah, I mean it's just a world that
they want the children to grow up into.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
They don't care about the children. They care about getting
re elected. Come on, you know that as well as
I do.
Speaker 9 (38:09):
Something has to change. Thank you, dam have a good night,
you took.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
I'm going to get one more in as it's out
of Jean's kindness. Who's next here? Mike and Lynn? Mike,
we're going to get you in. They got about three
minutes for you.
Speaker 6 (38:22):
Go ahead, Mike, mister Dan, how you doing good sir?
Speaker 3 (38:26):
We're a little tight on time, but I get to
get you and you want to wait through the news,
go right ahead.
Speaker 6 (38:31):
I know this is my second time calling you, and
and I'll tell you one thing. You are a great person.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
I don't know about that, but I appreciate the compliments. Sir,
go right ahead. What's your thought on this subject?
Speaker 6 (38:43):
My subject is like what I think about all the
people they call you is they think this people the homeless,
they're nobody. They do not deserve to be on a street.
They deserve to be on jail. But there are good people.
I tell you the reason. Want my experience. I get
up every single morning, three three in the morning, tank shower.
(39:06):
I'm with a definite donor.
Speaker 5 (39:08):
I'm this guy.
Speaker 6 (39:09):
He's homeless, So I buy him a coffee and I'm
talking to him. I guess what, he's a brain.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Really become homeless?
Speaker 6 (39:19):
Yeah, he become homeless because his wife and he's going
to be the car accident as I die.
Speaker 3 (39:25):
Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. Yeah, that's circumstances
in people's lives. Mike. Wow, that's that's an amazing story.
That's an amazing story.
Speaker 6 (39:37):
I become tread with him and I have a triple
desho and I give him one of my in my
house and he's given red tree. I want to give
him taking chance in life.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
Wow, you're a good person, Mike. You're a very good person.
You are you were that guy's guardian angel. It's as
simple as that. I hope that he appreciates it, and
I hope you can get him back in the practice
of medicine.
Speaker 6 (40:02):
Miss. Then I'll tell you this. The last three callers
they call, they all have heat about people homeless on
the street, but they don't understand the fact is people
on the street, Dad, they become homeless because they don't
know how to climb the hill. Need somebody to have that.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
All right, Mike, thank you for what you did, and
thank you for this call. So an inspirational phone call
and God love you. Thanks Mike. We'll talk soon. We'll
look forward to your next call. Have a great one. Uh,
if you'd like to continue on this issue, let's stick
with it, Mark and Matt I got room at six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty and at six one seven ninety. Light them
up and we can continue on this topic. It's been
(40:47):
a really good topic for two hours. Let's keep it going.
If not, we're going to talk about another issue. Coming
back on Night Side.
It's night time with Dan Ray.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm telling you easy Boston cit Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:07):
All right, we're talking about a problem in Brockton, Massachusetts.
It is not necessarily just Brockton, Massachusetts. As a matter
of fact, it's any major city in America, and that
is the homeless problem in Brockton. It evidences itself with
homeless encampments. Last hour, we talked with Brockton City Councilor
Shirley Asak, one of seven councilors who have passed an
(00:28):
ordinance basically giving police authority not only to move and
close the encampments, but also to tell the homeless members
of those the members of those encampments that if they continue,
they face the possibility of being arrested or being summoned
to court and presented with the two hundred dollars fine.
And obviously if you don't pay a fine, you can
(00:48):
end up spending some time in jail. So there's an
effort by Brockton to solve the problem, if not solve
the problem, at least impact the problem. Love to hear
what you think. We have full lines to stick with it.
I always appreciate when we find a subject that my
audience can respond to. Sometimes you listen to interviews and
(01:08):
you're delighted. But I can only tell if you like
the subject by the number of phone callers that generate.
So let's go to Scott and Quincy. Scott first, this
hour and nightside your thoughts about what Brockton is doing.
Quincy's not that far from Brockton.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Go ahead, Scott, Well, sadly, it's a sign of the
times and something that needs to be done in my opinion.
If I remember, there are chapters of mass law that
actually use the terms bums, tramps, and vagrants to describe
persons who live on the streets without means.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
And well, I'm sure that's probably politically correct at this point,
but you're probably factually correct.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Yes, indeed, And you know many of your callers have
made the point that it's a large problem, and you
know there's there's nothing else to be done. Really, the
the administration and law enforcement has to put their foot down,
because there are people who who make a choice to
(02:11):
be out there living on the streets, addicted to alcohol
and other substances and living that lifestyle.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
They do.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
They make an intellectual choice or their lifestyle forces that
choice upon them. Either way, it's it can't be tolerated.
It has to be addressed. Uh, and we have cats
problems in this country right now, and that this is
one that needs to be addressed.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
I mean, can't we get back to having obs houses
or poor farms places in the state where all these
people can be collected and say all right, here you go,
this is this is your home. Now you're you're going
to grow crops. If you're going to you're going to
live here until you get your life back together.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
I don't know that you're able to force people to
work if they haven't committed a crime. If you've committed
a crime and you're incarcerated, yeah, you can work in
the light, producing license plates and all of that. These
people are not probably committing crimes per se. And then
the other question is you put them all on a
farm if they're addicted. How's that going to solve the problem?
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Well, they would have to just work through their addiction
without So isn't vagrancy a crime or has that been
eliminated from the books by.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Well, a lot of those crimes were eliminated because they
were considered to be a vague, vague and capricious, capricious
of the terms that are used. Okay, I think this
is more specific, and I think it will pass muster
under the decision the Court handed down Grant's Pass Oregon
decision from last June, the end of last term, and
(03:54):
that is that these people are engaging in activities which
are detrimental to the community at large. I think people
will will agree that if you're living outdoors and you
have nowhere to avail yourself to take a shower, to
you know, use a toilet when nature calls, and you're
finding yourself doing what people do, what bears do in
(04:15):
the woods, and you're doing it on Main Street, that's
a problem. That's a problem. And I think that slowly
but surely, the attitude of our population is kind of
turning around a little bit here and saying, hey, we've
tolerated this enough. It's been long enough. We've had Republican administrations,
we've had democratic administrations. Now it is up to the communities.
(04:35):
There was some conversation at this city council meeting when
this ordinance was discussed that one of the councilors was, well, well,
we really need here is some support, more money from
Washington or from Beacon Hill guess what. Guess what. Those
days are long since gone. And anyone who thinks that
more money is coming from Washington to Beacon Hill not happening,
(04:56):
not happening, Jack, So was that? And I think that
a lot of these politics who think that way need
its need for them to consider retiring and get out
of the way, and let communities selects some people who
want to actually solve these problems or at least begin
to address the problems.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
I agree, local problems need local solutions.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
I'm with you totally. Scott has always appreciate your call,
appreciate your support of my program. Thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Good night, Dan, good job, Thank you very much.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Appreciate it. All right, take quick break here it is
about fourteen minutes after. Don't want to short change anyone
six one seven thirty six one, seven, nine, three, ten thirty.
This is a good conversation. If you disagree with me,
feel free to bring it on. I just think that
we have reached a point. We're almost at a point
of no return because I'm I feel exasperated. I've been
(05:45):
doing this show. Now, we're into our eighteenth year. We've
talked about these these issues periodically. The Supreme Court has
given communities a green light last June in the in
a Supreme Court decision out of Oregon. And it's up
to unities to have some elected officials who have some backbones.
There's nothing wrong with having a big heart, but you
(06:06):
got to have a backbone too. Sometimes you're relying the heart.
Sometimes you relig on the backbone. Back on Nights Side,
we have full lines. We'll be back right after this.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Night Sight Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Okay, I have callers who have waited a long time here,
and we're gonna go in order. Victor's next, followed by Sherry,
and then we got Coptic, Thomas and Quincy. We'll get
them all in and we're gonna move the train a
little bit more quickly, starting with Victor in Boston. Victor,
I want to hear what you have to say. Go
right ahead, Victor.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
Hey, Dan, how you doing.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
That's a good topic.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
I'll start by saying, I, like some of the previous callers,
I've been homeless twice, actually three times. It's not a
good thing. I don't know not a drug user, but
I do know that people who are and have been
drug users. Unfortunately, most of them are not here now.
(07:08):
They died by way of drugs or something, violence or whatever. Now, yeah,
but it's not good.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
But basically victory. It's not a great career path, is
what you're telling.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Me, you know. And and another thing, I don't know
why there are some people think that people who have
been on drugs aren't educated or ignorant. I've known some
very intelligent people who've gone that route. Okay, I think
(07:42):
they had other issues. But the fact of the matter
is that myself, I had to be proactive. I've had
a job most of my life in some form. I
just said I wasn't gonna keep on that path as
far as not. You know, one bad thing happens. Now,
(08:06):
some people will get get deterared by but some people won't.
They might get a little down, but they'll find a way.
I think that's what determination is all about, okay, because
you're not gonna be able to lick everything just at
the drop of a hat, but you gotta keep at it.
(08:27):
Nothing good was ever accomplished without some effort and even pain.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
I think that if you're now living in a homeless
encampment in Brockton, you have hit you've hit rock bottom,
and well you've got to make a decision at that point.
Not you, but I mean that person has to make
a decision. Am I gonna take whatever help is being offered?
Or am I going to just give up?
Speaker 4 (08:52):
People will give up most people a drug addict, you know,
if they're really far gone, it's gonna you know, take
a miracle for them to change their life, because you
know it's not I mean, drugs is it's a it's
a it's a very very bad evil, as most people
(09:16):
know grown ups. But the people who are doing the
drugs don't care what happens. They don't care about going
to jail and camping out. That's nothing to them. Only
if they really really want to get help, that's the
only way.
Speaker 6 (09:32):
I don't think.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
You know that the city can do what it can do,
but it's not going to deter a whole lot. It's
up to the person, period.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Absolutely, I understand that. But sometimes sometimes you need to
get a wake up call. I don't know what your
wake up call was, Victor. Maybe you had it internally
in you.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
I did since I was a teenager and I was
used to that. Yeah, it's it's not an easy thing.
I understand that. But like I said, I've known people
on drugs. These people had been high intellects okay, smarter
than I was in some ways, but the drugs.
Speaker 7 (10:16):
It's the drugs, period.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
So you know I mean, and that's what I'm I'm
getting at it. It's the person you gotta if the
person had to do it, Dan, Seriously, if the person
doesn't want to do it, think of all the influences
out there. Their friends ain't gonna leave them alone. They're
gonna make up their mind to say that's it. I'm
(10:40):
gonna get help. I'm gonna do this no matter what
it takes. Period.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
I'm with you. You've said it well and from your experience,
you have a perspective that no one can argue with.
Appreciate you call, Victor. Thank you so much for listening
to the show, your your comments. Depending upon who heard
you tonight, you may have turned someone's life around tonight
by this phone call, whether you realize it or.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
Not, I hope so that's as well.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Appreciate your call. Have a great night. Who's we gonna
who we're gonna go next to? Oh? I know we're Gonna.
Sherry is in Boston. Sherry, I appreciate your patience. You've
been kind and held on. You are next on nightside, Sherry,
go right ahead.
Speaker 8 (11:19):
Thank you so much. So obviously I don't have the answers.
I'm a registered nurse many years. I travel through Boston.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Thank you, thank you for what you do. By the way, Sherry,
thank you.
Speaker 8 (11:32):
Thank you so much. So I travel through uh Mass
and casts. That's the methodon Mile Boston Medical Center. Mayo
Wool was trying to shift people from the Produce Center
to uh Mass and cass and Melanie Melanie Bulevarie. I
(11:57):
believe it's.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Called Trina call.
Speaker 8 (12:01):
Yeah. So every day I go through there and I
think about, like, how is this going to get better?
Like what can we do for these people. They're obviously
addicted to opiates and they come there to get their methadone,
but they're using and abusing of the drugs. They she
(12:25):
breaks down the encampments, she takes away their kents and
their livelihoods, but they go to the neighborhoods. They steal
what they can from those neighborhoods. And I'm witnessed of that,
and how can we help this, you know, it's I don't.
(12:45):
I'm not familiar with Brockton. I don't know about how
we can help that area. But I think there's a
huge problem going on by Boston Medical Center and being
unnursed and yay.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Yeah, sure, yeah, I'm sure the problem is the same
and the causes are the same, and the solutions that
would be the same. I think somehow, some way there
has to be in many cases, almost a miracle that
occurs and someone realizes, hey, my life is worth more
(13:21):
than what I'm doing to myself.
Speaker 8 (13:24):
That's no no, because you know what, Unfortunately, they're so high,
they're so stoned, they're so out of their minds that
they can't think clear.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
Okay, so what do you think that? What do you
think the solution is? You know more about it probably
than I do. What do you think is the solution
if there is one?
Speaker 8 (13:46):
So my opinion and my thoughts registered nurse, is that
maybe we can create safe injection sites like Europe has
in the mass and cast area. There's like prisons that
are vacated, and maybe we can like put all the
(14:10):
homble system in that area in those vacated prisons and
keep them open, but have a curfew they can have
and have registered nurses. Like we'll provide them their meals
like breakfast, lunch, and dinner if like you know, obviously
(14:31):
a lot of times there's no appetite there, but we'll
provide them food, will provide them facilities where they can vacate, stool, urine, shower,
they can all be you know, in one area and
registered nurses can you know, inject them with whatever they
(14:53):
need to come down from that addiction and then start
the methadone and then start the programs of you know, uh,
getting out of the addiction, giving them some skills, some
abilities so they can be productive citizens, and you know,
(15:17):
start to transition them and give them support to the transition,
giving them work opportunities and with the employer knowing fully
that they're coming from this program, and the government supporting
the supplement of the income so the employer doesn't have
(15:39):
to completely pay them, and it's just a complete transition
to getting them healthy again, to getting them feel confident
to get Let me ask let.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Me ask you a question, Sherry, what do you think
it would cost the government to do that for each
of the addicts? What how how much money do you
think you'd have to spend all.
Speaker 8 (16:02):
I really have no idea, that's all I know. All
I know is when I drive through this area.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Oh no, you have a good heart. You have a
good heart. Here's my question. Money does not grow on
trees and the government to do that, it would call
and first of all, I don't know if it would
succeed number one, Okay, to be honest with you, but
let's assume it did. You then are going to have
to take money out of other government programs. Where do
(16:29):
you take the money out? If you take it out
of schools, do you take it out of programs for
for elderly people? Where does the money come from? I mean,
it's unfortunately. I don't know if any trees that are
growing one hundred dollar bills, and if you find some,
let me know. I really don't language.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
Down.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Yeah, no, it's a problem. It's a problem, and we've
spent a lot of money. They had a place down
there was called the Round Hotel. Are you're familiar with
the place down Yeah?
Speaker 8 (17:07):
I am, And they started to let drug outs and
it now pulls down. That was a really poor mistake, I.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
Guess it was. But but a lot of the people
who would be. It was what I think it was called.
They called it a low threshold location, which meant people
could go outside, shoot up outside, and then come back inside.
And it was.
Speaker 8 (17:31):
They had macuss up against the walls, they were having sex,
and they were selling themselves. It's disgusting. It's the calls
of drugs and it's just.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Let's see, let's see if if many people out there
support your idea. It's a very generous idea that you.
Speaker 8 (17:54):
Have, that you were safe injection sites. We need a
place to put them up Long Island will the the
bridge was blown up. They're trying to get Quincy to
bring that bridge back.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
You know.
Speaker 8 (18:12):
It's but obviously there's a lot of opposition because they
don't want the drug addicts either.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
I can't of imagine why. I kind of imagine why
the people I kind of imagine why the people in Quincy.
Speaker 8 (18:25):
I conversation. I'm at me and throwing things in front
of my car to.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
Try to count.
Speaker 8 (18:34):
I know, I don't I don't have the answer.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
But yeah, right Sherry, I think You've made a lot
of great points, but unfortunately I'm trying to have a
conversation with you, and right now I'm a little frustrated,
and I got the news coming at me. So let's
see what people have to think to have to say
they maybe there's more people out there who agree with you,
and they'll call in and agree with you. Thank you, Sherry,
appreciate your call. Have a great night. Here comes the
(19:00):
news back on Nightside. Right after this.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Night Side with Dan Ray, I'm w BSY, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
Here we go. Let's go next to gonna again to
is coptic coptic? You were next to nights. I appreciate
your patience. Go right head coptic.
Speaker 6 (19:21):
Hey Dan, how are you doing?
Speaker 5 (19:24):
Talk you?
Speaker 3 (19:25):
Yeah, that's not my fault. Coptic at six one, seven, two,
five thirty right a headpal.
Speaker 5 (19:32):
Yeah, I really uh agree one hundred percent with the
previous caller. That just some nurse. That's why I was
gonna say my opinion about that. The uh and instead
of the home homeless in Boston or Barkton or anywhere,
it's gonna be with no control. We cannot control them
(19:54):
because they are everywhere. I was suggest as like to
have a fenced camp, Like there's a fence surrounding this
camp and all of them is gonna stay there with
all facilities like shower, like place like the medical support
and all of this stuff. But as you mentioned, who's
(20:17):
gonna pay for all of these costs? The government is
gonna be very tough for the government. But I have
an idea. Well, the idea is not all of these
drug addicts and all of this homeless. They are one
hundred percent hopeless cases. No, I believe that if we
can filter them, you can find like different levels people
(20:40):
like twenty percent. They still can be productive not consumer.
You know, we can engage them in some easy works,
you know, like fixing cars, carpentry or whatever, so they
can't do some work. But the other others, other cases
like which is hopeless, this is different. We're gonna we
(21:03):
canna keep them like in a side, you know, with
the work of the social workers, the nurses, doctors, all
the medication, all of this stuff. But still you're gonna
first you're gonna keep them in one place with control,
you know, better than to leave them everywhere.
Speaker 7 (21:23):
You know, like is.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
Gonna be like very very very bad idea.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
So how are you gonna how are you gonna get
control of them? And they live in a free society? Uh,
in order to put them somewhere in a place where
they're fenced in. You're gonna have to charge them or
convict them of some crime. You can't deprive people of
their liberty just because of their status as a drug addict.
Speaker 6 (21:49):
That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (21:50):
You know, we're gonna keep them in a in a
big place like affinsic camp or something like that, very much, But.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Can think you missed my question. What if they don't
want to go into the big place in the camp,
how do you force them in there?
Speaker 5 (22:04):
I understand. But at the same time, if they refuse
to pay whatever the fee which you said, like two
hundred bucks of all of the stuff, and then you're
gonna put them into jail, I believe this is not
a good idea to you know, to keep them in
the jail or to keep them in all of this stuff. Again,
I understand your question very well. How are you gonna
(22:25):
force them? Uh these people who has like no control
or nowhere about what they're doing. They need to be
uh like handled with some physician, like nurses, some people
like I.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Got it, I got you, I got your point. I
still think that in order to deprive them of their liberty,
you're gonna have to convict them of a crime. And
I think, again, this is this is a difficult thing.
We live in a free society where people can become
drunks if they want, and we've supported them in our society.
(23:03):
But you know, we look at it. We look at
it as a disease. We look at we don't look
at as something that these folks had done to themselves.
We look at it as a condition that they have
found themselves in. And therefore we have to be very careful.
We just can't round people up and put them in
a day, even if it's a nice situation. You know,
That's all I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (23:23):
Legally, I have another thing, just less the thing that
you want to mention. You know, we are dealing with
this problem because it already exists. But we can work
and something to stop doing to stop happening in the future. Like,
for example, we have to teach our kids in the
school that you guys, this is the results when you
(23:46):
go in the way of the drugs and all of
this stuff. You guys, you need to be smart.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
We tried to do that. Remember all the programs in
the schools just say no. That was an abysmal failure.
They had all the police officers that come in and
talk to the kids and remember the ads this is your
drug that they'd take an egg and crack it and
put it on the sidewalk and this is your your
brain on drugs.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
And sometimes when you like lit them, make a trip
to the jails or the prisons. Tell them this is
going to be your end. If you did something wrong.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
They call that scared That program they've done, they called
it scared straight. And there are a lot of people
who are upset about that. You have great ideas, Coptic.
Some of them are different, some of them are new.
Let's see what people say if they if they like
your ideas. Okay, thank you Coptic as always appreciate your call.
Have a great one. Okay, let me go next to
(24:43):
moving people a little bit more quickly. Johns and Braintreet John,
you're next time, niceaga right hand?
Speaker 7 (24:48):
Hey, Hey Dan, how are your captain handsite? How are
you doing that?
Speaker 3 (24:51):
Captain hindsight?
Speaker 7 (24:52):
How are you fantastic? Time to report again? Hey, just
a quick note, this is a real difficult thing all
over the country. All that, and I wonder if there's
a way we could start using the you know, everybody's
looking for a space, looking for a space way to
do it. I'm wondering if we could consider using the
(25:12):
campgrounds that we have, like mile standards and any other
parks that aren't you know, necessarily I don't know that
they're obviously not being used during the winter anyway, but
I'm wondering. Somebody spoke earlier about, Yeah, you've got to
convict them of something, I mean, a three strike vacancy,
and you've got to go in this You've got to
go in this community and there'll be opportunities there. They'll
(25:35):
you know, obviously they're going to have everything everybody told said,
you know, bathrooms and nurses and stuff like that. And
is it are we paying more now to try and
fight the crime and losing the business because people don't
want to go in these areas, these kuys. You know,
I'm very empathetic because I know a lot of them
are mentally ill, and but they don't have a right
(25:56):
to interfere with business and to interfere with people on
their way to work. It is a free country, but
not if you're interfering. And maybe there's a way we
can enforce that three strike vagrancy rule or something, and
then you get six months or a year in the
camp there, and you'll have an opportunity to make money.
If you want to make money to get your drugs,
(26:17):
you'll have an you know, depending on the situation, because
as somebody earlier said, they're all they're all there for
different reasons. But I think I wish I knew what
percentages of it is just mental illness, which percentage is
drug addiction? So what do you think of that?
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Probably in most cases a combination of both, you know, right,
I mean I would think, yeah, to be honest with.
Speaker 7 (26:39):
You, but I know it's a free country. But do
they have a right to do what they're doing in
San Francisco to Brockton, to Boston to all these places?
Speaker 3 (26:49):
And well, what happens is you have you have the
groupsite the A c l U who say, look that
the definition of a crime of being a vagrant, that's
arbitrary and capricious, and it's it's vague, arbitrary and capricious,
it's unconstitutional. I mean, that's what has happened.
Speaker 7 (27:05):
Oh I didn't realize that.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
Well, yeah, oh no, that's what they do to enforce
that law. Now, I do think that you can. You
can probably go in your direction, and I think that
society will over time come to understand that something needs
to be done. I mean, we just saw it in
the election. You know, we had been going along in
(27:28):
one direction for for many years, and the country just
voted for substantial change. And I think if you look
at Trump's cabinet appointments, we're going to get substantial change,
for better or worse.
Speaker 7 (27:43):
Yeah, but you know, it was an experiment that you know,
and I jokingly say this, but who said democracy was
going to be around forever? You know? I mean, who's
arrogant enough to I mean, I love it. Don't get
me wrong. I'm not taking aside yet, but I want
to be the devil's advocate and say, you know, who
says democracy is supposed to last forever? Okay? Maybe I hope.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
I mean, we we have That's my but I'm trying
to We have we have a we have a brilliant
form of government. We have balance of power, we have
you know, three branches, and there's checks and balances. And
if if the new president or the president in the
(28:29):
second term does something that that is challengeable, it'll get challenged.
I hope that the Democrats give him a chance, and
I and I also hope that they give the city
of Brockton a chance. Here. If Brockton can make this
better by enforcing this now, maybe these people will just
relocate to another city. I don't know.
Speaker 7 (28:48):
I don't know, but that's just rolling the kicking the
can down. And you know, I want to make mention
one or anything about somebody told me, I don't know
this is true, but they had visited India and they
said India doesn't have any security over there. If you're handicapped,
if you're a drug you still got to work to
pay your way to get your food.
Speaker 9 (29:06):
You know.
Speaker 7 (29:06):
And I'm like, wow, really, you know.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
That is also that is also a country with an
incredible population. Their population is only second in China. I
don't think they're concerned about people dying in the streets
over there, to be really exactly. I think that particularly
now in the upper middle, they have a you know,
INDI India comes out of a situation where they had
a caste system where if you were born poor, you
(29:32):
could never get out of that system. We have a
system which is part of our democracy, where you can
move up. Look at the guy who's the next vice
president of the United States. He's forty years old. He
was born into abject poverty. JD. Vance has had a
different last He's had three different last names. You know.
His birth name was Bowman. He then had a step
(29:54):
dad whose name was Hamil. His name was JD. Hammel
for a while, and finally he assumed his mother's family
named JD. Vance. And this guy's the vice president. I
staged at the age of forty. It's an unbelievable story.
He was born into poverty that you and I would
never have known. Captain Hindsight really true.
Speaker 7 (30:14):
I've admit we've been very fortunate. I've had enough of
mental and physical health to be a little work like
a dog on my life and get ahead.
Speaker 3 (30:23):
You got it. You've got a Captain Hindsight always great.
Good to see you, talk to you. Come back soon. Okay,
thanks John, we'll take it. We'll take a quick break. Here.
I got who's up next?
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Out?
Speaker 3 (30:33):
We got Linda, I got Gene, I got Tom, I
got Mike. We got room for you at six one, seven,
two thirty.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
Now back to Dan Ray Mine from the window World
night Side Studios on de Wite b Z News Radio.
Speaker 3 (30:47):
All right, let's keep rolling here, going to go to
Linda in Weymouth. Linda, you are in Weymouth, not far
from Brock to go ahead, Linda.
Speaker 10 (30:53):
Yes, are you saying brockdon b R Because I have
a hearing thing and I'm hearing Rockland sometimes.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
No, we're talking about brought.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
The Home of Champions exactly.
Speaker 10 (31:05):
Okay. I've been involved in years passed down at Puck's
Pine straight in in Boston and also by the Bills,
so I kind of get a feel for the clientele
that you're speaking of. I understand fully. You know you're
(31:28):
putting a fine on them and so forth. But along
with that fine, the gentlemen to callers before had some
good ideas, and I want a duct tail on some
of them. Put them, you know, they talked them about
how much it's going to cost for all this. Give
them some jobs like picking up these needles, taking care
(31:49):
of the facilities the area, and I'm sure they'll get
some sort of respect for what they're creating. I am
tossing their needles.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Okay, that's a thought. No one has mentioned that before.
I like that idea.
Speaker 10 (32:08):
I mean, where they're going to go though. But you know,
like the people that i've that are down there at
some of the facilities there, as you say, they have
restrictions on drug usage, et cetera, and so you get
a different clientele than the people that are on mass cast.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
All right, well that's some good suggestions, Linda, thank you,
thanks for calling.
Speaker 10 (32:37):
That's basically what I'm going to saying. I don't need
to expound on it.
Speaker 3 (32:41):
So you did a good job.
Speaker 10 (32:44):
Welcome night, good night.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Let me go next to Thomas and Quincy Thomas next
on nightside, go right ahead.
Speaker 5 (32:51):
Oh, mister Danry, how are you, sir?
Speaker 3 (32:53):
I'm doing fine. Mister Thomas, how are you?
Speaker 11 (32:56):
Oh, I'm fantastic. Okay, I'm gonna this is a conundrum
that in my lifetime they probably will be thought upon,
but not in the ways that will be acted upon.
So many thoughtful callers coming in. Right, But here's my dream.
(33:20):
We have these multi multi billionaires basils mosque in them.
Speaker 5 (33:25):
Right, they have these massive.
Speaker 11 (33:27):
Campuses, you know, Silicon Valley. What if they invest in
the human species, right with a massive campus? Right, were
taking everybody off the street, right, drug addicted or not,
homeless or not.
Speaker 5 (33:47):
They're come inside know said, well that could be a
cult or this and you sign the wail.
Speaker 11 (33:53):
Now we retrain you based on blah blah blah, this
and that blah blah blah. This is feasible ultimately because
you can't use they use feasible by town. Bring it,
Dan Ray question, May I finish my point?
Speaker 3 (34:09):
Yes, I had a question for you. If I had
a question, yes for you my question absolutely, sir. On
these campuses that you envision, can they still use their drugs?
Speaker 5 (34:20):
Absolutely not, absolutely not.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
That could be a problem. I agree with you, But
that could be a problem when.
Speaker 11 (34:26):
When when when you're intake, we go to an extensive
detoxication process, which happens you know regularly in the state
run facilities. But anyways, the conundrum is this, uh, fifty
to sixty homeless in the city of Brockton. That that
that is like, uh, you know who come over that number?
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Double that?
Speaker 5 (34:51):
Trible that and then and.
Speaker 11 (34:53):
Then and then couldn't double that again and again it's
over one thousand people that I know.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
That conversation, don't you think? Absolutely explain that number to you.
The fifty to sixty the number that was quoted to me.
And I didn't do a survey. But the number that
was quoted to me was these were the people who
were chronically sleeping outdoors, setting up tens in public areas.
There's more homeless people than fifty or sixty in a
(35:22):
city like Brocklyn, because Brockden has one hundred thousand people.
But apparently these are the chronically homeless who are now
living outdoors and basically doing everything that you and I
might do indoors. If you get my drift outdoors.
Speaker 5 (35:36):
That's absolutely unacceptable. And here's where I got vexed when
they said there was a new.
Speaker 11 (35:44):
Priest at the church. You have to print people that
you know choose to evacuate themselves around the church, because
a church has no twenty.
Speaker 5 (35:55):
Four us to those people. You know something, there's a
reason there by the church. Yes, you're not doing the
right thing, but there's a reason they're by the church.
Tell us why, Thomas, Actually, in my heart, for the
(36:16):
purity of the call, there's a reason there by the church,
maybe reason, maybe somewhere in their soul they're asking for forgiveness.
Speaker 3 (36:25):
Yeah, okay, fair enough, interesting points. Thanks Thomas, you're gonna
get one more in here. Thank you much for your question.
Good night, bye, good night, mister Thomas, have a good
one and cannumber. One of my favorite conundrum, one of
my favorite words in the dictionary. Jeane and average Jean.
We're gonna wrap the hour with you here, go right ahead.
Speaker 9 (36:40):
Okay, thank you, Dan. This is a good subject. So anyway,
this problem has been spread out into Boston onto three months,
three Boilston three Boston God, and you know, no one
can feel safe. They're shooting drugs up all over the
place and people are afraid, can't even use the subway.
So the mayor has to step into and get, you know,
(37:00):
try to get some help.
Speaker 3 (37:02):
She's building, she's building bike lanes. Come on, she's got
a she's got her plate is full, building bike.
Speaker 9 (37:07):
She's going to have to break, break that schedule and
get some street workers out there to try to help
these people. Winters coming, and it's going to get more dangerous.
But you know, when workers can't walk back and forth
to work and don't feel safe, it's not good.
Speaker 3 (37:23):
No, it's it's absolutely not good. There's a lot of
problems than in Boston right now. We got problems with
school buses running on time. We got problems getting enough
ballots to people to vote on job. We got bike
We got a lot of bike lanes in Boston. So
if you're a bike rider, you're a happy camper.
Speaker 9 (37:45):
I give I give them an F for everything else though,
flindliness that I have a right not to get hepatitis
when I'm walking down the street.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
Too, I totally agree with you. Look, I'm on your side.
I'm giving them an F on bike lanes too. Gene,
by the way.
Speaker 9 (37:59):
I mean yeah, I mean it's just a world that
they want the children to grow up into.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
They don't care about the children. They care about getting
re elected. Come on, you know that as well as
I do.
Speaker 9 (38:09):
Something has to change. Thank you, dam have a good night,
you took.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
I'm going to get one more in as it's out
of Jean's kindness. Who's next here? Mike and Lynn? Mike,
we're going to get you in. They got about three
minutes for you.
Speaker 6 (38:22):
Go ahead, Mike, mister Dan, how you doing good sir?
Speaker 3 (38:26):
We're a little tight on time, but I get to
get you and you want to wait through the news,
go right ahead.
Speaker 6 (38:31):
I know this is my second time calling you, and
and I'll tell you one thing. You are a great person.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
I don't know about that, but I appreciate the compliments. Sir,
go right ahead. What's your thought on this subject?
Speaker 6 (38:43):
My subject is like what I think about all the
people they call you is they think this people the homeless,
they're nobody. They do not deserve to be on a street.
They deserve to be on jail. But there are good people.
I tell you the reason. Want my experience. I get
up every single morning, three three in the morning, tank shower.
(39:06):
I'm with a definite donor.
Speaker 5 (39:08):
I'm this guy.
Speaker 6 (39:09):
He's homeless, So I buy him a coffee and I'm
talking to him. I guess what, he's a brain.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Really become homeless?
Speaker 6 (39:19):
Yeah, he become homeless because his wife and he's going
to be the car accident as I die.
Speaker 3 (39:25):
Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. Yeah, that's circumstances
in people's lives. Mike. Wow, that's that's an amazing story.
That's an amazing story.
Speaker 6 (39:37):
I become tread with him and I have a triple
desho and I give him one of my in my
house and he's given red tree. I want to give
him taking chance in life.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
Wow, you're a good person, Mike. You're a very good person.
You are you were that guy's guardian angel. It's as
simple as that. I hope that he appreciates it, and
I hope you can get him back in the practice
of medicine.
Speaker 6 (40:02):
Miss. Then I'll tell you this. The last three callers
they call, they all have heat about people homeless on
the street, but they don't understand the fact is people
on the street, Dad, they become homeless because they don't
know how to climb the hill. Need somebody to have that.
Speaker 3 (40:24):
All right, Mike, thank you for what you did, and
thank you for this call. So an inspirational phone call
and God love you. Thanks Mike. We'll talk soon. We'll
look forward to your next call. Have a great one. Uh,
if you'd like to continue on this issue, let's stick
with it, Mark and Matt I got room at six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty and at six one seven ninety. Light them
up and we can continue on this topic. It's been
(40:47):
a really good topic for two hours. Let's keep it going.
If not, we're going to talk about another issue. Coming
back on Night Side.
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