> that point is reached “no thanks” is no longer an acceptable response to offers for help.
On this path lies a terrifying dystopia. For example, I find smoking and eating ultra-processed food an incredibly invalid lifestyle choice; doctors agree with me. Should we also mandate forced smoking addiction treatment and diet watching?
Try eating a sandwich for lunch in Pioneer Square, or in Denny Park.
That I don't feel safe traveling through my own city because it is overrun by mentally unstable people is unacceptable. Neither they nor I should live like this.
We have rules and norms in a civilization. When we ignore real problems like mental health everyone suffers and those norms break down. I am not in favor of adjusting our norms to include "well you can't use public spaces because we don't care about mental health".
Leaving the extremely mentally ill/drug addicts to essentially rot and die on the street is not a solution for anyone. I'm not saying all homeless people fall into this category, but this is the segment that is driving this change.