I will say again that I don’t have all the answers. But I do know that people should have the right to ride public transportation without being threatened. And they should be able to walk on a sidewalk without being violently assaulted.
I firmly believe that people have the right to ride public transportation without being threatened, attacked, injured, or killed.
I don’t have all the answers either
@IceIce9, and I certainly have empathy for you and anyone who has to live with the uncertainty created by the angry, mentally ill people who live among us in increasing numbers. I will admit that I would find it traumatizing to deal with that on a regular basis.
Jumping off your posts just for the purpose of my own musing (not picking on you
), yes, in a perfect world we “should have the right” to go about our day without being threatened, attacked, injured or killed. But the world is increasingly dysfunctional and filled with unsolvable problems. So our “right” to live in peace and safety will not be realized in the near future unless drastic measures are taken. Marine Penny took a drastic measure to solve the problem of fear that one man created on the subway. In so doing, he took away Mr Neely’s “right to life” and any possibility of his severe mental health issues being lessened or solved.
How do we as a society decide whose rights should be preserved? To achieve the right of people to go about their business safely, how far do we go? I’m sure none of us believes that extermination of the mentally ill is a solution. Mass incarceration in jails or mental institutions (that closed decades ago) is totally impractical, although in many cases it might be a kindness.
What concerns and even frightens me is that historically, when we as a society start to view certain groups of fellow humans as a problem interfering with our rights, the solutions that are considered by those in power gradually lead to “the final solution” that was inflicted on the Jews and others. This has occurred on a lesser scale in other countries. It’s not hyperbole to say that this slippery slope can happen here.
I don’t have an answer to the problems presented in public places by people suffering from mental illness. But I think it’s important to at least examine our feelings carefully so we aren’t unconsciously and inadvertently viewing these troubled ones as “less than” deserving of safety than we are. All of us can easily fall into that trap because we wish for a peaceful life and are frustrated/annoyed/angered by those who deprive us of a sense of peace and safety. I suspect that this is partly what drove Marine Penny to maintain his chokehold beyond the point of no return.
JMO
