Quotes from “10 Plus with Mike Pugh,” in the News & Record:
In response to questions about drugs and violence in neighborhoods, Pugh says:
“There was one place. I had neighbors call me about it and tell me it had become a crack house, and there was prostitution there, too… If we’re interested in rebuilding neighborhoods, we have to get that element out of there and return them to the families and property owners.”
In response to a question about his interest in the problem of homelessness, Pugh says:
“I’ve seen people living on the street, living in the woods, living in cars. I want to help them. I sit on the board of the Salvation Army. I’ve worked with other groups that help the homeless, and I’ll tell you, the biggest causes of homelessness are drug addiction, alcohol addiction and mental health problems. We can help these people, but they have to want our help. They have to know we can help them. Sometimes that means tough love. It means going out into the woods where they’re living in camps and saying, ‘Take our help. This is no way to live. This isn’t a good lifestyle.’”
[emphasis mine]
I’m confused by Pugh’s responses. He calls crack dealers/users and prostitutes “that element” and says they should be driven out in order to rebuild neighborhoods, but he believes in helping addicted homeless people? (Hmmm… I wonder who he thinks is in those crack houses, smoking that rock? Unless High Point’s just real different from Greensboro, I’m guessing they have some homeless folk among their crack house clientèle. And the prostitutes I know who frequent crack houses don’t have permanent addresses, either.) Maybe I’m reading Pugh wrong — I hope so — but he might want to widen the “tough love” net to include the crack house. Rebuilding neighborhoods is a good idea. But rebuilding people’s lives… sooo much better.
Posted in Addiction, Community, Homeless
Tagged addict, alcohol, crack cocaine, crime, drugs, Greensboro, health, homeless, news, politics, Salvation Army, violence
