On stirring a hornet’s nest, part 2

Bees are an extremely valuable part of our ecosystem. Our crops rely on them for pollination such that, if they disappeared, it would plunge our agriculture system into irreversible chaos and billions of people would likely starve. Through my childhood, we never bothered the bees but we would have been forced to intervene had they become aggressive or attempted to take over the house itself. No reasonable person would ever consider moving out of the house to let the bees be more comfortable in the whole home.

As we discussed last week, the citizens of Las Cruces are faced with an impossible choice – be polite, trust our elected officials and allow our empathy to be taken advantage of; or to recognize the plight of our community in the face of crushing drug use and to fight against the plague of violent vagrants that find Las Cruces and New Mexico comfortable. 

I was raised to offer the shirt off of my back to my neighbor in need. But today, the folks we see on the street are not our neighbors and their addictions are so profoundly consuming that they will take everything offered to them in good faith to sell for a few pennies toward a fentanyl pill costing as little as 30 cents. The drug ravishes their bodies and their minds, becoming an insatiable force that compels even the most noble among them to resort to theft to feed the insatiable addiction.

Those that are mentally ill and/or suffering substance use disorders deserve our empathy, to a point. They are sons, daughters, fathers, brothers, mothers and sisters. They are loved, but sometimes the best love they can receive is not to feed their disorder. When asked, most of their mothers would say they wish they could force them into treatment, because their addiction would never allow them to volunteer. They would give anything to have them forcibly detoxed, even if it meant horrific pain for a little while. Their mothers would choose this, in a heartbeat, as opposed to the alternatives.

To honor these mothers and their lost children, our elected leaders need to make these same difficult decisions. Turn away from the easy guise of compassion that is to give them a few dollars on the corner or allow them to commit crimes without consequences. Choose, instead, the true compassion that allows them to receive long-term help even if they would never ask for it themselves.

And what does this have to do with ordinary citizens in our community? The next time you see an illegal encampment around town, consider the homes and businesses in the immediate vicinity. What are those people, working hard to put food on the table and pay the mortgage, enduring? Likely, as evidenced by documented crime statistics for Las Cruces, it is repeated vandalism, shoplifting, robbery or assault.

It’s no secret to anyone in this town where you probably shouldn’t go wandering around after dark. The danger zones in this town include, predominantly, the Valley, Picacho and El Paseo corridors. But the problem is expanding, fueled by millions of dollars dedicated to the problem but with no real plan for successfully raising these vulnerable people out of their disorder.

Consider the bee analogy once more – if you leave well enough alone, occasionally you still get stung. But if you ignore an aggressive hive, you’re choosing to leave the bee population to grow unchecked, in which case your children will have to move out of their home outright to avoid anaphylaxis.