The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

A few minutes ago, I observed a young man walking past my residence uttering profanities with every step he took. No, his expletives were not directed at me or anyone in the vicinity. He was unaware of my presence, there, alone on my neighbour’s porch. No one else was in sight. He was clearly “talkin’ out of his head” to himself.

This young, delirious person is not the only one in this neighbourhood who wanders around with obvious mental/emotional issues. In fact, this condition appears to be on the increase here and throughout the land.

In the days of Maxwell Thompson’s court, five-pound-words could not be carelessly uttered in public places. Today, those five-pound-words (without inflation) would cost the users about $15 each. Ok, not much, but to have police officers citing such violations alone would result in a constant overflow of funds into the Public Treasury. But, I digress.

Recently, the Deputy Prime Minister announced that vagrants and other undesirables/questionable characters will no longer be allowed to disturb the good peace on Bay Street. So far, I have not heard the expectant backlash to his statements. I did, however, hear some murmurings on one or two radio talk shows about profiling and infringement of some people’s rights. In any case, a line seems to have been drawn on Bay Street, but exactly where do we all draw a line throughout the rest of the nation remains the bigger question.

Drawing the line for this country should not be at all like hop-scotch. No hopping and skipping about, in avoidance of the lines, as many among us are wont to do.

Are certifiable crazy people able to roam our streets and everywhere else totally unrestricted? Are they only to come to our attention when something tragic happens? Or, do we wait for some personal encounter before we take notice or action?

Sometimes, these people crying out for our correction and assistance are dismissed with the comment “Oh, he/she must not have taken their meds today.” Are we to wait for some major incident to happen before necessary treatment is addressed? It seems crazy to me that we maintain that reactive posture, rather than proactive efforts, while looking for different outcomes.

Recently NYC initiated a task force to involuntarily remove mentally ill and homeless people from public places (parks, subways, streets, etc). You may google the particulars for insights which might be instructive for our situation.

Looking around, and at my watch, I would say that it’s high time, if not after time, that we, Bahamians, collectively draw the line as to what is to be socially acceptable with regards to those among us who are clearly in need of special care and attention. The fuses are lit and smoldering. These people pose potential dangers to themselves and to us. We may continue to conveniently turn a blind-eye and join in the singing of “Que sera, sera”, or draw the line somewhere.

MB

Nassau,

June 22, 2023.