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Grumble. Grumble. Grumble.
The more I think of that meeting yesterday the more ticked I get. The service
providers talking beforehand about the "clients" like all people with mental
illness look a certain way. The providers themselves are perpetuating
stereotypes and reinforcing the stigma of mental illness.
And then all of them sitting around talking about people with mental illness
like we were a population to control and if need be extinquish (if we really
get out of hand).
It was all about "the system". I asked if they talked to any other
organizations in the community. They said, "like what?" I told them other
communities had similar concerns as people with mental health issues about the
courts, the police, the "system". Also, other communities organizations were
working very hard with many people with mental health issues. They didn't seem
to know what I was talking about.
They said their job wasn't to be advocates. The providers might have very
different opinions on some issues than the police but they didn't think it was
their job to clarify their stance on an issue to the police. And the police
said the same thing. Hummmphh. So what is the purpose of the the roundtable?
It certainly isn't to gain an understanding of the issues of the mentally ill.
Seemed like a waste of time for me if all they were gong to talk about is how
many empty beds they have in detox, how many they are shuffling thru the mental
health court or how many mentally ill people have been shot this month.
They are getting very efficient at housing the mentally ill in our jails,
shelters, hospitals, wherever they can keep them away from society. They are
doing a lousy job at helping them get well and stay well.
Ren�e Jenson
Como
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