The A in ARMOR represents Affirmation, which from a community psychology perspective is what we as community members provide for each other. Sense of community: A definition and theory.
In the words of our city manager, “what can we do together?” Borrowed from John Vincent’s recent article.
Our featured image commemorates a few of Doc’s most loved and cherished mentors, professors from UMass, Lowell. He is curious and wanted to ask if you’ve ever been cuffed up and held in a cold, hardened steel/concrete, jail cell? Have you ever woken up in four-point restraints? How about being so medicated all you could handle was the Thorazine Shuffle? Well, according to Doc, such experiences are no walk in the park! Self-medicating behaviors, done improperly, often lead to these types of misfortunes, even if they did save your life. Folks seem to reject investing into harm-reduction ideology. And sadly, punitive measures are the least effective way to help people change their behaviors. Economically, housing first is evidenced-based via monetary measures, never mind human dignity. Look up “political abuse of psychiatry” or “punitive psychiatry.” And this is more than our communities here in the U.S., the concept is of global concern, as is our homeless crisis. Yes, yours and ours here on the planet!
Bartering Systemically
Before breaching this topic and its relevance, let’s check out a poem written by Doc back in his pre-BP medicated and PhD mind; and nearly a decade after freedom from slavery from the worst of all drugs C2H5OH, and of course the likes of THC, PCP, LSD, and you name it!
Walking on Water
It was an icy cold day that winter morn,
And the devil had my mind filled with scorn,
To impress my fiends was the plan,
I’d walk the thin iced river to join their clan.
Down below dark swirls moved fast,
If I fell though, it would be my last.
As the ice cracked beneath my feet,
I knew then there’d be no retreat.
I prayed for angels to enforce this sheet,
Unless it is time for us to meet.
Icy water pools formed behind
Oh, sweet angels be so kind.
They carried me across
There’s no other resolve
Is it to Angels,
We evolve?
Greg
21 March 2006 @ 09:45
cleansemyriver.org
Ok, so, what exactly does bartering systemically mean? From a social scientist’s perspective, systems may include social systems such as families, couples, agencies, governments and all sorts of grouped people. Our community and environment, together, is also considered a system. It is inclusive of our homeless addiction disorders (HADs) too. As much as we do our best to remain impartial to labels, some can be therapeutic. Our Network, VSN, is also a system wishing to barter, systemically, with our governing bodies and other community systems. Here’s the deal, we’ll clean your streets and you folks clean our River!
The Massachusetts Governor has been acknowledged in both of these areas recently, as our Editors Group likes to share data concerning both topics, HADs and Merrimack River. Hopefully, the featured image for today is beginning to make more sense! As Tall Jimmy would say: “change the way you look at things and the things you’re looking at will change.”
Now, back up to our title: “Clinical Peace Officers.” Over the years we’ve shared many stories in group meetings involving dynamics between law enforcement, its apparent world view, and our clients. Doc has always advocated for institutionalization to be therapeutic, non-mandated, and only necessary for protecting the human rights of all American citizens, especially against violence. Supervising a cohort of stem-puffing and/or needle-injecting homeless people is a bit pricey lately, don’t you think? We absolutely agree with adding professional comprehension to law enforcement for better understanding our mentally ill, inclusive of addiction disorders.
Why is the monetary aspect a fuss though? We’re pretty sure the concept of community policing can get cozy with voluntary community clinical peace officers. Maybe it’s a worldview of collect-and-punish shadowing protect-and-serve that requires discerning. Is treating our ill as if they belong in lock-down facilities like incarcerating those who are unable to pay taxes? Psychiatrists across the globe, especially where governing political disobedience is frowned upon, have been abusive by negating people’s human rights and human dignity via diagnostic clout, allegedly. Thank you for your commitment, Franco (online resource), for being a genuine and authentic exception! Man, oh man, could we use his skill set in our research project today!
Check out CMHA, and no, we aren’t referring to Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance. We are talking congressional act of 1963. The follow-up portion of the act never happened; allotted funds were diverted or something. These further assert that the ideology of housing first not only works to save lives and funds, it also was warranted by our own political system.
The following vid is dedicated to Ms. Melanie Gilbert
for her excellence in writing!
If incentives work so well to incite behaviors necessary for healthy loving lifestyles, like the paychecks issued by our tax dollars, why not use incentives to modify behaviors of our HADs? Start with the beauty of our Superior Courthouse, as an incentive; and inspire behavior modification with it – maybe even earn more tax dollars from our HADs for agency after agency. Most of our HADs are already familiar with going from tent to cabin to courthouse anyway… lol!
Note: Please join us for next month’s topic area: “Paths from the Streets to Stability.” Things like, (a) emergency shelters vs. permanent housing, (b) transitional housing models, (c) supportive housing and wraparound services, and (d) tiny homes / auxiliary dwelling units.