Former Salt Lake City Councilwoman Deeda Seed said it is now illegal to be homeless in the city (“No-camping rule foils sleep,” The Tribune, April 17). That’s not all that’s illegal in Utah.
It’s also illegal to be a drug addict in the state, just look at the number of prisoners who are in our jails and prison for drug-related offenses. Most are nonviolent offenders caught up in addiction with warrants for the same.
Here’s an idea: Use the vacant Oxbow Jail in South Salt Lake as a place for homeless addicts where they can get treatment, services and a place to stay.
Arresting those folks and locking them up in the county jail nearby has never been the answer. Keep the real violent criminals locked up there, but treat the homeless addicts at the Oxbow where they can have a chance at rehabilitation along with future employment and housing. That’s something this community should support.
Marty Bernstein, Midvale