a lot of emotions right now but im going to try to be as cohesive as i can here.
his name was Luke. he was more than a statistic, more than an addict, and so much more than just a homeless man.
he was a father. a son. a person with a life and loved ones.
on monday november 28th, he was released from jail with no winter appropriate clothing, money or resources. that day he overdosed but was revived by the team at the local safe injection site.
that's about the only good thing they did for Luke that day. unable to find him a shelter and not able to get him a hotel due to "rules", he was sent out on the street again.
that night, he took shelter in the city hall bathrooms so he could stay warm. sadly, he would be found the next day by staff, deceased.
our city failed him, and now he is no longer alive. they keep calling him "a homeless man" but he had a name! and we should say it.
im really upset over this situation because i've had to witness basically first hand how dire it's getting in this city (i live downtown in an area that has a high number of homeless folks and addicts, and i live near the needle exchange/safe injection site). any of those people could just as well be me, if i hadn't gotten clean when i did...
(for info on this; see below article)
Mary MacDonald says no one deserves to die the way her youngest son, Luke Anthony Landry, died. He struggled with drugs and was released fro
