My Global News Interview

concerns about the mental health crisis in Vancouver

As I mentioned in yesterday’s missive, I was interviewed by Global News yesterday morning. You can watch the interview clip and the other interviews below, where you can also read the written story.

I recorded the interview on my mobile and so I can give you the basics of what I was asked and what I said.

What was your gut reaction?

I just think that I'm worried that there is not enough, consideration, for the safety of people. I have a concern that, if a presumably he's not allowed to go home because he, you know, just his wife and children are at risk. But I mean, there's children that live here and there's families that live here, so I don't really know what—I wonder, I question the assessment that's being made and if any at all consideration has been given to the people that live here, as you can see, it's a very family [oriented] there's children. There's children, you know, so I just I worry, especially because of the situation of Vancouver and, like, it's clear that there's a problem of whoever's making these assessments.

I also think that the families are not getting the support things. The Nungu family, like, they just appeared to be—his mother, she was very upset that her son is not getting the care he needs, and, you know, the other situation that just happened this weekend, the family, like, you know, wanted him [Kai-Ji Adam Lo] to get care. And so, I just have this worry that, you know, we want people to be free, but people are sick, like, it's a sickness.

What's, um, what percentage of the building, which you say on average, like, are families with kids … but a lot of kids here?

Fairly a lot, yeah, and there's also lots of children that they also over there (my note: there are two family housing units on this plot of land). [You can see the playground, there are] all these kids. I don't know. I'm bad at estimating, but, like, at least half of, you know, the people that lived here … it’s a coop, right? There's about there's around 200 people that live here … that building is also part of it, so there's like this is the west tower and that east tower. There's just several disabled people live here, and there's, you know, a lot of like couples with families and things like that.

Specifically with um, you're on the same floor, [with] his mother, who’s mobility challenged and has a walker. What are your specific concerns in terms of him living there and being able to take his medication in that environment?

Well, I don't know that she—if he got, you know, if he decided to stop taking his medications and he became belligerent, like, what that how look like, how would she manage that? How was she gonna make him do anything? You know? He seems to be like a strong strapping young man, like, she's, you know, she's, you know, got challenges herself, right? And so, to the point that she needs help, so I don't know, I think that's like burdening the already burdened.

And I don't want this to seem, like—I don't want this to seem like, I'm against anyone, but I really think of the families, because that's something that's come out of all of this, that families are really devastated, you know? Like they're victims too, because they don't want this. They don't wanna, you know, they want—.

It’s like … anything else, if you're a family member is sick, you know, if they have like, you know, cold or like cause they need care. And these people aren't getting care because we don't have the belief that or there's some weird notion that, you know, in order to be free, that these people cannot be, you know, get the care that they mean. And in some cases, that maybe means like a sometimes some institutional care in some way to manage violent behavior, because obviously nobody wants to deal with the violent person, but families don't either, right?

And my whole concern with this guy is, if he's not able to go home, because if there was a domestic violence situation, I think, if I'm not mistaken, it's automatic that he there's like a restraining order and he can't go home.

So, if he can't go home to his wife and children and like, why can't he come here, where there's children and stuff? Maybe there's no assessment made, maybe they just thought, oh, you know, she lives in the house or something, but not everyone lives in a private house, right? I mean, this is a community with families and people and vulnerable people, and, you know, I don't know that he would get the care that he needs here. That's really my concern, for the for the support.

And so, why did he stop taking his medication and how do we know that he's not gonna stop taking it again? And what are we do we have a plan? I mean, maybe there needs to be some kind of plan in place for this. Like, I, you know, I get the balance, you don't wanna lock everyone up, but, you know, I think we've gone the other way.

What's your greatest fear?

Well, that something happens, you know, that he's out of control and like, how is anyone gonna make him stay in that apartment? What's keeping him there? He had an outburst or whatever happened, you know, with his [wife], you know, and assaulted the peace officer and the other things were like he threatened to destroy property, and he threatened to like burn some things and stuff, like, what is that?

How are we gonna manage that? Like, who is gonna help us manage that, and mostly it's for his mom. Like, she seemed like she was really concerned and rightly so—nobody wants to see their children like that, right?

But if your kids are grown and they're big, how do you manage that? So that's really my biggest concern is that this is not necessarily the best place for somebody like that. You know? Three people were assaulted, like the the police officer and then his partner, and then, of course, g-d only knows what his children saw, and then the woman from Toronto, who is was very upset and on her social media thing she [said] he tried to kill me and stuff. You know?

So, that’s a basic summary of what we discussed, the story shows a small clip of the overall interview I had with Kristen Robinson.

It’s an important story about a serious crisis our city faces, as many other Canadian cities battle this crisis. We need serious leaders who are willing to work for and implement change for public safety. We need a much better mental health system and a more responsive legal system, and we need a more effective marriage between the two systems.