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Re: “No, You Can't Kick Mentally Ill Criminals Out Of Your Neighborhood”
Hello, I am a member of the Ardenwald/Johnson Creek Neighborhood Association, the neighborhood slated for the secure residential treatment facility discussed in this blog. I wish to point out that some of the information in your blog is not correct. Sarah, sorry I didn’t get a chance to call you back before you posted this information.
You talk about a plan to turn a “residential home” into a secure treatment facility, but that is not the intent. Columbia Care plans to demolish the existing home and build an 8,500 square foot facility with a 24 car parking lot at the front of the property. This area is zoned R7 and is meant for single family dwellings. This facility will be more than four times the size of the surrounding homes! Loopholes in the FHA and ADA are being used to force a large facility into an area it simply does not belong.
Also, your characterization of the neighborhood actions as NIMBY is also inaccurate. Milwaukie residents would not be objecting so strenuously if the mentally ill patients were truly ready to reintegrate into society. These are not patients who will be holding day jobs and returning to a safe place at night. These violent occupants will be institutionalized for up to three years, making the nature of this facility different from other transitional homes. This facility amounts to little more than a residential prison for forensic patients who have committed some very heinous crimes, but without the security measures implemented at real prisons. Local residents will not even be notified of their new neighbor’s transgressions due to their “disabled” status.
Do a quick search on the web and you’ll have no problem finding news articles about the mentally ill escaping from treatment facilities or statements concerning some of the crimes they previously committed. Due to the nature of these crimes we feel facilities such as these pose a very real threat and do not belong in any backyard. It appears this will be the preferred paradigm to address the problems at the Oregon State Hospital, so please keep your eyes open as your neighborhood may very well be next. THIS IS SIMPLY THE WRONG SOLUTION! Our government officials need to step up and find an answer that truly serves all parties. This solution should include neighborhoods, cities, counties, and state officials working together to find the answer to help everyone involved and the communities they live in.
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