Velshi: We need to do something for mentally ill people, not to them
New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled a plan that would involve involuntarily hospitalizing the mentally ill living on the city’s streets and subways. Mayor Adams is trying to do something to address the city’s mental health crisis. People in New York have become scared of real and perceived violence committed by the mentally ill. But the real solution lies in something being done for mentally ill patients. Not to them. Involuntarily hospitalizing mentally ill homeless people feels like a Band-Aid for something that needs surgery. Mayor Adams’ plan relies on police officers to determine if and when a person needs to be hospitalized. This arguably turns police into social workers without the necessary training and experience to deal with mental health emergencies. Mayor Adams, for his part, has defended himself against criticism of the initiative, arguing that he is determined to tackle a problem that others before him have "punted on." It’s hard to know what the right solution is, but rounding up mentally ill people from the streets and throwing them into a system that might just spit them back out again feels less like a solution and more like a vicious cycle.
UP NEXT
UP NEXT
-
As GOP tries to pin gas prices on Biden, Big Oil scores record profits
MSNBC -
DeSantis targets state college for overhaul with new conservative identity
MSNBC -
Violent police encounters prompt search for better way to protect and serve
MSNBC -
Benefit of specialized police units questioned in light of reported harm
MSNBC -
The Last Thing: Sparking joy
MSNBC -
One-on-One with Max Rose
MSNBC -
Sen. Murphy: ‘Don’t negotiate’ with House GOP on debt ceiling
MSNBC -
Lawrence: Tyre Nichols' family, civil rights leaders evoke MLK Jr. ahead of funeral
MSNBC -
Rep. Goldman: Santos cmte. recusals more evidence he shouldn’t be in Congress
MSNBC -
Video released of Trump deposition in NY fraud case
MSNBC -
‘It doesn’t do any good’: Whistleblower says more training not enough to reform police culture
MSNBC -
Florida activist: DeSantis-led GOP wants to make guns easier to access than kids' Rosa Parks book
MSNBC -
Porter: Congress Covid probe should be ‘forward thinking and prescriptive’
MSNBC -
EX-GOP congressman: Party is just ‘waiting around for Trump to die’
MSNBC -
‘Autocrats’: Receipts bust house GOP for secret MAGA deal after admission
MSNBC -
Losing: See Trump under oath after caving to New York A.G.
MSNBC