It was disappointing to read an opinion by Bill Roberts attacking the unhoused. I, too, do not condone using public property as a restroom. But suggesting most unhoused folks have “poor behavior” and stating, without any basis, that “most Durango residents would now say Purple Cliffs should go away” is hateful speech. Articles in The Durango Herald covered efforts by Neighbors in Need Alliance, Project Moxie, Local First Impact Funding, and the city and county to improve housing solutions.
Why are some unhoused behaviors unsettling? A primary reason is trauma. In “My Grandmother’s Hand,” the author/therapist Resmaa Menakem cites a study published in 2014 of 17,000 people over three decades conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Kaiser Permanente. It links childhoods with abuse or neglect to long-term health and social consequences.
It identified 10 “adverse childhood events”: divorced or separated parents; physical abuse; physical neglect; emotional abuse; emotional neglect; sexual abuse; domestic violence the child witnessed; substance abuse in the household; mental illness in the household; and a family member in prison. The more of these Adverse Childhood Experiences, the more likely the person will suffer from alcoholism, depression, liver disease, sexually transmitted diseases, illicit drug use, financial stress and attempted suicide. With four of these ACEs, one will be 4.5 times as likely to be depressed; 10 times as likely to be an intravenous drug-user; and 12 times as likely to be suicidal. Rather than jumping to conclusions, one might benefit from research.
Lynne M. Sholler
Durango
