Jordan McClements is a writer from Dover, who teaches English composition at his alma mater, Delaware State University.
Keep thinking that the politicians — who have been stealing from us and not using the opioid settlement fund and all resources to help the addicted and the unsheltered — will help you.
They need to release the money right now and help people today.
Instead?
The state of Delaware recycles the same leaders to higher positions, the same leaders who were at the forefront of the overdose crisis they copped out of handling. Over 3,500 people overdosed with these leaders in power from 2016-24. These are the same individuals who had cop-out attitudes when they were asked questions about why Delaware isn’t on the cutting edge of fighting the overdose crisis. I was there. I asked the question. I’m not the only one. Craig Richards is an example. Freezing to death can happen to you and me in Dover, our state’s capital, as easy as it happened to Craig Richards. I watched one of Craig Richards’ friends give testimony about his life.
I never knew Craig Richards, but I knew that his reality was all our realities in Dover.
The time to fight is now, not during the next election when you will obviously give up again, Democrats. Get mad. Get angry. That’s why you’re losing, and you will always lose. You have no edge on the Republicans in using emotion as rhetoric to appeal to your base, and you don’t have the moral advantage. You treat the addicted and the poor as bad, if not worse, than Republicans do. You string them along.
We are still losing people daily, and numbers are meaningless in our overdose crisis. We know the supply is poison — no matter where you get cocaine, heroin, amphetamines or pills — because they are cut with fentanyl, xylazine and medetomidine. Yet we do nothing about the supply. We can’t accept that people are always going to do drugs. Drugs are as much a part of our culture as drinking is. If we don’t accept that, like we have alcohol (see reasons why Prohibition was ended and apply them to our current drug war), we will always see people continue to use and not get help, resulting in potential overdoses.
If any politician was interested in the overdose crisis, they’d employ the National Guard to feed, shelter and get people into services and treatment. But wait? How can that happen?
Get real, Delaware.
Trump is the obvious threat, but the subtle threat is the hope Delaware sells.
Why don’t you care about the addicted or the homeless population? They are our neighbors. Members of our community. Family members. Loved ones. Yeah, I’ve shot heroin. So what? I care about homeless individuals and the addicted. And you should, too.
It’s a radical act to have empathy and care for each other. It is a radical act to love. My message is love. And my action says, if you’re ready to use the National Guard, use it right now to get services and housing for the homeless population and the addicted, plus call a state of emergency.
We, the people, know the score. We, the people, have lost loved ones to overdoses. We, the people, have lost everything, and we will persevere. We, the people, will overcome you, Delaware politicians. We, the people, will overcome the overdose crisis. We, the people, will overcome the unsheltered crisis.
We, the people, will overcome.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
