Progressive DA Mike Schmidt lost badly in Portland last night. He gave way to a moderate democrst who promises to charge retail theft as a felony. The party is over. 🧵 politico.com/news/magazine/… This is true.

“The white left decided anarchists were better than cops,” said Holton, faulting “folks outside Portland treating us as a lab for policy experiments and what were clearly failed experiments.”

Today, SCOTUS will hear arguments on the Johnson v. Grants Pass case. Whether it's cruel and unusual punishment to remove the homeless from public spaces. I'm formerly homeless and in recovery. So I have an opinion.🧵 1. The 8th amendment does not apply because 80-90% of those offered shelter on the street voluntarily decline.

If you go to Skid Row in L.A. there are 10,000 people on the street. Many for 10+ years. They've all been offered shelter or even housing multiple times.

People need to understand something about converting hotels to homeless shelters or homeless housing. It's not that the idea is bad. It's the policy behind how it's run that's bad. Let me explain. 🧵 cbsnews.com/colorado/news/… The current federal and state models for housing the homeless fall under the 'housing first' model that includes harm reduction language which recognizes the need for low barrier access including drugs being a part of the individuals 'journey.'

There are so many bomb dropping truths in this article by @JaredKlickstein that I don't know where to begin. But I'll try. 🧵
nypost.com/2023/05/20/har… "Across the nation, a growing element of the harm reduction movement now rejects treatment or abstinence-based recovery strategies."

Radical harm reductionists think treatment is cruel and too hard. So they protest recovery.

https://twitter.com/Twolfrecovery/status/1628112991135870977?t=5uK3HORXm1oGMb72K4mDHw&s=19

I want to thank the city of #Calgary for being such a gracious host as I attended the @recovery_summit this week. The "Alberta Model" is a blueprint for addiction treatment and recovery in North America. #ROSC #AlbertaModel This model embraces the full continuum of care from harm reduction, including medically assisted treatment and OPS sites, all the way to residential treatment while keeping the focus on building recovery capital.

Alberta is light years ahead of us on drug treatment and #recovery. But, there's always hope for change. "With free addiction treatment, recovery is possible." #SanFrancisco 10,000 treatment spaces coming on line in Alberta 🇨🇦. If only #California would invest in addiction treatment this way. @GavinNewsom

What this opinion by @JustMrPhillips fails to mention is the 10+ times they mentioned the word "recovery." You know how many times @SF_DPH mentions "recovery" in there new 3 year OD prevention plan? Three times. Three. In a 72 page plan. #SanFrancisco sfchronicle.com/bayarea/justin… The bottom line is that @mattdorsey @BrookeJenkinsSF @LondonBreed & @SFPDChief at least recognize recovery. I was in the Tenderloin and SOMA yesterday. There's a subset of people that need a "nudge" toward recovery. If we leave them out there, they'll die.

I'm going to go on a little rant about politics and ideology in #SanFrancisco as it pertains to crime, homelessness and drugs. Mind you, I'm a biracial middle class male who 4+ years ago found myself homeless and badly addicted to heroin. 🧵 sfchronicle.com/opinion/editor… Prior to falling into my addiction, I guess I thought I was a Progressive. I voted Democrat in every election since 1988. My dad was an old Teamster and a "Kennedy Democrat" and I grew up being told Reagan was the worst President in history.

This is the most important piece of writing I've seen on why we have a drug and homeless crisis in this city. The jig is up. Let's unpack. 🧵 #SanFrancisco michaelshellenberger.substack.com/p/san-francisc… @ShellenbergerMD was contacted by a former "homeless expert" in SF. That person literally confirms everything Shellenberger and I have been saying about "open drug scenes" and more importantly, who is actually controlling policy around the "homeless crisis" in SF.

Is there any another city that has 1,000 organized drug dealers "working" in plain site in broad daylight downtown? Truly a self inflicted wound. And we're all hurting for it. @ShellenbergerMD

https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1464953923349843970

The collateral damage to the community is obvious. This isn't harm reduction.

https://twitter.com/KeithNHumphreys/status/1464632092826894344?t=a6AD-xXKq3MmPy1ElR5EGw&s=19

"Is it humane to allow people to live, get sick and too often die in encampments, knowing they will likely wait years for housing?" latimes.com/california/sto… This is the question we must ask ourselves and our elected leaders throughout #California. It's time for "Right To Shelter" in this state. It delivers for all sides. @CAgovernor @MayorOfLA @LondonBreed