It's not law enforcement's job to clean a social mess created by enablers; its time to back the streets of Eureka

While I am not for criminalizing the homeless for sleeping, or people peacefully using public space that are down on their luck, I am for tools to deal with lazy, self entitled bums taking over Humboldt.

Perfect example today of why we do need a city ordinance to deal with vagrants, particularly confrontational, drunk or high vagrants who feel entitled to trash private property, loiter around in town all day.

Walk around in Old Town, particularly today, and you see more bums on the street than tourists or people  who live here just relaxing.

On a daily basis, there is trash near my home and place of work, people urinating, throwing up and then copping an attitude when they are told to clean it up and leave. These are things others deal with as well. The ordinance Eureka recently tried to pass would have been successful had it been crafted to deal with just those who create problems.

I am enjoying a peaceful Labor Day weekend , time off I haven't had in a long time, talking a walk, enjoying a beautiful Humboldt day. I come home to find some obnoxious guy running water out of an outside pipe, wasting water, with his crap all over the place. I ask him to pick up his stuff and leave and he cusses at me, and tries to come at me screaming and yelling.

We are in the middle of a drought and he has water running all over that he isn't using to drink or bathe.

He then proceeds to go to the front of my home and loiter with two of his friends coping an attitude and creating a disturbance. While they proceed to snack on their food and sodas strewn all over the sidewalk, which they most likely didn't pay for with money earned.

If you want to use public space, respect others' private space and follow basic rules. We want to ignore that some people don't care about anyone other than themselves. Maybe it is because they never worked to earn a home, food and were told someone owes them.

If this was an isolated incident, it would be one thing. But it isn't. I don't call the police every time but sometimes it is necessary.

There's a healthy young guy camped out for two weeks who I see every day when I walk to the Courthouse, playing music on his cell phone, just lying there begging for change.

These are just two examples.

None of these people are mentally ill or making an effort to improve their situation.

I called the EPD today because I needed to leave my house. And I had two angry men yelling and screaming. They argue with the officer but finally leave.

Don't blame rich people, don't blame law enforcement. The blame is on the drug lords, on poor parenting and a choice by some to live an entitlement lifestyle. And those that enable them by inflaming emotions under the guise of rights and social and political differences.

If you are mentally ill and creating problems; if you are transient and creating problems; don't blame society if you get locked up. It's the only way you take your meds and won't threaten others. It doesn't help when certain media inflames situations by claiming police brutality and aggressiveness by selectively portraying situations residents and business owners deal with daily.

I see families in court feeling sorry for their children. Mental illness advocates that cannot differentiate that while I feel sympathy for those who suffer from mental illness, not all are troublemakers, those that are, got there because they were enabled and not held accountable.

Almost every person arraigned in Humboldt Court, especially the frequently booked, claim they have no income or cannot afford an attorney. The habitual offenders just ask for a public defender before the Judge can question or appoint one. Some sue frivolously. It isn't the poor that are the problem. It is the moochers that suck resources that should be going towards the less unfortunate and struggling and working poor.

Thank you law enforcement for doing a thankless job.