Dublin now worse than NYC for junkie scum on the streets?

prinz

Truley wrote: »

Fair enough but in those cases it's not the fact that they use drugs that makes them act like scumbags, they are scumbags anyway. Likewise alot of people act violently without being on drugs.

Yes they are, and yes they do.

Truley wrote: »

One poster says having a sympathetic attitude towards drug addicts exasperates the problem...

In a sense it does. There was an element of resignation, of 'sure they are junkies what do you expect? Leave them alone'... that increases the problem. Drug abuse should be tackled and agreesively so. There is no reason whatsoever for excusing junkies congregating and in effect 'colonising' parts of the city centre.

Truley wrote: »

If someone is acting dangerously than fair enough, treat it as such. If all drug addicts are treated like criminals simply because of the fact they have an addicition then you are losing sight of exactly what the real problems are. I rarely hear Jim Morrison or Michael Jackson refered to as 'scumbags.'

There are addicts who will come to the treatment centres and do their thing no problem. The problem is a massive amount of addicts of one drug or another ruining the enjoyment of Dublin city centre with aggression, with anti-social behaviour etc etc and they are scum, addict or not.

Vick7

Vick7 wrote: »

Junkie scum??? I hate political correctness these days but I would not talk about anyone like that. I guarentee none of them have had the oppurtunities in life I have so I refuse to look down my nose at them. Life is easy for some hard for others doesn't make you any better or worse.

I think if you refuse to look down your nose, then your rose tinted glasses may not fall off.
Lots of us didnt have oppurtunitys, but we still behave in public. Im an acholholic myself, 7 years sobriety under my belt. I can tell you, I never ran around the streets beligerent and harrassing people .

bnt

I was last in New York in 2001, so I don't know what it's like there these days - but I thought it was fine. More recently I was in Houston, where the downtown area is basically devoid of people except those working in office buildings, who never actually walk on the streets. They park their cars in garages and use the underground tunnels to get around, and even have lunch in restaurants down there.

I was in London a few months ago, and thought that was much improved from previous years. I had to use a public toilet, and feared the worst, but it was a junkie-free zone. Hail Boris! :pac:

Abrasax

Dunno if it's been said already, long thread, but I was reading, only yesterday, that New York came 222nd on a list of the 240 most crime ridden cities in the States (with a population of 100,000 plus, Malcolm Gladwell).
Doesn't seem very dangerous at all really.

Celly Smunt

that boardwalk is a filthy thing

Archeron

I love Dublin hugely for many reasons, but I agree that there is a huge problem with all sorts of gits annoying and hassling people.

Sitting in Burger King on O Connell street on a saturday afternoon shows a horrible image of what could be a beautiful street but is instead somewhere you feel you'll be happier to be far away from.

Celly Smunt

i think its the lack of police presence,i hardly ever see them around the place anymore except for a few rookies

Sir Gallagher

Walking around the city centre these days fills me with disgust, i never actually feel threatened at all just disgusted at the scum allowed to walk our streets. A beautiful city steeped in history ruined by these scumbags and the authorities who allow it.

Sir Gallagher

pmcmahon wrote: »

i think its the lack of police presence,i hardly ever see them around the place anymore except for a few rookies

I agree, the gards on the beat these days just look absolutely hopeless, walking around in their big glow in the dark jackets and oversized hats. Jokers.

I cannot honestly remember the last time I felt really comfortable Dublin City Center, and Im talking mostly daytime. Id love to be able to sit and have a pleasant coffee without worrying about who's approaching me, or watching foul behaviour. Yesterday myself and the Mother were on the boardwalk, and a few young fellas came along drinking, and one of the raised his arm and threw his bottle into the river. Sad really, to see such a young lad have no pride at all. He was about 3 feet from a bin.

I wonder is the Justice minster isolated from all we see ? Id love him to walk the town with me for an hour, and see it outside the Merc windows. What exactly is he doing to tackle crime, has anyone heard ???

Tchaikovsky

pmcmahon wrote: »

i think its the lack of police presence,i hardly ever see them around the place anymore except for a few rookies

The shortest, most non-threathening looking police force in the world.

prinz

Tchaikovsky wrote: »

The shortest, most non-threathening looking police force in the world.

I don't know about shortest tbh.

Tchaikovsky

Well nonetheless, they never should have got rid of the height restrictions for the Guards.. brought in my short-arse politicians with a chip on their shoulders!

LarrytheLantern

I was driving with an American cousin in the '80s through NY and when he hit the central locking button. I honestly thought it was mad, and told all my family 'n friends once I got back home how bad things were in NY.

Now I do it automatically once I enter Dublin!

I sold up in Dublin 2 years ago, and am absolutely delighted I did.

Dublin is choc-full of knackers nowadays.
Sorry but it's true!

Big Nasty

LarrytheLantern wrote: »

I sold up in Dublin 2 years ago, and am absolutely delighted I did.

Dublin is choc-full of knackers nowadays.
Sorry but it's true!

I would say you are! Bloody good timing!

jesus_thats_gre

Yes, the main steets of Manhattan seem to be safer places than Dublin... I am pretty sure the opposite would be the case if you compared the worst suburbs of each city.

griffdaddy

I think that's good point. People don't real live in the city centre in Dublin to the same extent as they do in a lot of other cities, particularly in Europe. If more people had their residents in the centre I bet the problem would never have gone so long unchecked.

gazzer

Jake1 wrote: »

I wonder is the Justice minster isolated from all we see ? Id love him to walk the town with me for an hour, and see it outside the Merc windows. What exactly is he doing to tackle crime, has anyone heard ???

+1. I would love Mr Ahern to take a walk along the boardwalk as well as getting on a few Dublin buses to experience what thousands of other people experience each day.

Lux23

I think I tempted fate saying that Dublin wasn't as dodgy as people were trying to make out. IN the last month I have suffered the following;

A drunk pissed on me at the luas stop in Ranalagh
Kids sprayed me with a super soaker out their window
A saw a man doing a number 2 on the pavement
I found a bag of heroin on the street

eightyfish

Lux23 wrote: »

A drunk pissed on me at the luas stop in Ranalagh
Kids sprayed me with a super soaker out their window
A saw a man doing a number 2 on the pavement
I found a bag of heroin on the street

Fun times!

super_furry

Not a super soaker! Do the doctor's think you'll walk again?

Lux23

super_furry wrote: »

Not a super soaker! Do the doctor's think you'll walk again?

Smartarse.

Pace2008

Lux23 wrote: »

I found a bag of heroin on the street

Christ, and I thought I was lucky when I found a tenner on the bus.

yogy

[QUOTE=Lux23;66932717
A drunk pissed on me at the luas stop in Ranalagh
Kids sprayed me with a super soaker out their window
A saw a man doing a number 2 on the pavement
I found a bag of heroin on the street[/QUOTE]

1) Don't let people piss on you in future..

2) You should have got the ERU and special branch to diffuse the super soaker situation..

3) If you are the kind of person who complains about a super soaker assault it's highly unlikely you'd have any clue what a bag of smack is!

ScumLord

Sure gangs of cops roam the centre of New York. When I was there I didn't see one cop on his own they where always in gangs of at least 6. Leave the centre though and you won't see any cops, their only there to protect the tourists from the real America.

Hank Scorpio

Never been to NY but was shocked by some things i saw the last time I lived in Dublin

Lux23

yogy wrote: »

1) Don't let people piss on you in future..

2) You should have got the ERU and special branch to diffuse the super soaker situation..

3) If you are the kind of person who complains about a super soaker assault it's highly unlikely you'd have any clue what a bag of smack is!

I had a boyfriend who was a user. I know exactly what the stuff is like. As for the people pissing on me, it wasn't like he bought me dinner first!!

W.Shakes-Beer

Went to NY in 2005, i was 15 and felt way safer there than walking through Dublin, was also slightly agrophobic at that age.

cursai

Maybe its because we all just spend more time in Dublin than New York and notice its problems more. Is this more of that New York is my second home mentality. I have to laugh. I see a lot of quick judgments here, although a lot of people would insist they aren't judging. I don't know which is worse in Dublin - The poor Junkies and their anti-social behaviour OR the rich snobs with their anti social behaviour. Who forced the poor families into certain areas and who kept them out of the better areas.

Lux23

In general junkies don't do you any harm, they are just more annoying like flies or something. I feel sorry for those who are really looking for help and want to improve their situation but so many are just happy to be off their head all the time.