(StraightNews.org) – GOP Presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said he will reopen “mental institutions” in America if elected to the White House next year. The former President said the move will combat homelessness and open drug use on American streets, adding that he will ban so-called “urban camping,” – a term used to describe homeless people living in tents on city streets.
“When I am back in the White House, we will use every tool, lever, and authority to get the homeless off our streets,” he said in a video posted to his campaign website. Mr. Trump emphasized that he understands homeless people and addicts need help, and he promised to deliver that help, but law-abiding citizens should not have to “step over needles and waste” while walking city streets. He added that the homeless “have no right” to turn cities into wastegrounds.
“There is nothing compassionate about letting these individuals live in filth and squalor,” he said. The former President hinted that funds to Ukraine would not continue under his leadership, saying that for a small fraction of what the US spends in Ukraine, it could help all of America’s homeless get back on their feet.
For those who are “severely mentally ill and deeply disturbed,” Trump said they will be sent to “mental institutions where they belong.”
Trump is not alone in his view. New York City Mayor Eric Adams came under fire last year when he also advocated for the institutionalization of severely ill people, saying first responders should be able to commit people for treatment against their will. “It is not acceptable for us to see someone who clearly needs help and walk past,” Adams said.
His remarks prompted a debate with Jacquelyn Simone from the Coalition for the Homeless, offering her support for the policy. Matt Kudish, CEO of the New York chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, disagreed and said forcing people into institutions is an infringement of their civil rights.
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