Editor, Ceres Courier,

A “perfect storm” is brewing in California. Consider: 

• AB 109 releases thousands of convicted criminals (mostly drug related offenses) from prison. 

• California Proposition 47  reduces petty theft to anything under $950.00 and reduces many drug possession felonies to misdemeanors.

• Severely mentally ill are not treated under guise of protecting their “civil rights” – totally psychotic individuals allowed to continue roaming streets, most are self-medicating and prefer street drugs to medication which could potentially divert their chaotic demise.

• U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rules that “the government cannot criminalize indigent, homeless people for sleeping outdoors, on public property, on the false premise they had a choice in the matter.” Resulting in an exodus of homeless from existing local shelters to an unstructured “park living” alternative.  

Given these circumstances, my predictions are: 

1).The number of homeless addicted and mentally ill will continue to spike in Stanislaus County - primary concentration will be Modesto.

2). Business will suffer;

3). Property rates will decline;

4). Police and community leaders will promote valiant intervention schemes, none of which will stave off the dystopian consequence we have brought upon ourselves by implementing the misguided policies and inept strategies described above.

The backwash of confusion and chaos we are presently experiencing are predictably in direct consequence to our misguided policy producing the “perfect storm.”

Lonnie Davis,

Ceres

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