Lunatic roaming East Dulwich road

[LondonMix]

That's very honest and I agree as fear is totally the natural response if you don't know someone.

I agree that compassion is also needed and that the system certainly appears to be failing these people. I'm almost going mad just commuting in the cold so sleeping rough is an unimaginable hardship to me.

With that said, being snide about a shop wanting to prevent its goods being stolen is rediculous.

[tallulah71]

polla2256 is it? Dick heads like you really piss me off - hope I never have the displeasure of meeting you!

DJKQ - looking forward to reading, 'Streetcat named Bob' - just been loaned it.

So many kind-hearted people out there - good on you!

[Jeremy]

Of course the mentally ill need help, I don't even think there's a debate to be had. But the public also need to be protected from dangerous or intimidating behaviour. Calling the police is definitely the thing to do.

[lameduck]

i agree with lynne

i also am an oldie, and i too would be frightened by this man. and i also doubt that anybody would help me

except the police.

but must be honest i could not stand there and allow anyone to be beat up by anybody

especially a woman of any age. dont worry lynne i wont see you in trouble.

lynne x

[Lynne]

Thanks, Lameduck. Next time I'm worried, I'll just call "Lameduck to the rescue" and the police will take me away instead

Lynne

[DJKillaQueen]

The police do have a procedure of referral for dealing with people with mental health problems so they are the right people to call in that event. And it can be very scary being confronted in that way by anyone, no-one would disagree with that. My point was more a case of preventing people from becomming homeless in the first place.

At present homeless people are housed in hostels, often which are a concentration of people with addictions or mental health problems (but without any on site specialist support for them). They can be very hostile and frightening places to live.

Single men with no dependants are the least likely to qualify for social housing as well so there is a corellation between homelessness and the number of single men on waiting lists and living in hostels. And with the coming changes to Housing Benefit (in relation to underoccupancy) and council tax benefit (it's being abolished and local authorities will have to give rebates, but won't be given enough by the current government to maintain at previous levels) there are going to be increasing presures on local authorities. The numbers of families and individuals being made homeless by the changes already applied is rising and that is a trend that is expected to continue.

But in all of this, a person can sink very quickly to the bottom. The loss of employment, a family/ relationship breakdown/ bereavement, there are many reasons why people suddenly become ill or homeless. Things can fall apart very quickly. A providing shelter and a meal at Christmas isn't enough.

[reeko]

I should clarify, I would still call the police if confronted with someone acting as the OP describes, they are a dnager to themselves and others. However, I would now wait until they arrive and get the names and numbers of the officers involved and where they are taking the person. The IPCC have demonstrated time and time again that they do not hold police officers to account however wrong their actions. The concern of members of the public is a vulnerable person's best protection if they are unfortunate enough to encounter the type of police officers who ignored all their training in restraining, caused the death of Sean Rigg and then lied about it (again this is not my opinion or supposition, this was all documented in the inquiry).

[ratty]

I would not be so sure about hostels having no specialist staff or services on site. We have not spent the last 15 years building up these services to address the needs of the homeless just to return to the days of dumping people in a large building. There is fantastic access to services in all the hostels that I know.

[Rianoo]

@LondonMix

I'm not being snide - just saying how it is. It is a reality.

[polla2256]

@tallulah When you've been shot at, rpg'd, sniped, motored and ied'd come back and please tell me you truly understand human nature. When you have had a bout of ptsd, served in every modern conflict of the 21st century and are considered a veteran then come back to me for discussion. I see the world for what it is. I hope I don't meet this person bacause if I ever feel threatened I react with an instinct you may never understand. I have pulled the trigger many times and know how it affects people, yet im still a functioning member of society. If its a mental problem he needs help, if its drug related I have no sympathy. Take pity on him all you want but he should not be on the streets.

[DJKillaQueen]

You don't need to be anywhere near a war zone to understand human nature.

Thankfully there are many others with a far better understanding than you.

[uncleglen]

Unfortunately in London there are a disproportionate number of the 'needy' some become needy through no fault of their own and some fall into the category through drink and/or drugs. There are also 'chancers' who will use any sob story to extract your hard earned cash, and there are perfectly capable human beings with a victim mentality who think the rest of the world owes them a living.

As the years advance (and the population increases) I am increasingly suspicious of people I don't know and act accordingly and would never judge anyone who 'turns a blind eye'

[DJKillaQueen]

That's all true uncle, but I would also say that just because some will not help themselves or respond when offered help doesn't mean we shouldn't try. Drug and alcohol addiction is always a controversial one, but we have to remember that addiction is not the sole preserve of the poor either.

Some things take years to repair in a person. There are no quick fixes for many things, including depression, trauma, and even the impacts of hardship. The state is vastly under resourced in what it can offer by way of treatment, but where intensive and prolonged treatment/ support is in place, the results are worthwhile. For the poor, illness, or addiction etc can quickly trap that person in a downward spiral. If that person is then ostracised by the community around them, then they have no chance of getting well. We should care about those people more than we do.

[OliviaDee]

If you see someone sleeping rough you can phone their location through to outreach teams on 0870 3833333 or email [email protected] so they can try and get them indoors. please repost.

this was on facebook. Good to have.

[Santerme]

polla2256 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> @tallulah When you've been shot at, rpg'd, sniped,

> motored and ied'd come back and please tell me you

> truly understand human nature. When you have had a

> bout of ptsd, served in every modern conflict of

> the 21st century and are considered a veteran then

> come back to me for discussion. I see the world

> for what it is. I hope I don't meet this person

> bacause if I ever feel threatened I react with an

> instinct you may never understand. I have pulled

> the trigger many times and know how it affects

> people, yet im still a functioning member of

> society. If its a mental problem he needs help, if

> its drug related I have no sympathy. Take pity on

> him all you want but he should not be on the

> streets.

If those are the criteria then I understand human nature too

But I fail to understand the linkage

[DJKillaQueen]

There is no linkage unless the streets of ED are somehow comparable to a war zone. They are of course not, so to suggest that only someone who has served in the skewed extremes of war zones can have a handle on human nature is nonsense. In fact I'd argue that war zones do the opposite. Instead of giving those in them perpsective, they expose people to world of diproportionate brutality and many never recover completely from the trauma of them.

Is Polla arguing that a man behaving oddly in a quiet London street is somehow akin to a maniac in a war zone with and AK47 (for example)? It's not hard to see from that post where all perspective has been lost, and understandably why.

[caz6868]

hi everyone as i read the post of lunatic on the loose .i started to get worried and thought oh sxxt its mt cousin who is schzephrenic.living in hostel se15.but boy was i glad when i knew for defo it was not him it was like phew.scary and intimadating is how all the victims felt.but that man will be on the roam again ,perhaps is monthly medication was due as they tend not to want to take meds because they feel as if they are being forced to take drugs as they themselves don't always understand that they are suffering with mental health issues.its hard some will asy lock the prick up.lol, others will say they have human rights and the goverment will response for them,lol. but alas the community looks after them and takes the backlash when things are not right with them mentally.always be cautious and try not to show your fear.my cousin lived in a hostel one street away from my home and never knew i lived so close i cooked is dinner most sunday and would walk round with it.if he knew where i lived he would knock all hours of the night then he would be in trouble i would wring his neck.xxx

[caz6868]

well when i read this post i was slightly concerned it was my cousin who lives in se15 in a mental health hostel.but after reading description i thought phew its not him.he suffers from schizophrenia.he drinks serious booze takes loads iof a class drugs and whilst withdraw from not having enough money to buy them he shouts down the streets in pain.my cousin lived in an hostel one street away from me last year but i didn't let him know where i lived because he would be knocking at all hours begging money and getting angry with it.so i cooked his dinner and took it round to him on sundays.i feel it for him.

[Stresshead]

Does this man have glasses? Had a horrible experience on 176 about half hour ago with a black guy with a flapper hat and backpack munching on an apple and pushing a woman away from where she was standing then pushing other women off the bus shouting at them . Very scary and I couldn't do anything as I had my 3 years old with me and we were right next to him . Thankfully he got off a stop before me so I managed to avoid his fury .

[sequinstars]

Stresshead. That fits the description of the guy who I saw early on the morning of the 18th shouting by Locale and generally being aggressive. While I agree with much of the sentiment on the thread re: helping vulnerable people, the primary concern for anyone should be themselves and their family. Pushing women and shouting on a bus is a problem and we need to get this person off the streets pronto for our and their safety. Suggest next citing we ring 999 and get the coppers out.

[LauraW]

Sane respose to the roadworks, I reckon.

[Stresshead]

It was scary, when someone is violent you just have no idea how far they will go.

The women were absolutely stunned and the ones that got pushed off the bus were telling him he is a bully pushing women but obviously you cannot reason with someone like that .

Definitely avoid this man and report him to the police if you can .

[pkpickles]

Stresshead - he wasn't wearing glasses the times I've encountered him, but I DID see him again this evening walking down East Dulwich Road doing his usual. Unfortunately it looks like the police haven't directed him to the care he needs.

[Stresshead]

So no glasses this evening when you saw him ?

The possibility of two men walking around Dulwich scaring people isn't very appealing !

I generally feel safe around here within reason but after the bus incident and his behaviour to all the women I am feeling on edge knowing I could bump into him anytime as its my son I am worrying about also since I don't want to get into confrontations with him present .

Hopefully something will get done sooner rather than later .

[caz6868]

hi there ,the police should be called anytime you guys feel fear,but this man will be taken baack to his home/hostel .spoken to by keyworker perhaps doctor and let about his way.they may think he is not dangerous enough to be permantely locked up.usually medication is monthly and then they don't think there ill and refuse medication.its hard.a young man killed my childrens cousin...he was asking the hospital for help..maudsley but was told he was due no medication so off he went and lost the plot and stabbed my childrens cousin obver 80 times in herne hill.very sad.so folks be very weary do call the police if you fell intimidated.like i said in my previous post my cousin is ill but as much as i love him to bits and he as never been abusive to me but i know he is a pain to the community..this is a tricky one what do you do....