Undermining American Cities

Many of America’s cities appear to be falling apart. Seattle and Portland and Los Angeles are examples. Petty crime is routine and much more serious crime is on the rise. There is more anger expressed on the street. Civility and order are lacking. Two political trends reinforce the civic unravelling.

First is a growing political effort to “define deviancy down.” That is, to dilute established ideas of conduct boundaries and redefine what is regarded as improper or disruptive or dangerous. It is advertised as a means of encouraging inclusiveness and fairness: a less judgmental attitude toward the addicted, the mentally ill as well as toward poor, low level criminal offenders. Some local courts and Prosecutors have promoted this by refusing to charge, prosecute or try those who repeatedly commit lesser misdemeanor crimes.

I respect efforts to acknowledge and address challenges faced by those who are afflicted or poor. But I do not respect policy which enables self-destructive behavior and which unravels the social fabric. Too often, the results are not benign or compassionate. Instead, this approach enables people to commit slow-motion suicide and compels the rest of us to be passive observers.

It brings increases in drug addiction, mental decomposition, and people endangering themselves. It also brings a steady diet of theft, arsons, and assaults. The streets are more dangerous, less sanitary, and more likely to generate public avoidance rather than action, advocacy or progress. Some areas have even become semi-official “no go zones” for the public, public services and for public officials. Seattle’s County Courthouse Park, last summer’s Capitol Hill “autonomous zone” and a large homeless camp adjacent to a Seattle grade school are examples.

The bottom line ? When “anything goes” before long, “everything’s gone.”

The second trend is not new. It is a long-term contributor to the unravelling of communities. It’s the refusal to address serious social issues and invest in social infrastructure. It is an outgrowth of a kind of cynical social Darwinism applied to incomes, jobs, and housing as well as mental health and addiction treatment services.

As Americans, we enjoy many rights and opportunities we but we resist the idea that these things necessarily require duties and obligations and sacrifices. “I, me, mine” is too often our motto and our mission.

As you might imagine, our obligations include investing in social programs and addressing financial disparities. But, proceed carefully here. Because warnings about futility of “throwing money at problems” can have real validity.

Our obligations go far beyond supporting additional spending on programs. They involve setting clear expectations for the impact of that spending as well as having the commitment necessary to see that programs operate properly and expectations are met. Because this is not easy, we often avoid these duties of citizenship. We treat citizenship as a spectator sport. We sit passively in the bleachers and grumble as the game spins out of control and the bleachers collapse.

Bottom line ? Self-interest, in the long term, is best served by attention to the common interest in the short term.

We are the ones who tolerate the breakdown of basic standards of order and civility in our communities. We see it and we permit it. We see it in the increasing crassness of our political discourse. And, we raise few objections. The breakdown is further aided by reluctance to commit to the work of real citizens: to actively invest and ethically engage.

Bottom line ? "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men [and women], undergo the fatigue of supporting it." - - -Thomas Paine, 1777

Don’t want your community to fall apart ? Then recognize that we can’t exist on a diet of subjectivity and “anything goes.” And let’s start meeting our obligations to one another; to something larger than ourselves.

Paul A. Pastor, Ph.D. Retired Sheriff Pierce County Washington