This is a very difficult column to write. It is about our community, people’s lives and human tragedies.

There is a crisis happening on our streets and it seems overwhelming despite the efforts of so many in Calgary. Anyone visiting downtown and those who live here can’t help but feel frustrated, afraid and helpless.

I am a big guy and not easily intimidated, but walking past the Sheldon Chumir Centre on 13th Avenue S.W. I found myself tensing up. The individuals hanging out on the sidewalks and laneways are intimidating. I don’t know if it’s a drug problem or a vagrancy problem, but when people are resorting to using sidewalks as bathrooms, it surely becomes a community problem.

You have empathy for these individuals but also concerns about personal safety. You may be subject to swearing and insults. In your car, people randomly cross in front of you, defiantly but also scowling and shouting. What can be done, as a community, to help the people........

© Calgary Herald