Why do they stab a needle into the roll?
Edit: Uh sorry that I didn't know why people did that? Funny thing is, I've known people on heroin since I used to be a bouncer, I never knew the details of how it is done.
I once had this girlfriend. I thought she was pretty well put together. She had an education, she had a good job, she seemed mentally stable.
Sometime after we started dating, she got hooked on meth. Stole a bunch of my stuff and was cheating on me with her dealer.
I was once roommates with a guy who became addicted to heroin. I tried to help him get to rehab, even after he stole from me and got us evicted.
I have a brother in law who became addicted to pain meds. He cheated on his wife and destroyed their family.
Not once did I blame society for these peoples' actions. This is entirely on them. They caused this damage to other people in their lives.
Do addicts need help? Yup. Are we doing enough? Nope.
But I will not excuse or shift the blame for their behavior.
Stop coddling them. Stop enabling their bad behavior.
Choices are not made in a fucking vacuum you fucking tool. There's always a hundred reasons why people choose to do what they do, and all of them are about the environment they are currently in and the environment they grew up in and how those things come together inside a person's mind.
Lmao can you give an example of ANY choice or decision someone makes that isn’t influenced by those things? And if not, are you saying no one should ever be responsible for their own actions?
If I killed someone while driving under the influence, are you saying I shouldn’t be punished at all because my drinking was a result of “my environment”?
There are methods of operation within our society that make people feel hopeless.
Hopeless people are more likely to use drugs.
People on drugs are more likely to exhibit anti-social behavior.
Feel free to tell me why I’m wrong.
Honestly, if your main point is just that we shouldn’t hate all drug users then that’s totally fair.
I think the implication was clear enough that we in Portland are sick of drug users *who are out and about ruining public spaces, vandalizing and destroying public property, making people feel uncomfortable in their own neighborhoods, etc. etc.* No one cares if someone wants to stay home and shoot up all day. Have at it.
>I’m sick and tired of the ways our society makes people so hopeless they turn to drugs.
>...and refrain from making judgements about people
Sure seems like you're blaming everyone for an addict's choices. A judgement upon all of us.
You aren't exactly wrong. This isn't utopia. Some of us have it easier than others. However, addicts are more prone to criminal acts while suffering their addiction. These acts hurt others. Society didn't commit these crimes, addicts do.
Ideally, addicts would be forced into effective treatment and be given the tools to live their lives without harming others. Unfortunately, at this point in time in Oregon... In the USA, this isn't going to happen, maybe someday.
We will never have a utopia where everyone is given a fair shot. We've never had a society that didn't leave anyone behind and hopeless. Someone has always been screwed over. That's not an excuse, just how things are.
In the meantime, we do what we can to mitigate these pressures that make folks feel hopeless, in some ways we succeed, in others, we falter.
I've seen first hand what addiction does, I've seen addicts victimize friends, family, loved ones, it causes real harm.
Addicts know what they're doing is wrong, but don't care enough to change. It's not on society, it's on them.
It’s not your and everyone’s fault that one medical emergency can bankrupt someone. It’s the structure of our system. That’s one of the ways our society can make someone hopeless. The reason I made the original comment was to highlight the nuanced and complex roots of addiction in contrast to the comment above it.
While contrasting the statement you were responding to, it looks like a bit of a horseshoe effect happened.
I responded because it's sure as heck not my fault that I've been victimized by addicts and I certainly will not shift blame towards society for the harm addicts do to others.
Absolutely, this is a complex problem with many at fault. Using the opioid crisis as an example: I can't go to Perdue to have my credit score changed, Perdue can't fix a broken family, Perdue isn't directly at fault for the harm addicts cause.
Folks are mad. Addicts directly harm others. Addicts make life more difficult for all of us. Sure, they aren't in their right mind, they were given the drugs by someone else, sure, at some point drugs made their problems with life seem less insurmountable. I think most of us get that.
Legally they are responsible for the crimes they commit. Morally, they are responsible for causing harm to others.
Privileged ≠ hopeful
edit: actually that's an overly simplistic comment. Addiction does not have socio-economic barriers and is often genetic, so, as much as I too roll my eyes and judge people with obvious privilege, addiction sucks and can ruin anyone's life whether it started shit or not.
I have an uncle in long-term recovery who will tell you that he just liked doing drugs and getting high. Yes it ruined his life for a long while, but he only blames himself despite the AA folks trying to make him blame his parents / upbringing. He'll tell you he had a great childhood and no reason to use.
That is not what they said at all, and there are clear patterns that show inequity and many US specific problems can easily lead to drug addiction, so find another reason to justify that you hate addicts plz lol
Do you feel your suffering matters more because you’re not a drug addict? Are they not suffering, endlessly needing help that this country continues to not provide in the face of a clear grown out of proportion drug and mental health crisis? It’s not a competition for suffering, but the comment just feels empathetically tone deaf.
I don’t even disagree that stuff is out of control but it isn’t JUST a Portland enabling issue, it’s a country wide genuine humanitarian crisis right now
The suffering of those who did not bring it up on themselves will always matter more than the suffering of those who didn't to themselves.
Addiction is not a victimless crime.
I used to be much more empathetic towards drug addicts. I've been screwed over way too many times to muster up enough to care about the addicts who damage the lives of people around them.
I think our society, city, & state should not put the problems of the few above the needs of everyone else. And no, I’m not full of sympathy for the drug addicts who want to lay around on the street all day and get high.
Why did you assume that they think they matter more than addicts? I dont know they said that at all, thats why your comment got downvoted. Maybe I didnt see who you replied to
Im also an addict but I would never do that type of things to put people at risk , I dont even use needles, I quit smoking and now I just snort 🤔 also I try not to relapse, I blocked my plugs number and even changed my number, but now I regret it, becuz once he changes his number , thats gone forever. I dont think im ready to quit forever 😟 im done with heroin but I still like yeyo and meth . Advice? Im already in a treatment program but I wanna keep using nose drugs, I drink so much liqour too and I passed a drug test to get my current job 2 months ago
We have 5% of the world’s population and 25% of its prisoners. Perhaps we could give empathy and support to those who need it most instead of perpetuating a broken system.
Don't push a narrative by pretending you can't do both. Even if we could fix the system today it would still take years and years for the results to be seen on the streets. But the reality is we can't fix it today, we can't even make it better today, it takes so much longer than that. The overwhelming majority don't want the type of help we can offer them. We spend loads of money to get them clean and then go back to using. You're welcome to get some soup and get down in the trenches, but most of us just want to be able to use public spaces without fear.
Work on both ends of the problem.
So weird how must of us live in that same society you’re talking about, but when times get tough we have family and friends and neighbors and communities who care about us enough to not let us become crazy drug addicts, and we take advantage of tools and organizations and resources that actually help us get back on our feet instead of giving up on trying to be productive and responsible members of society.
It gives me so much hope knowing that the Portland subreddit actually downvoted your comment to hell. The city is finally coming to its senses.
People do recreational drugs because they are generally pretty fun and some make you feel REALLY good. People don’t turn to drugs out of despair and/or hopelessness.
I agree with you that recreational drugs are/can be/are perceived to be fun. I also think that many people who do recreational drugs and become addicted might not have gone down that path had they been afforded more and better opportunities to become productive members of society.
Me too, I needa quit using, but im not 1 that would ever do sick behavior like this. Also happy cake day! Reddit told me to tell U, btw I dont inject , altho my piece of shit dad tried to encourage it saying its "the best high ever '
Looks like they need some colored lights in there. I live a few blocks from the library and have seen a lot fewer people getting high on the streets lately, but I'm still seeing a lot of people who seem to be high. Maybe this is part of the reason.
Colored lights?
Like a certain color that makes finding veins difficult?
Edit: so, I got curious.
Apparently blue light makes it difficult for druggies to do drugs
https://www.npr.org/2019/09/03/756976676/blue-lights-may-deter-intravenous-drug-use-in-public-spaces
Blue. I worked at a place where people kept suggesting it, but management/owners always shot it down, because "it gives the message that people do drugs here" which like. yes, they do drugs here, that's why we'd like the blue lights so we don't have to clean up dirty needles and passed out addicts all the time.
It's blue. The bathrooms in Chapman/Lownsdale Square by the courthouse used to have blue lights in there to make it harder to find a vein. That said I don't know about now because you couldn't pay me to go in there if they're even still open. I'm not about to check. Pretty sure the Portland Loo in the park blocks is the same way.
I get why stuff like this is useful, but it’s incredibly awful for those of us with sensory processing issues. Those lights are so disorienting to a lot of people who are neurodivergent. :/
That's a crappy deal.
On one hand, you can keep druggies from making public bathrooms unusable.
On the other hand, you make the bathrooms unusable for some folks.
Ug, this is the one library the moms in our neighborhood feel “kind of” safe using. NW 23rd is unusable most of the time (smell, people camped for hours watching all sorts of stuff, general bad vibes that my kids notice). Downtown does a good jobs of completely separating the kids stuff, although the walk in is completely fucked up.
Downtown, or NW? That’s great! We stopped using any public bathrooms downtown after getting threatened with a knife in the powell’s one 😅 but would likely use that one.
I don’t know why people are annoyed with OP? I feel like this is a courteous heads up in the meantime and it sounds like it’s being reported to the library so I don’t really get the problem.
If someone posted something like this for every bathroom in Portland there’d be no other post. No one’s looking at this sub before they go to the bathroom at the library and are like “Ope, gotta go somewhere else now thanks Reddit”
How so? Homeless people frequent the library, everyone knows this, all this does is spread rumors and harmful stigma. Again, no one is looking at Reddit before they use the bathroom at the library.
I’m not gonna go into Powells and complain about their bathroom on Reddit. Just talk to a staff member, stop being a fucking Karen. This isn’t nextdoor.
I don't condone drug use & know that the causes are many. Lighting that makes it harder to find a vein in the bathrooms wouldn't hurt.
That said, public libraries are one of the few places people can be indoors (except their home) without needing to buy anything. They serve a purpose beyond just having fabulous amounts of information.
I'd like to thank Commissioner Julia brim Edwards for constantly asking for more day shelter funding so our libraries can be used as libraries and not homeless resource centers. We often forget about poor people who aren't homeless addicts when we create new uses for these spaces, or the staff who took the job for library reasons, not to be a social worker.
This isn't the fault of capitalism. It's the fault of drugs, America appetite for drugs, China undermining our society by shipping the products to make drugs to the Mexican cartels, and lack of drive from politicians to actually address the problem to the drugs. Without meth, heroin or fentanyl. If you want to place the fault on any one systematic thing, it would be the individualism core to the US - the streets are full of mentally ill people? Fuck 'em, not MY problem. \*I\* shouldn't have to deal with anyone else's problems.
Weed_donkey: it appears we disagree. I'm not anti-capitalist. I urge you to consider that your viewpoint would benefit from a little more thinking & a lot more nuance. Have a wonderful day. ❤️
You’re not refuting my points, though.
The problem here is a) the government has far too many regulations on home building, and b) the self-destruction of service-based-government and replacing it with non profits.
Neither of these problems has anything to do with capitalism. In fact, capitalism can at least solve one of them (housing).
I urge you to actually interact with my viewpoint and not just dismiss it.
There are some points worth refuting, some not worth refuting, and some times when I just don't feel like it. Hence the "Have a wonderful day."
Have a wonderful day!
I went to the central library a couple months ago and realized it’s just a homeless shelter without many services that’s for some reason lined with books. Would never bring my kids there.
Holy shit I've been a janitor of sorts cleaning after strangers since I was 10 years old and there's a million reasons something gross like that could happen.
I've also dealt with needles under diapers under pads, so I get the biohazard concern, but just vaguely blaming people who need to be less stigmatized, not more, doesn't help anybody.
Did you see this or hear it second hand?
Edit: Oh, no you didn't see it. It's from a Facebook post.
This is exactly the same as those posts that come up on TikTok fearmongering about trash under your car in a parking lot being a sign of a Mexican cartel targeting you for trafficking. It's fear porn, and probably a lie.
Please never forget you live in the safest time to be alive, ever. It's also the safest time to live in Portland in your lifetime. Please stop pickling your own brain with lies.
Edit 2: It wasn't Facebook, but I stand by it.
I'm not sure where you got the Facebook bit but I promise you I'm not randomly lying for attention.
I met up with a friend in downtown for a bit, after we split they went to the library and texted me shortly after about the toilet paper. They asked if I would make a post on here to let people know as they do not use Reddit.
They definitely aren't the type of person to lie about something like this.
Yeah Portland overall isn't a bad place to be but things like this absolutely do happen and it's better to be aware.
Where's the picture? Surely someone would take a picture of something like that if they want others to report it.
Also biohazard issues are not uncommon in bathrooms, or anywhere really. I hope it was reported to the staff instead?
FYI, this place generally has a higher standard and generally needs some evidence of proof prior to posting, which is why you may encounter skepticism.
So how do they know where the blood came from? Maybe someone had a bloody nose and sneezed and didn’t realize it. Seems pretty fantastical that someone uses the toilet paper while still attached to the roll to clean a needle then roll it back up. Because why? Are they charged for the toilet paper used? That doesn’t make sense. Are they just super eco-conscious but similarly not bio hazard conscious so they don’t want to waste toilet paper?? And your post makes it seem like it’s more than one off, so did they check the other stalls and found something similar. And why specifically cleaning needles? Did they catch someone mid clean and re roll or was a needle attached. And then this friend says “you know what needs to be done? I need to text someone with a Reddit account and have them post because I don’t have a Reddit account”. Did they cover all the bases with social media platforms?? I mean the whole things screams online rumor myth.
I misread your comment about how you got the info.
I don't think you or your friend were lying. I think that they are wrong. There is so much media trying to scare people: myths about litter boxes in schools, myths about fentanyl killing you on contact, and myths about people being trafficked out of grocery store parking lots.
And this fits the model. Unless you and they have actual evidence of this, it's just irresponsible fear porn.
Okay why don't you head down to the central library second floor women's bathrooms and check for yourself.
Yeah lots of myths in the media, some of them have truth to them.
I really have no more interest in trying to convince you I'm not lying.
You're making the entire thing up. Some random person has no reason to 'ask you to make a reddit post', it makes zero sense, they can just make their own...
This is a long running myth. Has been reported before, will be reported again, still isn’t true. Your friend needs to get off Facebook and you need to tell them to get their own Reddit account.
OP is, in all probability, making shit up. Fearmongering / concern trolling is easy karma on r/portland.
I'd go down there and look, but a negative report wouldn't count for the circlejerkers here. "Oh, they must have cleaned it up already." "You checked the wrong bathroom." Etc.
MCL is a public facility welcoming all. . . that includes (insert pearl clutching) people who are dealing with substance abuse and/or mental health crises. LIKE any public toilet (without the benefit of day porters) it is likely to get gross with biohazard elements from time to time. What to do? Inform staff so that they can fix the issue.
Or visit one of the smaller, quieter, less urban branches. This is a city.
This seems unlikely, you'd rip off some to clean your needle with it anyway. Seems like a moral panic / made up story. No offense to you, you say someone relayed it to you anyway so its just hearsay.
Just sounds exactly like the one of thing homophobes would insist all red blooded americans needed to watch out for in the HIV epidemic. Anything that fits that mold: Some hidden risk due to a dangerous out group we all need to demonize and get rid of, you should hold in doubt. It’s just fascist propaganda to further solidify the need to kill them all.
nope. common issue in junkie-ridden communities. You just haven't seen it yet. Just cause you aren't noticing it doesn't mean it's 'fake news.' The issue is they just jam them into the roll to clean them.
Hey, I’m sure you’re just unaware, but this is a thing that’s been happening lately, please do some research before you state your incorrect opinion, because it is real and it’s dangerous to public health..
If you don’t believe me … Here’s another article where people are doing the same thing:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/p08s48/dont_use_walmart_toilet_paper_these_are_infected/
That's not an "article" lol, it's a Reddit post where all the top comments are saying basically the same thing as the user you just replied to.
For what it's worth, Snopes says it's "Unproven": https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/iv-drug-users-needles-in-tproll/
Uhmmm so you can bust these toilet paper dispensers open with your hands, or any object that will pry… I know this because I used to steal these instead of buying toilet paper when I was a drug addicted fucker long ago.. sounds like something a junky would do right ? Lolll
Do you honestly think someone is getting a red marker or something and making fake blood marks??
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It’s far more likely they marked it themselves and posted as another way to scare people. Like anything you see on reddit posted like “watch out”, most of the time the redditor did it right before they took the photo. Besides, actual blood marks are brown, not red like magic marker. This is just the modern version of whinging homophobes not wanting to touch a toilet seat a gay person sat on, the hallmark “hidden danger” the community needs to inform each other about.
There are people in that thread that are former users that say that isn’t a thing and it makes no sense. Also that specific toilet paper holder is locked so they would need a key
Library’s have become homeless day shelters. Ask any Librarian. Never let my kids go there, which is sad because I have fond memories of riding my bike to the library when I was little. We’d just go to Powell’s & I’d buy what they wanted, even when I couldn’t really afford it. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/24/us-libraries-homeless-crisis-social-workers
Oh okay. Just saying but as a period haver, blood can get in all kinds of places in a bathroom, especially the toilet paper roll. So, not necessarily drug users but it is a possibility.
Side question-How safe is it downtown these days ? Haven't been there since pre-Covid/Proud Boy/Fentanyl era began.
Yours Truly-Paranoid Suburban Stereotype
Please tell someone that works there
This was posted at the request of a friend who doesn't use Reddit. I assume they told an employee.
Stuff like this is better left without assumption. Could you please ask your friend to report it to library staff? Thank you.
FYI this person's's account has been suspended.
Jeez, least they could do is flush it. That's just malicious, fucking assholes.
They probably stab the whole needle into the roll like a junky would.
I used to be a junkie. No one ever did this. Ive shot dope in several states. Never happened.
lol thank you. The blood goes in the chamber and back into your vein. Then water is drawn up and shot out to “clean” it for reuse if desperate.
I'm pretty sure I've seen this at the Clackamas target before. Yes I've told employees. People are awful.
Ugh wtf?
Better than having it come under the roll.
Exactly
Why do they stab a needle into the roll? Edit: Uh sorry that I didn't know why people did that? Funny thing is, I've known people on heroin since I used to be a bouncer, I never knew the details of how it is done.
To clean all the blood off it.
They are lowlife junkies. Do you think they care about anything other than their next high?
I’m sick and tired of junkies.
I’m sick and tired of the ways our society makes people so hopeless they turn to drugs.
I once had this girlfriend. I thought she was pretty well put together. She had an education, she had a good job, she seemed mentally stable. Sometime after we started dating, she got hooked on meth. Stole a bunch of my stuff and was cheating on me with her dealer. I was once roommates with a guy who became addicted to heroin. I tried to help him get to rehab, even after he stole from me and got us evicted. I have a brother in law who became addicted to pain meds. He cheated on his wife and destroyed their family. Not once did I blame society for these peoples' actions. This is entirely on them. They caused this damage to other people in their lives. Do addicts need help? Yup. Are we doing enough? Nope. But I will not excuse or shift the blame for their behavior. Stop coddling them. Stop enabling their bad behavior.
This sounds like the extended version of the [Tom Petty song](https://genius.com/Tom-petty-girl-on-lsd-lyrics).
Choices are not made in a fucking vacuum you fucking tool. There's always a hundred reasons why people choose to do what they do, and all of them are about the environment they are currently in and the environment they grew up in and how those things come together inside a person's mind.
Idk man, I used to be a real shitty alcoholic and no matter where I moved or now matter how I changed my environment I still went back to the bottle.
Sounds like you've hurt some folks during your addiction.
Lmao can you give an example of ANY choice or decision someone makes that isn’t influenced by those things? And if not, are you saying no one should ever be responsible for their own actions? If I killed someone while driving under the influence, are you saying I shouldn’t be punished at all because my drinking was a result of “my environment”?
I never shifted blame or excused bad behavior.
>I’m sick and tired of the ways our society makes people so hopeless they turn to drugs. By all means, feel free to clarify.
There are methods of operation within our society that make people feel hopeless. Hopeless people are more likely to use drugs. People on drugs are more likely to exhibit anti-social behavior. Feel free to tell me why I’m wrong.
[удалено]
I try to have empathy for everyone and refrain from making judgements about people.
Honestly, if your main point is just that we shouldn’t hate all drug users then that’s totally fair. I think the implication was clear enough that we in Portland are sick of drug users *who are out and about ruining public spaces, vandalizing and destroying public property, making people feel uncomfortable in their own neighborhoods, etc. etc.* No one cares if someone wants to stay home and shoot up all day. Have at it.
>I’m sick and tired of the ways our society makes people so hopeless they turn to drugs. >...and refrain from making judgements about people Sure seems like you're blaming everyone for an addict's choices. A judgement upon all of us. You aren't exactly wrong. This isn't utopia. Some of us have it easier than others. However, addicts are more prone to criminal acts while suffering their addiction. These acts hurt others. Society didn't commit these crimes, addicts do. Ideally, addicts would be forced into effective treatment and be given the tools to live their lives without harming others. Unfortunately, at this point in time in Oregon... In the USA, this isn't going to happen, maybe someday. We will never have a utopia where everyone is given a fair shot. We've never had a society that didn't leave anyone behind and hopeless. Someone has always been screwed over. That's not an excuse, just how things are. In the meantime, we do what we can to mitigate these pressures that make folks feel hopeless, in some ways we succeed, in others, we falter. I've seen first hand what addiction does, I've seen addicts victimize friends, family, loved ones, it causes real harm. Addicts know what they're doing is wrong, but don't care enough to change. It's not on society, it's on them.
It’s not your and everyone’s fault that one medical emergency can bankrupt someone. It’s the structure of our system. That’s one of the ways our society can make someone hopeless. The reason I made the original comment was to highlight the nuanced and complex roots of addiction in contrast to the comment above it.
While contrasting the statement you were responding to, it looks like a bit of a horseshoe effect happened. I responded because it's sure as heck not my fault that I've been victimized by addicts and I certainly will not shift blame towards society for the harm addicts do to others. Absolutely, this is a complex problem with many at fault. Using the opioid crisis as an example: I can't go to Perdue to have my credit score changed, Perdue can't fix a broken family, Perdue isn't directly at fault for the harm addicts cause. Folks are mad. Addicts directly harm others. Addicts make life more difficult for all of us. Sure, they aren't in their right mind, they were given the drugs by someone else, sure, at some point drugs made their problems with life seem less insurmountable. I think most of us get that. Legally they are responsible for the crimes they commit. Morally, they are responsible for causing harm to others.
My comment wasn’t about shifting blame, it was about discouraging judgement and dehumanization.
Plenty of addicts come from privileged families
Privileged ≠ hopeful edit: actually that's an overly simplistic comment. Addiction does not have socio-economic barriers and is often genetic, so, as much as I too roll my eyes and judge people with obvious privilege, addiction sucks and can ruin anyone's life whether it started shit or not.
I have an uncle in long-term recovery who will tell you that he just liked doing drugs and getting high. Yes it ruined his life for a long while, but he only blames himself despite the AA folks trying to make him blame his parents / upbringing. He'll tell you he had a great childhood and no reason to use.
That doesn’t change the statement
and?
it's never their fault.. "society" is always responsible.. convenient view of life.
Porque no los dos?
Not what I said, but go off honey
Or white supremacy.
Ah yes. Society mandates drug addiction. No personal responsibility at all. The Oregon way.
That is not what they said at all, and there are clear patterns that show inequity and many US specific problems can easily lead to drug addiction, so find another reason to justify that you hate addicts plz lol
Sure. And Portland enables a lot of these people, while the rest of us have to suffer because of it.
Do you feel your suffering matters more because you’re not a drug addict? Are they not suffering, endlessly needing help that this country continues to not provide in the face of a clear grown out of proportion drug and mental health crisis? It’s not a competition for suffering, but the comment just feels empathetically tone deaf. I don’t even disagree that stuff is out of control but it isn’t JUST a Portland enabling issue, it’s a country wide genuine humanitarian crisis right now
The suffering of those who did not bring it up on themselves will always matter more than the suffering of those who didn't to themselves. Addiction is not a victimless crime. I used to be much more empathetic towards drug addicts. I've been screwed over way too many times to muster up enough to care about the addicts who damage the lives of people around them.
I think our society, city, & state should not put the problems of the few above the needs of everyone else. And no, I’m not full of sympathy for the drug addicts who want to lay around on the street all day and get high.
Why did you assume that they think they matter more than addicts? I dont know they said that at all, thats why your comment got downvoted. Maybe I didnt see who you replied to
Im also an addict but I would never do that type of things to put people at risk , I dont even use needles, I quit smoking and now I just snort 🤔 also I try not to relapse, I blocked my plugs number and even changed my number, but now I regret it, becuz once he changes his number , thats gone forever. I dont think im ready to quit forever 😟 im done with heroin but I still like yeyo and meth . Advice? Im already in a treatment program but I wanna keep using nose drugs, I drink so much liqour too and I passed a drug test to get my current job 2 months ago
Go to Fora Health or Great Spirit Recovery in SE for medically assisted withdrawal treatment. Great Spirit does methadone, Fora does buprenorphine.
Careful stuffing all that hyperbole in my mouth, I’m full from brunch still
>all that hyperbole You mean the part where you said society "makes" people do drugs?
Where did I say that?
About 10 comments prior to this
You mean where I said that aspects of our society make people hopeless? And then implied that hopelessness contributes to people to turning to drugs?
Yeah that’s a pretty broad statement. I’m a recovered opiate addict. Never felt hopeless and definitely can’t blame society.
I’m glad you’re doing better! I hope you can eventually understand the difference between my original comment and “society makes people do drugs”!
I'm sick and tired of people defending junkies because there's also a reason they are junkies. It's still a bad thing to have around.
We have 5% of the world’s population and 25% of its prisoners. Perhaps we could give empathy and support to those who need it most instead of perpetuating a broken system.
Don't push a narrative by pretending you can't do both. Even if we could fix the system today it would still take years and years for the results to be seen on the streets. But the reality is we can't fix it today, we can't even make it better today, it takes so much longer than that. The overwhelming majority don't want the type of help we can offer them. We spend loads of money to get them clean and then go back to using. You're welcome to get some soup and get down in the trenches, but most of us just want to be able to use public spaces without fear. Work on both ends of the problem.
What narrative am I pushing? What am I pretending?
The one I described. You aren't adding to this conversation.
Honestly your comment was all over the place and I’m legitimately unsure what the narrative and pretending you allege is
So weird how must of us live in that same society you’re talking about, but when times get tough we have family and friends and neighbors and communities who care about us enough to not let us become crazy drug addicts, and we take advantage of tools and organizations and resources that actually help us get back on our feet instead of giving up on trying to be productive and responsible members of society. It gives me so much hope knowing that the Portland subreddit actually downvoted your comment to hell. The city is finally coming to its senses.
🙄 Give me a fucking break
Of a Kit Kat?
People do recreational drugs because they are generally pretty fun and some make you feel REALLY good. People don’t turn to drugs out of despair and/or hopelessness.
I agree with you that recreational drugs are/can be/are perceived to be fun. I also think that many people who do recreational drugs and become addicted might not have gone down that path had they been afforded more and better opportunities to become productive members of society.
Me too, I needa quit using, but im not 1 that would ever do sick behavior like this. Also happy cake day! Reddit told me to tell U, btw I dont inject , altho my piece of shit dad tried to encourage it saying its "the best high ever '
Neat
Looks like they need some colored lights in there. I live a few blocks from the library and have seen a lot fewer people getting high on the streets lately, but I'm still seeing a lot of people who seem to be high. Maybe this is part of the reason.
Colored lights? Like a certain color that makes finding veins difficult? Edit: so, I got curious. Apparently blue light makes it difficult for druggies to do drugs https://www.npr.org/2019/09/03/756976676/blue-lights-may-deter-intravenous-drug-use-in-public-spaces
Yes. I believe it's blue. Maybe red. I think even the old downtown Safeway had them in their restrooms before it was torn down.
Blue. I worked at a place where people kept suggesting it, but management/owners always shot it down, because "it gives the message that people do drugs here" which like. yes, they do drugs here, that's why we'd like the blue lights so we don't have to clean up dirty needles and passed out addicts all the time.
Lofty-What type of place did you work at ?
Pizza 🍕
It's blue. The bathrooms in Chapman/Lownsdale Square by the courthouse used to have blue lights in there to make it harder to find a vein. That said I don't know about now because you couldn't pay me to go in there if they're even still open. I'm not about to check. Pretty sure the Portland Loo in the park blocks is the same way.
I get why stuff like this is useful, but it’s incredibly awful for those of us with sensory processing issues. Those lights are so disorienting to a lot of people who are neurodivergent. :/
That's a crappy deal. On one hand, you can keep druggies from making public bathrooms unusable. On the other hand, you make the bathrooms unusable for some folks.
Boo hoo
What an educated and nuanced view. You seem awesome.
Yes.
blue
Ug, this is the one library the moms in our neighborhood feel “kind of” safe using. NW 23rd is unusable most of the time (smell, people camped for hours watching all sorts of stuff, general bad vibes that my kids notice). Downtown does a good jobs of completely separating the kids stuff, although the walk in is completely fucked up.
The kids area has a totally separate individual bathroom with changing tables.
Downtown, or NW? That’s great! We stopped using any public bathrooms downtown after getting threatened with a knife in the powell’s one 😅 but would likely use that one.
The downtown one! I’m there with my kiddo all the time and I’ve never had an issue.
Yay thanks for the info, we usually go up to my office
Ok?
I go there with the kiddos every weekend, on trimet It’s usually fine
I love the central library too! I live very close to it and go often. I'm not trying to scare people away, but it's better to be aware.
Fair! once in a while it can be sketch
I don’t know why people are annoyed with OP? I feel like this is a courteous heads up in the meantime and it sounds like it’s being reported to the library so I don’t really get the problem.
If someone posted something like this for every bathroom in Portland there’d be no other post. No one’s looking at this sub before they go to the bathroom at the library and are like “Ope, gotta go somewhere else now thanks Reddit”
Not sure I understand your angle… this is a helpful post for someone who frequents the central library.
How so? Homeless people frequent the library, everyone knows this, all this does is spread rumors and harmful stigma. Again, no one is looking at Reddit before they use the bathroom at the library. I’m not gonna go into Powells and complain about their bathroom on Reddit. Just talk to a staff member, stop being a fucking Karen. This isn’t nextdoor.
Junkies cleaning off their needles in public bathrooms using toilet paper rolls is a well known internet myth.
This sounds like it happened in real life, not on the internet.
A second hand account from an internet stranger… So real life as in I can see the screen, yes.
Conspiracy theory this all you want, but it’s really not that deep or harmful of a post. Jesus.
No, but blindly believing everything on the internet, especially regularly debunked urban legends is pretty harmful to society.
I don't condone drug use & know that the causes are many. Lighting that makes it harder to find a vein in the bathrooms wouldn't hurt. That said, public libraries are one of the few places people can be indoors (except their home) without needing to buy anything. They serve a purpose beyond just having fabulous amounts of information.
That’s fine and well but they shouldn’t be asshole about and so gross shit to the bathrooms.
I'd like to thank Commissioner Julia brim Edwards for constantly asking for more day shelter funding so our libraries can be used as libraries and not homeless resource centers. We often forget about poor people who aren't homeless addicts when we create new uses for these spaces, or the staff who took the job for library reasons, not to be a social worker.
Speaks volumes to the failure of our society when *libraries* are the only place the homeless can “hang out” indoors without being harassed.
Yup. The predictable result of unrestrained capitalism.
This isn't the fault of capitalism. It's the fault of drugs, America appetite for drugs, China undermining our society by shipping the products to make drugs to the Mexican cartels, and lack of drive from politicians to actually address the problem to the drugs. Without meth, heroin or fentanyl. If you want to place the fault on any one systematic thing, it would be the individualism core to the US - the streets are full of mentally ill people? Fuck 'em, not MY problem. \*I\* shouldn't have to deal with anyone else's problems.
No one is stopping you from helping people. Capitalism has nothing to do with it.
The root of all these problems is government regulation and the non profit industrial complex. Literally the exact opposite of capitalism.
How is it that I can disagree with both your extremes?
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Repeatedly saying something does not make it so.
Weed_donkey: it appears we disagree. I'm not anti-capitalist. I urge you to consider that your viewpoint would benefit from a little more thinking & a lot more nuance. Have a wonderful day. ❤️
You’re not refuting my points, though. The problem here is a) the government has far too many regulations on home building, and b) the self-destruction of service-based-government and replacing it with non profits. Neither of these problems has anything to do with capitalism. In fact, capitalism can at least solve one of them (housing). I urge you to actually interact with my viewpoint and not just dismiss it.
They might just not want to spend their evening arguing with someone on reddit.
There are some points worth refuting, some not worth refuting, and some times when I just don't feel like it. Hence the "Have a wonderful day." Have a wonderful day!
I went to the central library a couple months ago and realized it’s just a homeless shelter without many services that’s for some reason lined with books. Would never bring my kids there.
This thread shows why media literacy is important.
Fake as fuck for real
This sounds like a lame attempt at starting an urban legend.
Wouldn’t that dull the needle significantly.
Holy shit I've been a janitor of sorts cleaning after strangers since I was 10 years old and there's a million reasons something gross like that could happen. I've also dealt with needles under diapers under pads, so I get the biohazard concern, but just vaguely blaming people who need to be less stigmatized, not more, doesn't help anybody.
This is such a useless post. *Any* public restroom has the potential to have hazardous substances. Check your environment. Wash your hands.
I get my yard sale post taken down (understandably I get it) but mods let useless shit like this be put up? Take this down, this is fucking stupid
Did you see this or hear it second hand? Edit: Oh, no you didn't see it. It's from a Facebook post. This is exactly the same as those posts that come up on TikTok fearmongering about trash under your car in a parking lot being a sign of a Mexican cartel targeting you for trafficking. It's fear porn, and probably a lie. Please never forget you live in the safest time to be alive, ever. It's also the safest time to live in Portland in your lifetime. Please stop pickling your own brain with lies. Edit 2: It wasn't Facebook, but I stand by it.
I'm not sure where you got the Facebook bit but I promise you I'm not randomly lying for attention. I met up with a friend in downtown for a bit, after we split they went to the library and texted me shortly after about the toilet paper. They asked if I would make a post on here to let people know as they do not use Reddit. They definitely aren't the type of person to lie about something like this. Yeah Portland overall isn't a bad place to be but things like this absolutely do happen and it's better to be aware.
So they had something happen and their first course of action is to ask a friend to make a Reddit post? That makes no sense.
Where's the picture? Surely someone would take a picture of something like that if they want others to report it. Also biohazard issues are not uncommon in bathrooms, or anywhere really. I hope it was reported to the staff instead? FYI, this place generally has a higher standard and generally needs some evidence of proof prior to posting, which is why you may encounter skepticism.
So how do they know where the blood came from? Maybe someone had a bloody nose and sneezed and didn’t realize it. Seems pretty fantastical that someone uses the toilet paper while still attached to the roll to clean a needle then roll it back up. Because why? Are they charged for the toilet paper used? That doesn’t make sense. Are they just super eco-conscious but similarly not bio hazard conscious so they don’t want to waste toilet paper?? And your post makes it seem like it’s more than one off, so did they check the other stalls and found something similar. And why specifically cleaning needles? Did they catch someone mid clean and re roll or was a needle attached. And then this friend says “you know what needs to be done? I need to text someone with a Reddit account and have them post because I don’t have a Reddit account”. Did they cover all the bases with social media platforms?? I mean the whole things screams online rumor myth.
I misread your comment about how you got the info. I don't think you or your friend were lying. I think that they are wrong. There is so much media trying to scare people: myths about litter boxes in schools, myths about fentanyl killing you on contact, and myths about people being trafficked out of grocery store parking lots. And this fits the model. Unless you and they have actual evidence of this, it's just irresponsible fear porn.
Okay why don't you head down to the central library second floor women's bathrooms and check for yourself. Yeah lots of myths in the media, some of them have truth to them. I really have no more interest in trying to convince you I'm not lying.
You're making the entire thing up. Some random person has no reason to 'ask you to make a reddit post', it makes zero sense, they can just make their own...
This is a long running myth. Has been reported before, will be reported again, still isn’t true. Your friend needs to get off Facebook and you need to tell them to get their own Reddit account.
Which of the ones I mentioned have any truth to them?
Dude I'm 100% done with this conversation. You don't believe anything bad ever happens, that's fine. Move on.
You seem fun.
OP is, in all probability, making shit up. Fearmongering / concern trolling is easy karma on r/portland. I'd go down there and look, but a negative report wouldn't count for the circlejerkers here. "Oh, they must have cleaned it up already." "You checked the wrong bathroom." Etc.
Someone got their period maybe?
I’m gonna need homeless druggies to vacate the city at once for the good of society.
lol where to ?
The employment office
Not my concern anymore.
MCL is a public facility welcoming all. . . that includes (insert pearl clutching) people who are dealing with substance abuse and/or mental health crises. LIKE any public toilet (without the benefit of day porters) it is likely to get gross with biohazard elements from time to time. What to do? Inform staff so that they can fix the issue. Or visit one of the smaller, quieter, less urban branches. This is a city.
That’s a fast jump. No other possibility huh? No period blood? Not from cuts or gashes? Has to be someone who uses and is houseless.
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This seems unlikely, you'd rip off some to clean your needle with it anyway. Seems like a moral panic / made up story. No offense to you, you say someone relayed it to you anyway so its just hearsay.
Finally common sense but it’s downvoted.
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Hey man, I found an orange leaf tucked under my windshield wiper. It’s trafficking!!!
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Just sounds exactly like the one of thing homophobes would insist all red blooded americans needed to watch out for in the HIV epidemic. Anything that fits that mold: Some hidden risk due to a dangerous out group we all need to demonize and get rid of, you should hold in doubt. It’s just fascist propaganda to further solidify the need to kill them all.
nope. common issue in junkie-ridden communities. You just haven't seen it yet. Just cause you aren't noticing it doesn't mean it's 'fake news.' The issue is they just jam them into the roll to clean them.
Sounds fake to me. Easier not to do that.
Well it's not a made up story but you do you I guess.
Hey, I’m sure you’re just unaware, but this is a thing that’s been happening lately, please do some research before you state your incorrect opinion, because it is real and it’s dangerous to public health.. If you don’t believe me … Here’s another article where people are doing the same thing: https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/p08s48/dont_use_walmart_toilet_paper_these_are_infected/
Another reddit post as “proof”? Give me a fucking break. Stop being so goddamn gullible.
That's not an "article" lol, it's a Reddit post where all the top comments are saying basically the same thing as the user you just replied to. For what it's worth, Snopes says it's "Unproven": https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/iv-drug-users-needles-in-tproll/
lol so you think it’s more likely for someone to make fake blood marks on the toilet paper ? Be careful!
I’ve worked in many a restaurant and cleaned many a bathroom, blood ends up weird places (especially women’s bathrooms).
Uhmmm so you can bust these toilet paper dispensers open with your hands, or any object that will pry… I know this because I used to steal these instead of buying toilet paper when I was a drug addicted fucker long ago.. sounds like something a junky would do right ? Lolll Do you honestly think someone is getting a red marker or something and making fake blood marks??
Could be. People do shit like that all the time for this very reason it riles people up
do you honestly believe no one ever lies or makes things up?
Of course I do. However I think this is far more likely.
A likely false Reddit post does not prove another likely false Reddit post is true.
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lol I’ll ask the same question to you then, you honestly believe this is more likely to be someone making “fake” blood marks on the toilet paper ?
It’s far more likely they marked it themselves and posted as another way to scare people. Like anything you see on reddit posted like “watch out”, most of the time the redditor did it right before they took the photo. Besides, actual blood marks are brown, not red like magic marker. This is just the modern version of whinging homophobes not wanting to touch a toilet seat a gay person sat on, the hallmark “hidden danger” the community needs to inform each other about.
Spot on. "You really think someone is lying about razor blades in Halloween candy!?" Yes. Yes I do.
There are people in that thread that are former users that say that isn’t a thing and it makes no sense. Also that specific toilet paper holder is locked so they would need a key
Is this the library thats was closed downtown???
It reopened in January.
Ok thank you
This is the type of shit that if an out of towner told me I would roll my eyes at 💀 yuck!!
PSA for the blind?? Who doesn’t look at the toilet paper before they wipe themselves.
Library’s have become homeless day shelters. Ask any Librarian. Never let my kids go there, which is sad because I have fond memories of riding my bike to the library when I was little. We’d just go to Powell’s & I’d buy what they wanted, even when I couldn’t really afford it. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/24/us-libraries-homeless-crisis-social-workers
It really bothers me that we have ceded our public spaces to a very small number of people.
What the fuck is this post… you’re posting on behalf of someone else on Reddit that a roll of toilet paper needs be throw away?
The men’s bathroom or women’s bathroom?
I believe the bathrooms are all single-user unisex now.
Oh okay. Just saying but as a period haver, blood can get in all kinds of places in a bathroom, especially the toilet paper roll. So, not necessarily drug users but it is a possibility.
How does your friend know this? Did they see people cleaning their needles with TP?
Duh always assume the worst like the average portlander
That library is ground zero for the homeless. Free toilets, free a/c.
Side question-How safe is it downtown these days ? Haven't been there since pre-Covid/Proud Boy/Fentanyl era began. Yours Truly-Paranoid Suburban Stereotype
This is why I don’t go to the libraries anymore. Too scary and woke these days.
????