Puyallup: City's being tarnished by drug abusers

I was skimming my Facebook timeline recently, and one post from a relative caught my eye. It was a shared post from my home city, my place of residence, about the homeless population getting out of control.

Along with the post came about 30 pictures that told a story of disregard for the land, disrespect for the community that has worked hard to build an image of clean and safe, and most of all the disregard for people’s generosity by literally leaving donations in the dirt. Videos a neighbor had forwarded showed a person using a needle in plain sight.

I truly believe in showing care through actions. What if we walked the river and started cleaning up the trash, filth and destruction? Through our actions and words, I think these people would accept our message: You can’t stay here now, but we would gladly welcome you with open arms when you are willing to lend a hand, pay taxes and help us keep our community safe and clean.

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 11:23 AM with the headline "Puyallup: City's being tarnished by drug abusers."