An Open Letter to Greg Gopman

Dear Greg,
I've been thinking about what you said all day, as I watch
the equally caustic responses to your words stream through my news feed.
Personally, I found your words more disturbing than offensive because I'm
afraid that they reflect the uninformed views of so many more. I am curious
about you. I wonder how long you've been in San Francisco, how long you've been
watching the city evolve, and how wide your understanding is of homelessness.
I'm a teacher by nature, and I would like to help you understand this issue a
bit more so that you can help educate others.
During college, I did volunteer work as a Crisis Counselor with San Francisco Suicide Prevention. Part of our thorough training was a history of mental health care in California. Did you know that California used to have a vast, comprehensive public mental healthcare system? During his tenure as governor, Ronald Reagan gutted the system, leaving very little behind. People end up in public mental heal…
During college, I did volunteer work as a Crisis Counselor with San Francisco Suicide Prevention. Part of our thorough training was a history of mental health care in California. Did you know that California used to have a vast, comprehensive public mental healthcare system? During his tenure as governor, Ronald Reagan gutted the system, leaving very little behind. People end up in public mental heal…