Society's Role In Interdependence, Stigmas, & Increased Crime

My focus is community outreach. I spend every day working side-by-side with the unsheltered, and those suffering from alcohol and substance abuse throughout Connecticut. I comb the streets and hang around motels looking for people in need. I have wondered if I'm the only one being this proactive but I try not to think about it.

My background is in trauma, addiction, brain retraining, documentary work, and observational learning. In 2018, I spent one year on the streets of NYC observing the behaviors of passerby, their interactions and actions, and interviewed countless perspectives to gain insight into what humanity means. I learned about reflection, human connection, others’ hardships, and the long road to becoming humble.

Most of us are stuck in a massive mix of assorted ideas trying to find and figure out quick solutions to overcome something that’s nagging us internally. We get caught up in hellish cycles that create nothing but endless roads.

When I lost my job in June this year, it took eleven weeks to get my unemployment payment. I'm a solo mom, meaning, it's just my kid and me. The other "parent" has never been in the picture, they didn't meet until this past summer when she was 16 years old. For my health and our safety, I detached from family, meaning, I cut all financial cords and communication. Too many people assume everyone has some kind of support, but there are plenty of us out there who have zero support at all. Though I am a proud, hardworking, solo mom, not everyone shares the same views and work ethic. Many people I come across never learned survival skills let alone healthy coping skills. Sadly, many would also tell you that they believe they are invaluable to this world, when in reality, what we think we know is what we’ve been taught.

When I put an ad out for donated tents, along with a list of food supplies, and other acceptable donations, I received more hateful text messages than I did donations.

It’s important to understand behind hate and anger is fear and sadness; behind fear and sadness is someone struggling to see their worthiness or value in society. Hate and anger is a secondary emotion, meaning those emotions mask something deeper within us. It’s no wonder “haters” are the reason Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social platforms thrive. Our belief system is what fuels the media. Upfront and in-person these arguable individuals would be unrecognizable. The result of public shaming has lead to increased suicides and without a doubt, increased crime, and addiction. Why? Because of shame.

There are three types of stigmas: public stigma, self-stigma, and institutionalized stigma. Public stigma involves the negative or discriminatory attitudes that others have about mental illness, homelessness, substance use disorders (what have you). Self-stigma refers to the negative attitudes, including internalized shame, that people with mental illness have about their condition. And, Institutional stigma, which is more systemic, involves the policies of the government and private organizations that intentionally or unintentionally limit opportunities for people with mental illness. Which is odd, because if you asked your primary care doctor how many patients of his/her are on antidepressants, I guarantee you the answer will be 70% or higher.

It’s no secret there are a large number of Connecticut residents struggling. Let’s take a look at what our state is doing to solve these issues.

The Connecticut Department of Labor

The CT DOL cast an illusionary image of a functional resource but only those who were/are forced to rely on our state’s broken system for income know how exhausting and frustrating it is.

As I mentioned, it took eleven weeks to get paid. I faxed my unemployment paperwork so many times my fax service got suspended. I mailed my paperwork to the CT DOL and the adjudications office twice, each location. I emailed every state official trying to get a hold of someone at the CT DOL and heard crickets. Then, two months later, I received a letter from the CT DOL stating they haven't received my paperwork. To make matters worse, their claim system is a nightmare. Submit a claim and an error message appears. I spent many of my summers Sundays trying to submit a claim (and applying for jobs).

In May 2020, the CT Department of Labor added two more phone lines for claimants to call into for help with claims but despite the additional numbers, people still couldn’t get through, then and now, one year later.

I scheduled callbacks and never received them. The system asks that you pick a time and date for the callback but instead of receiving a callback at the time and date you request, they’ll call you a day or week later, or not at all.

So, there I was with twelve bills and rent two months late. Guess how much went to late fees? Thankfully, I found a new job several weeks into unemployment but my first payday wasn’t until two months after being discharged. Ever wonder what stress does to the brain?

Waiting two months or longer for unemployment pay is normal for the Connecticut Dept. of Labor but it’s truly unacceptable. What the heck do people do without an income and what are people doing to survive while waiting for unemployment pay?

The surge in crime, addiction, and homelessness is happening for a reason and the result is fear, sickness, stigma, and blame.

Our autonomic nervous system has a direct role in physical response to stress. When the body is stressed, our hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) by sending signals to our adrenal glands which release a hormone called epinephrine into our bloodstream. This response is called “flight-or-fight.”

Normally, this heart-pumping response lasts less than 60 minutes, assuming the threat disappeared. But what if that threat, like financial hardship or the threat of crime, stayed?

The body does several things to handle things internally. Our muscles become tense, our pupils dilate (scientists can use pupil movements as a proxy for determining mental strain), hyper-arousal, and an avalanche of psychological changes may follow. These changes may feel exactly that, like an abundant mass dumped directly on top of you, leaving you nothing but unrecognizable obstacles ahead, causing you immediate, and debilitating, physical, emotional, and psychological stress - all of which affect your ability to function normally. You may remember a time this happened and you’re standing there thinking, “WTH just happened?”

This is life. Life never promised us at birth we would have it easy. The assumption that we are owed something or must be treated a certain way is nothing but our ego saying, “I’m afraid to feel vulnerability.”

After documenting the unsheltered in NYC, I discovered several things. There are people who fly signs for a living (and live very comfortably for that matter). I once observed a “pregnant" woman on the corner of 5th and 75th take the pillow out from under her shirt to lay on it. She made over $600 a day. Here in CT on the Berlin Turnpike homeless make around $15-$25 a day. Even in CT, one could expect severe consequences if you take someone's spot, some places are more territorial than others. After all, this is business.

I admit, I thought of panhandling in NYC when I was under severe financial stress while dealing with the Connecticut Dept. of Labor this past summer. I didn't just think about it, I contemplated it for days.

On September 8th, 2021, Governor Lamont Announced a public-private initiative to address homelessness and chronic health problems but I know first hand, this is just another illusion - a marketing idea to exploit the impossible to give residents peace of mind that something is being done. Similar to Gov. Lamont’s most recent Tweet on gun control. He stated, “I'm proud that CT has some of the lowest levels of gun-related and violent crime in the US. I'm even more proud to join NJ, NY, & PA in today's multi-state compact to track and trace guns. We're setting an example of how to prevent potential gun violence & keep people safe.” Does he think we don't see the news? According to the ATF, nearly half the guns recovered from crime scenes in Connecticut come from out of state. Is Gov. Lamont counting the crimes committed by these guns too? Let's not put a band-aid on the fact CT crime has increased at a tremendous rate this past year.

The number #1 reason people struggle is because they believe they aren’t doing something right.

If claimants don’t know how to navigate through systems online, or if many systems respond the way the CT DOL does, how can anyone in a financial hardship feel secure about their income, situation, or future? It is no secret that the risk for mental health problems and medical problems increases significantly due to stress. The threat of ongoing debt and insufficient income can wreak havoc on someone's mindset and mental health. The result is anxiety, depression, and emotional distress. In addition, chronic financial stress has been linked to a cycle of increased workplace absenteeism, diminished workplace performance, and depression.

The only way to relieve financial stress and the shame that comes with it, is money.

The Unsheltered

I feel obligated to clear some myths about homelessness. Believe it or not, there are homeless individuals who have a job but still can’t get by. I’ve never met anyone flying a sign who feels good about begging for money. Some are victims of human trafficking (yes, in CT). Many struggle with addiction.

I assure you, you may think the Internet is full of resourceful organizations, but little is being done. The number one way you can help end homelessness is through tough love. Tough love does not mean that you throw insults, nag, or torment someone. Such behavior is selfish. Tough love is a useful skill to have and you can practice by not giving money to the unsheltered. Enabling allows someone to continue self-destructing behaviors. How do you feel knowing that, in some circumstances, money received goes straight to a pimp or manager in exchange for drugs? Let’s stop supporting human trafficking, please? If you want to help, give food, water/Gatorade, a bus card - anything but money.

The biggest, most ignorant misconception about the unsheltered is that they are lazy. I’ve seen cars try to run the homeless over, individuals get spit on, and food thrown at them - all tactics of public shaming - and for what? These individuals weren’t taught healthy coping methods nor are there many people like myself teaching these individuals how to work a phone, navigate through a system, create a resume, apply for a job, and so on. What is stopping people from positively educating the needy? By the time it takes to spit on someone or hand someone a dollar bill, you could hand out something resourceful instead. Need something resourceful? Stop by the Central Connecticut Health District, they have loads of brochures.

Addiction is not a weakness of character nor does addiction make someone a bad person. Addiction is a response to human suffering.

Our society demonizes addiction even though Connecticut has the seventh-worst drug problem in America. This means you or someone in your family has an alcohol or drug problem. Those that share hateful opinions on addiction are more than likely unable to face their truths and reality in the mirror.

The Surge In CT Crime

The American Psychological Association published, “The Cycle of Violence,” and through research, found 94% of inmates studied had been physically abused, 59% were sexually abused, and 83% had witnessed violence in adolescence. With that said, our brain is a system of complex programs all of which were hard-wired from birth to 7 years old. Our morals, values, and beliefs make up one of those programs. Unless you grew up in an actual fairy-tale, your brain, my brain, whosever brain, is a self-sabotaging brain. We can’t unlearn English, can we? No, but we can practice another language.

I’ve been practicing Buddhism for 25 years and my parent's beliefs still haunt me when making certain decisions. I wasn’t raised to believe I’m lovable, therefore, I struggle with rejection and acceptance. Does this make sense?

Rocky Hill has put a lot of attention on crimes committed by youths calling for harsher punishment. An adolescent brain is far more delicate than adults because it hasn’t fully developed yet. Criminal organizations know this, which is why delinquent teens are rewarded with drugs or money in exchange for doing dirty deeds. Not all teens who commit crime are controlled by organizations. One man said he stole a car because he didn't want to wait for an Uber. Which explains why stolen cars reappear.

It is said that the pandemic is to blame for the increased crime, addiction, and homelessness, but we need to look at the bigger picture, the thing that people find hardest to face. No, not the CT DOL or DSS, nor is it our short-staffed police departments, but the tension between our inner and outer self, our interconnections, and our interdependencies.

Americans fear poverty. We pay taxes and think that’s enough to squash social problems, perhaps hoping everything ugly will magically go away. Your perception of me is a reflection of you. People want to be socially accepted, we want nice things. Outside of our norms is vulnerability and who voluntarily wants to explore that? No one wants to be a bad person, no one wants their town turning into Compton, no one wakes up and says, “I intend to destroy everything in my path today.” (What a horrible affirmation by the way). But, we all cling to something and that something provides us with comfort. Although we may or may not agree with someone’s choices, it’s important to keep the focus on what’s important, which is a maintaining a healthy mindset.

Remember, ALL negative behavior is a response to human suffering.

If you or someone you know is suffering from an alcohol or substance use disorder and need help, resources, or someone to talk to, my cell is 860-249-6340 and my email is ssimplot@ccthd.org