Sadly, this issue has become a recurring theme lately.   MSUB just announced a public forum to help discuss the problems with transients in downtown Billings.  The stories are well documented, and they keep getting worse.

The latest examples include a couple of transients committing a lewd act in one of the restrooms at City Hall.  Then there was the drunk lady, who passed out in a drunken stupor while she was trying to relieve herself.  She was found, face down and pants down, on the sidewalk outside our shiny new library.  Imagine how awkward that must have been for the poor family taking their children to the library that morning.

At least someone's finally starting to address this issue.  The forum, which will be held at MSUB's downtown offices on October 29th and 30th, will feature guest speakers from across the country.  Those speakers will include a police officer from San Diego who will discuss measures that have been implemented to deal with the problem in that community.  The founder of a non profit group that provides outreach to the homeless community in San Antonio, Texas, will also talk about their challenges.

The Flakes have said it many times.  The number of transients in downtown Billings isn't a social issue, it's a safety issue.  We've already seen too many acts of violence and the problem is only getting worse.  Instead of making life easier for these people, Mark and Paul believe we should increase the capacity of our jails, so the police have a place to put them.

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