Sioux Falls: Guilty of Moral Poverty? [OPINION]

What is going wrong in our Sioux Falls?

This year there have been several incidents of gunfire. That used to be rare. 57th Street has turned into a racetrack. Home break-ins in a well established area.

Last week the police had to block off an entire block just to serve a warrant. Repeated vandalism and arson at the Outdoor Campus. A friend's car was broken into at a local major drug store. She lost a lot of important stuff.

An increasing population should NOT mean an automatic increase in crime.

I think poverty, alcohol, and drug addictions are doing too much damage to individuals. That damage is beginning to impact the entire city in very negative ways.

Our community, including businesses, churches, service clubs, and governments, needs to find ways to kick poverty in the butt. There are too many people working full and part time jobs and still are not making enough to cover the basics. That can and does lead to bad choices with booze, drugs, and crime.

By allowing poverty to grow we are guilty of moral poverty. One of the big sins.

I know the poor will always be with us. However, the poor now includes individuals, couples, and families working multiple jobs and still falling behind. While it is convenient to say "they made some bad choices," that statement does nothing to deal with the people who have not made bad choices, but are still in trouble.

We need a paradigm shift in our thinking and actions if we want to make progress holding down crime, and putting the brakes on addiction. .

Who is capable and willing to lead us out of the hole we are digging?