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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 2:18:13 PM |
Congratulations Xavery, you created a disgusting ,cold inhumane thread that is obviously bringing out the worst in many POF . Maybe you could pick a subject that doesn't flaunt the unhappiness and tragedy in people lives . And also try to not pick a minor who at 13 years of age is comtemplating suicide. What drove this poor lonely child to do something this drastic? I am sitting here with tears in my eyes thinking about my own daughter who will one day be this age.
This thread disgusts me and should be removed. Red Rum
I may have created the thread but I certainly did not write the responses. Red Rum - If this thread upsets you, don't read it. People need to talk about these things. I did not know it was a 13 year old girl. It really doesn't matter how old the potential jumper was, it is more about bridge closures. I think you need to get a grip on reality. Your daughter will be 13, but hopefully not suicidal. I cannot be responsible for the reactions to this thread.
When I posted this, I thought maybe this "jump, jump," thing happened in Vancouver, but I wasn't sure. I think part of the reason people may do this is because they don't really believe the potential jumper is suicidal. It really is a poor way to commit suicide, because jumpers don't always die and sometimes end up seriously disabled. Sorry, to upset the faint of heart, but this life and death and the way we are.
For the record, I believe closing the bridge was the right thing to do. | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 2:24:48 PM |  Halokitty!!
I have always enjoyed reading your posts and bravo to you for revealing yourself in such a personal manner.
I know that I have known several people in my life who suffer with mental illnesses. I can only speak for myself here but having friends who just "break" (for lack of a better term) suddenly made me only too aware of how much I fear that for myself.
I have seen some very brilliant functioning adults succumb to mental illnesses. It is very real and can happen to absolutely anyone.
BRAVO to you!! | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 2:52:18 PM | " Shame on the unfeeling, selfish people who could only think of the traffic situation."
Shame on the self-righteous jerks who dare to judge others They should try looking at ALL sides of the story instead of indulging in their own "I'm such a caring person!" self-congratulatory nonsense.
"I wonder if they could have compromised and let vehicles go through but at 10 km/hour speed limit, single lane. alternating on the lane furthest from her. A quiet trickle would have been far better than total blockage and likely would have let the police and fire crews do their difficult jobs at the same time."
Yes! That is an excellent compromise.
Shutting the whole bridge down for that many hours is unacceptable, especially when one considers that there were probably people in the lineup who may have had medical issues (diabetes, etc.) and needed to get to their medicine; as well as any number of other pressing situations which had to be put on hold because of this.
I know it sounds "heartless and cruel", but life does need to go on, despite one person's personal problems. This could have been handled a lot better. A good learning experience, in any case. The people involved in the rescue do have a very difficult job and they handled this one very well but, as always, there are aspects which could be improved upon, mostly regarding the traffic disruption.
But at least it was a satisfactory outcome! | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 2:59:44 PM | I entirely agree, the emotional distress of one person is not reason enough to let thousands of people sit at a stand still on one of the hottest days of the year.
No bathrooms, no water, no food.
I don't know about anyone else, but I don't usually prepare a survival kit when I'm driving across town to keep in my car.
And as the above poster stated what about people that may have had medical conditions, not including the likelihood of dehydration and heat stroke that people may have suffered.
Let's also factor in the high price of gas and all of those vehicles idling to keep their A/C running.
MMmmMm carbon monoxide.
I don't want to sound like the cold heartless jerk I am, but what about the greater good?
Too many squeaky wheels get the grease while the rest of us grind along. | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 3:03:00 PM | | By the time I get to these posts most people have made very good points. To Xavery, isn't this a forum post to where people are allowed their OP's? Like yours especially? Whenever I hear someone is going to jump, I say poor them. I really do feel bad for them. I myself had a difficult upbringing, family, school, trying to make friends etc. I was quite lucky I got good help in the medical field. I was in a support group for four years, because I didn't know where I fit in this world. Boy, some people can mean here. Someone told me the other day, that she actually saw a middle aged woman, going to jump on the Alex Fraser bridge about a week ago or so. I have to work harder than most people here, I have come contact. One time in my life, I felt I was in between worlds. People who are highly intelligent than I, and people who have disabilities. I was neither. But things are pretty good now I must say. I just want to add, if this wasn't an appropriate post, it would have been deleted. | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 3:05:14 PM | Halokitty, well said my dear ((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))
I was not on the bridge that day, I do know there was a big back up as I live on the North Shore. Sucks when it happens and @ 3 years ago there were two jumpers, one on the Second Narrows and then one on the Lions Gate...so both bridges were closed. I know it was a holiday and there were a lot of summer commuters and it is unfortunate.
What can you do?...wait it out. What if it were an Act of God like a landslide or the bridge had collapsed?
I would of thought that opening one side of the bridge would be a solution and pacify some of the commuters and ease the frustration and the back up...but for whatever reason it was not done...perhaps the noise and vibration was too great.
The priority for the police was to aid the jumper not to pacify drivers and I think that was the best decision.
My reaction the Falcon's comments....well I hope that people would show more compassion and empathy if it was one of your love ones on the bridge.
...and to the govt... we need more funding for persons with mental health issues.
one of my dearest friends ....brilliant man... Honours History grad from SFU...one day...snapped... paranoia....in a frightful stage...thought others were out to get him...he was fortunate that he had family who intervened and acted promptly....not everyone is caught in time before they feel there is no hope and they take a drastic step as contemplating and acting on suicide. | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 4:47:38 PM | Thank you to everyone who complimented me.
I haven't been in a rut since last year, which is in my history, a fairly good length of time to be in remission.
I tend to be rather candid about my life because I know I've been through things others have, but some don't want to talk about. I think it's important to educate people on topics that society in general doesn't wish to discuss. The lack of information leads to ignorance which leads to fear and thus anger and hate. Education takes away the fear of the unknown, and the anger and hate follow suit.
Educating people on the issues those with a mental illness face is important to me because there's so much stigma attached to them and there's so much misunderstanding of the diagnoses.
One in Five people will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their life; look at your family and friends - if you have at least 5 of them, at sometime, one of you will be diagnosed with some sort of mental illness at varying degrees. There are varying degrees of different disorders and not all of them require medications. Some can be very well controlled with CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) as well as individual counseling. Some people only have one major depressive episode in their life, others will have chronic depression in the forms of a bipolar spectrum illness, or such. If you have a history of drug/alcohol abuse, dementia, Alzheimer's, depression, or schizophrenia (paranoid type or otherwise) you are at increased risk of developing a mental illness.
If you use marijuana chronically, you are at increased risk of developing depression. I know a lot of pot smokers will disagree - but these are scientific facts. The same goes for alcoholics.
Mental illness affects anyone without prejudice. It doesn't care if you're old, young, woman, man, fat, thin, etc. It will eventually get at least 1 in 5 people whether its in the form of grief disorders, depressive illnesses, schizophrenia, personality disorders, dysthymic disorders, etc and to varying degrees of intensity - it will affect at least one person in your life.
People tend to fear what they don't understand, and they mask that fear with angry and cruel words. They have no idea how to interpret the stimuli they're presented with, so they decide to be cruel to cover up their short comings. This has to stop. Our society may not want to discuss mental health, but it has to. Fifty years ago, society didn't want to discuss sex either - but now it's an open topic. Fifty years ago, society didn't want to discuss homosexuality - but today, it's much more talked about (albeit not quite as acceptable).
Things have to change. Opinions have to change. Or we will continue to lose lives that could have been saved. Educating people will save live. Tearing down the stigma of mental illness will save lives. Not just adults - but children as well. Our young people are being affected more and more by mental illnesses due to stressors in their life that weren't thought of just a few decades ago. Their lives can be saved simply by educating people more and more - so that they're more understanding and aware of their fellow (wo)man.
*gets off my soap box* | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 5:32:34 PM | I too am with everyone that has similar feelings and opinions that are along the same lines as Halokitty.
I've been in this situation in my past as well. NO, not on the bridge, but at home,......many many years back.
I would never wish that kind of hopeless/helpless feeling on ANYONE. Not even my worst enemy.
I just hope that anyone/everyone that has given a negative response to this thread are NEVER is in this situation themselves one day, OR is close to someone that is in this situation one day.
But if you ever are, in this situation,.............I know that your opinion/feelings reactions would be different.
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 6:18:29 PM | My New Hero: Halokitty !!!
Thank You so much for sharing your experiences! I think you are amazing and I am grateful to you for being so candid because I believe you are saving lives.. without even knowing it. Seriously.
Please keep on educating and loving - this world needs a whole lot more like you!
A.S.is
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 6:46:51 PM | | To Halo and Spud I have friends from all walks of life, including the ones who have the most special problems. Those who I see sometimes for coffee, have caregivers and are well taken care of. One friend in particular who has a staff that comes with us, he is quite the character Makes my life interesting. I wish there were more people like you Halo. This may sound korny, we only have one life we should use the best way we know how. | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 7:44:37 PM | | The way I see it is know one should judge how another person feels because you're not in that persons head.If that person is threatening to jump he may jump,and it has to be dealt with as a life or death situation . | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 8:31:03 PM | YOU ALL MISS THE POINT BY A MILE.
....This single episode costs to the Provincial and Municipal govt's could have paid for the anti suicide fence.
Regardless if 1 in 5 or 1 in 10 will come down with a mood disorder......the situation is bad and getting worse because your Provincial Govt has cut back medical services.
...The solution to less medical services is not in locking down the major bridge arteries....but building anti suicide fences.
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 8:39:49 PM | | You know uncle max has a good idea here.The only problem with it is that Gordon Wilson and his cronies arn't going to put something up that won't look pretty for the Olympics. | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 8:44:02 PM | I like the idea of a high fence going up on both 1st and 2nd Norrows bridges.
BUT, you ^^^^ think that WE'VE all missed the point, why hasn't anyone but up a damn fence as of yet. It wouldn't have saved at least a 12 lives since the first jumper on either bridge, and the so called headaches that it causes the drivers.
P.S. Is the reason why this particular one has created so much attention just because it was that Bridge and a holdiday weekend?! If so, we aren't the only ones that may have missed a point here my fellow fish.
What about all the times there have been jumpers on all of the other L.M. bridges?! It has still always caused the same inconveince for everyone in those particular areas.
If its so damn easy to fix the situation with your bright ideas, then do somthing about it, instead of bashing the downtrodden. | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 8:47:55 PM | If nothing is put up yet, it won't be put up. It will have nothing to do with the 2010 Games.
If they haven't put one up for the Golden Gate Bridge in California, it won't happen here, either.
However, I have seen a documentary about the jumpers for that bridge. And the system that they have in place for such an event should be looked at and implamented by our Government too. | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 8:58:58 PM | jspudotoole....why are you making this a personal issue with me?
...You think I haven't any friends, peers or relatives affected by mood disorders?
""why hasn't anyone but up a damn fence as of yet?""
Your Provincial Gov't doesn't know how to resolve a problem....they only know how to make'em.
lol
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 9:15:56 PM | Sadly I am not at all surprised at the selfish and ignorant postings of some members on here. Although I do belive we are all entitled to our own opinions, those people that label all suicidal people as "attention seekers" are incredibly lacking any factual understanding of Mental Illness. This in "MY" opinion makes their judgements purely uneducated, unfounded and in a word disregarded.
I must commend you Halo on disclosing such a personal part of your life for all to see. AMAZING... I also agree with you that by sharing your story that you have educated some of these nay sayers and because of people like your self, Mental Illness is finally being recognized as an "Illness" as opposed to something just conjured up for so called "attention"
On a personal note, my father, diagnosed as manic depressive, committed suicide when I was 11. He did not, however, take his life off a bridge but lay himself to rest in someones orchard after consuming all of his medications. Then there was a friend of mine whom was a pharmacist, having access to pills to take his life, killed himself upon having been unable to process/cope with a horrifc car accident that claimed his wife and 6 month old daughter. He was driving and the only other survivor beside himself was his mother-in-law. In my fathers instance it was the mental illness that took over but in my friends case it was one incident that had a monumnetal effect on his life. Point is people it can happen to YOU.
As a advocate I have tried to do my little part by volunteering on the Crisis Lines in my community and had the honour of assisting a handful of suicidal callers to seek help as opposed to following through with their intentions, one of which was on a bridge.
I hope people might take another look at the person on that bridge and consider what has lead them to this point. | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 9:17:00 PM | Putting up a suicide fence will only go so far in helping the problem. It's not the end-all be-all solution. The problem is: There are not enough resources available to the people that have mental health issues. In particular, there are nowhere near enough resources available to MEN who suffer. We need more support groups, more acute psychiatric beds, more half-way houses, more social networks, more psychiatrists, and better psychiatric facilities than what we have now.
A suicide barrier would be a good thing to have on -all- bridges. A fence should also be built between the pedestrians and the vehicle traffic so that no one can jump in front of cars either.
There needs to be more transit police stationed at Skytrain stations to deter those wishing to jump in front of the trains, too. You've no idea how many we get each year that have tried this. | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 9:34:11 PM | Halokitty...please read the thread title.
Your last post goes everywhere else but the issue at hand.
....Should all bridge car traffic be locked down because someone is standing on the edge of a bridge sidewalk or standing on the edge of a skytrain platform?
""A suicide barrier would be a good thing to have on -all- bridges.""
I agree with your statement....your other issues simply cloud this one.
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 9:47:40 PM | ^^^ Maxx .....Halo brought to head the issues behind why we even have jumpers...her post's were important to the topic and very informative to those that may not understand why we even need to address safety precautions for bridges.
So although you may feel her discussion clouds the topic, others may not support you here.
Halo......always strive to keep your cup half full.....
<-------Grand daughter to one of the bravest women I ever knew who lived with Schizophrenia her entire adult life...RIP.....
CC | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/4/2008 11:47:10 PM | Minor point here....
You know uncle max has a good idea here.The only problem with it is that Gordon Wilson and his cronies arn't going to put something up that won't look pretty for the Olympics.
Gordon Wilson was the provincial Liberal leader back in the early 90s....lost the leadership to Gordon Campbell and the old Socreds in 1994 leadership.
anyhow...wrong Gordon...and you know what..the bottomline to me is that there is not enough services out there to aid people in need .... so many on the edge barely holding on ...so many in need of services to deal with mental illness, grief and stress. | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/5/2008 12:55:14 AM | ....Should all bridge car traffic be locked down because someone is standing on the edge of a bridge sidewalk or standing on the edge of a skytrain platform?
A resounding YES! This is a LIFE we're talking about - not someone's 8 o'clock tee time!
My last post was in response to the idea of suicide barriers on bridges. That is merely a Band-Aid on a festering wound; it's a temporary fix. My post did not, in any way, "cloud" this discussion, and I'm sorry you choose to see it as that.
Furthermore, my posts were all on mental illness which were spurned by the dispassionate comments regarding this unfortunate individual.
How you choose to interpret my posts is up to you, but I won't be changing them any time soon to suit your views on a topic.
Best wishes. :) | |
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/5/2008 6:18:12 AM | Halo....you seem very nice, honest, sincere...but not realistic.
Of course a suicide bridge fence is just a band aid on a "growing" and festering wound.
As a baby step, this is good....because current govt's cannot afford more...
...and it is not about an 8.00 tee time...be realistic
...dozens and dozens of cops were hired at double time pay to re direct traffic
many families missed their "reserved" ferries and had to sleep in their vehicles overnight.
Thousands...yes thousands....of families missed their family get together July 1st bbq's
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| Bridge Closure Due to Jumper???
Posted: 7/5/2008 7:18:08 AM |
....Should all bridge car traffic be locked down because someone is standing on the edge of a bridge sidewalk or standing on the edge of a skytrain platform?
No clouds here! To the OP - YES, YES and YES.
A LIFE is Always more important than a bbq or some silly schedule. Geez.
Regarding Halokitty being "realistic" I dare say she has a better grip on what that means (esp in this situation) than many, who are only apparently concerned that they were inconvenienced .. missed a hot dog or some fireworks.
"Oh gee, so sorry bout your sis, but you know .. we had to get a good spot to see the fireworks! .. Priorities!" .. yeah right.
Halo - you've got a big fan here and I think waaaaaaay more than you realize.
As for someone attempting suicide, maybe if someone had a little time to listen before it got to that point. But we're all sooo busy with more "important" things. Very sad. If the young woman had jumped, those who are judging the actions of the authorities who stopped bridge traffic, would be judging her! Saying things like "Why didn't she talk to someone? .. Why didn't she get help?" .. When there is no other way to end the pain, when there is No One who will listen, when the meds make the problem worse (as they often do), when fireworks and bbq's take priority .. people die.
Yes.. they should have stopped traffic, and yes I would say the same thing had I been one of those stuck on the bridge or missed a stupid bbq. I hope that this woman finds her way, I hope she finds someone who has the compassion and understanding of someone like miss Halokitty. I hope she finds peace in this life, it's hard enough for those who are (alledgedly) mentally fit!
A.S.is
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