Nextdoor app dispute, is it wrong to call the cops ?

Question

I won't post screenshots to protect everyone's identity of course but the gist of it is this:
At a local park (it's just a small field and small play equipment made for younger kids so it's really mostly for children) there was a homeless couple sleeping on the play equipment and it was apparent that they were doing drugs up there as well because people saw them using needles up there and they were high and nodding while people were trying to talk to them. People asked them to leave because they felt unsafe and the kids were not even able to use the equipment. They would not leave. 
One post said the play equipment was soaked in urine and trash.
A separate day someone else posted that the couple were at the park hanging off the benches passed out from drug use. And said they called the cops because they were fed up with it and many others agreed. 
There were a group of several people who got on the post saying it was morally wrong and hateful and dangerous to call the police on these people "just for being homeless". They also claimed many who were concerned were being "discriminatory to the drug user population" (I wish I was kidding). 
Now I don't trust cops at all and avoid calling them as well but I feel torn on this. I've been scared to bring my kids to this park since these two showed up because they in my opinion are a danger at this point and the kids can't play there anymore and they are essentially destroying the park with drug paraphernalia and pissing on the equipment. I'm also very sad for them and know they need help in their situation, not to just have the cops called all the time, but I am torn on the people defending them and saying people should leave them be and allow this and say it's discrimination to do something about it. 
In your opinion how should this situation be handled? Are people wrong for calling the police?

Accepted Answer

Nah, they’re blatantly doing drugs in public and trashing public equipment meant for everyone to utilize. I have zero issues with the cops being called.

Answer

Most people on next door are certified lunatics
Only idiots would think it’s wrong to call the police or remove ANY people using drugs and needles on CHILDRENS play equipment 
I deleted next door personally because I saw a lot of racism coming from older white people and I was getting so heated I had to delete the whole app 
Fuck anyone who thinks homeless drug users comfortability takes priority over protecting our CHILDREN.

Answer

I’m not blaming random folks to know who to call. Even in a big city and having Google, finding a resource to resolve the issue is a pain in the ass. 
You can also call a non-cop agency and the cops still show up, because the two sometimes intersect. Our homeless outreach is largely housed and funded with the police. If I call our homeless outreach, a cop shows up with a gun and a social worker. 
If people are mad in the comments about them calling the cops, then they should be providing resources. If they’re not, then they’re just virtue signaling. 
Maybe the move to 988 crisis line would help field some calls like that, but outside of our large cities, there are nearly zero homeless outreach groups. You’re going to have cops, that’s it.

Answer

Everyone going on about the resources, yet fails to understand, you cannot help a drug addict who doesn't want help. And it's extremely shitty of them to be trashing a CHILDRENS playground. I would've called the police too. Only shitty people leave their needles and drug paraphernalia laying around on children's equipment. Hopefully the police showed up and solved the problem. The person who called the police was 100% in the right too and I would've done the same. Fuck anyone who thinks otherwise.

Answer

I don’t think people are wrong for calling the cops. Unfortunately, there just aren’t any widely known organizations who could better help this situation. I wish there were other, better task forces to respond to situations like this, but to my knowledge, there are not. Or they’re just very localized.

Answer

If you're homeless, drink, high etc and minding your business out of the way, no worries. You do you. When you are impacting the ability for others to safely use things meant for the public, yeah the cops should be called.
Play equipment is meant for children. If you are using it for your private dwelling, that's an issue. It's meant for children to use, not adults to live in and abuse.
They are creating a dangerous environment. It's ok to call the cops.

Answer

I would not have called the police to report their behavior. 
I would have called 911 if they were passed out/non responsive. 
We also have a homeless crises response team here. It’s a city service, but it’s Salvation Army workers who respond. I have criticisms of that org, but it’s better than cops. I’ve never called it, and leave homeless people be, but if there was a safety issue I would consider it before I would police. I get that those programs don’t exist everywhere though. 
It sucks for everyone else who uses the park, but I see the arguments about not criminalizing either homelessness or drug use. I doubt police involvement would lead to anything helpful or positive for the couple.

Answer

Addiction is a real issue and it is very very sad. One can be empathetic towards someone’s mental or codependent illness and also protect their kids. Unfortunately, I feel like in this circumstance kids take precedence because why would you want to expose innocent kids—who have no fault, choice, or say in the matter—to potential crime, injury via needles, etc. also, it’s no secret that the more that kind of environment saturates, the more drug problems, crime, SA etc goes up. It would be different if it weren’t in a place specifically designed for children who have such little spaces to themselves. 
If those people were trying to be discrete and benevolent they wouldn’t be urinating on play items they know will be used by kids, or littering/using in public. While addiction is a disease, they are adults that most likely have made poor choices somewhere along the line. While they’re deserving of help, that doesn’t mean their comfortability should come at the expense of the safety of innocent kids who again, haven’t made any bad decisions.

Answer

Its not because theu are homeless. They are putting children in danger.

Answer

I wouldn’t call the cops. They need support for their addiction, not jail time. I would’ve gone to dontcallthepolice.com and checked out resources there. Or reached out to a local hospital.

Nextdoor app dispute, is it wrong to call the cops ?

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