Hospitalizing the Mentally Ill

I would like to commend Fleming for his deep and caring involvement for the welfare of the mentally ill among the homeless.

I am pleased to say I was touched and personally moved from the article’s sensitive touch. I happen to have the misfortune of having a schizophrenic brother. I see him bounce back and forth from one rehabilitation center to the next. In between, he’s living on the streets.

I completely agree with Fleming that there is a definite need to remove the mentally ill from the streets and give them the proper care they need. Society does not exactly know how to relate to the homeless, so they turn against them and label them as criminals or bums. What really amazes me is the fact that these people are not capable of taking care of themselves and society neglects this factor completely. Many of the mentally ill are so severely disoriented or psychotic that they can’t distinguish reality from fantasy.

Fleming is absolutely right. The Los Angeles County Mental Health Department should change the current laws. There is a great need for some type of regulation that will allow the mentally ill to be removed from the streets and given the proper medical attention they need.

JULIE DAVIS

Hacienda Heights