The Sewer People of Bucharest, Romania

Thousands of people live in the sewers of Bucharest for generations since the Ceausescu-regime. This feature covers only the tip of the iceberg. Reminds us how well we're off...

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Picture of joeman74 achievements

+11 1. joeman commented 9 years ago

I'm more thankful for how I can live after seeing this.
But, how can we help them?
That's the big question we all ask.
Picture of Pyranthos41 achievements

+10 2. Pyranthos commented 9 years ago

a decent attempt would be to give them lumber, tools, land and seeds. Teach them to build and farm, as a community not individuals. Problem is the drugs. That shit ruins lives, and many can't escape that cycle, or lack the desire to.
Picture of thundersnow58 achievements

+4 3. thundersnow commented 9 years ago

Even though it is sad they have/choose to live like that, there is a sense of unity and community among them that I don't even see in the "good" neighborhood I live in..they have nothing, but they at least have each other. I do understand drugs are a big problem there. I immediately remembered something similar, but with a bit higher living standard, existing (or existed) in the US, posted on snotr about six years ago.

http://www.snotr.com/video/3151/Tunnels_Under_Sin_City
Picture of Geekster80 achievements

+6 4. Geekster (admin) commented 9 years ago

I recently was in Bucharest few days ago, and it's for real. I've seen these people with my own eyes. :( I feel so hopeless when I imagine that there are so many people like this, and there's so little I can do for them...
Picture of TitvsCaivs46 achievements
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-11 5. TitvsCaivs commented 9 years ago

I don't give a shit!
Picture of isitmeor31 achievements

+8 6. isitmeor commented 9 years ago

I'm romanian and this is news even for me. As far as I know the homeless and drug addicts are less and less visible in other cities. Being a big city, Bucharest probably attracts people with problems from almost half of the country. Given the ongoing immigrant crisis in Europe, this raises a moral question: how fair is it to take in ~10000 foreigners each year and house them, feed them and provide free healthcare and schooling when so many homeless locals are living in the sewers and receive nothing of the above ? (in practice, free healthcare is unavailable even for regular citizens)
Picture of Judge-Jake53 achievements

+6 7. Judge-Jake commented 9 years ago

#5 Well lets hope your bowel movements do not improve until such time that your eventual shite resembles a hedgehog :|
It is heart breaking watching this and I wonder what solution there actually is. If a commune was set up above ground would they use it, some might, but this is more a drug den than a place to live for a lot of the people and we all know that once down that dark road they don't care where they live. It's the children that need the help and the closing of the Romanian orphanages has caused a lot of this. Very sad :(
Picture of thundersnow58 achievements

-2 8. thundersnow commented 9 years ago

It is very sad, because it doesn't look like a solution would be easy to find. There was a similar problem in the US, when years ago the during the Reagan administration many inpatient mental hospitals (state hospitals) were closed or funding was stopped and patients were released ending up on the streets, homeless and on drugs driven to commit crimes. I don't know much about Bukarest, but it is particular sad when a wealthy developed country like the US cannot even take care of the people who, in this time of their life, need help the most.
This video also somehow reminds me of a modern Oliver Twist story.
Picture of huldu34 achievements

+4 9. huldu commented 9 years ago

#1 Isn't that the funny thing, in about a day or two you'll forget about this and every other problem in the world. If you think this is bad then you obviously need to open your eyes wider - or not, which would probably be better for you.
Picture of sux2bu67 achievements

+2 10. sux2bu commented 9 years ago

#8 FYI... From the mid-70s to mid-80s in the US there was a strong 'patients rights' movement generated by the mental health advocate community. Although there were many facets to this movement, one of the primary elements was a re-examination of the criteria for institutionalizing patients.
Beginning in the late 70s, the advocacy groups began to demand a lower standard. As long as a patient could merely wash and dress himself, and could perform the simple task of shovelling food into his mouth, then every effort was made to force the institutions to release them.Predictably, most of the newly discharged patients were unable to take care of themselves in any meaningful sense of the word, and became the homeless people on the street.
Reagan was not involved in this movement, nor was he a symptom or symbolic of it. Quite the contrary. The people who 'liberated' the inmates tended to be on the opposite end of the political spectrum. In fact, it was the ACLU who provided legal representation to force the Veterans Administration to release their patients.The ACLU has long held that involuntary institutionalization of an unwilling person, even if mentally or physically incapable, is the worse of two evils.
Picture of thundersnow58 achievements

-4 11. thundersnow commented 9 years ago

As always, strong point #10, but strongly disagree, just too lazy to make a rebuttal, gotta give you credit for your effort of argument though...in relaxation mode right now and enjoying the final cool down after weeks of humid heat wave here...ughl ;) :P <3 :squirrel:

What's wrong with #5?
Picture of TitvsCaivs46 achievements

+3 12. TitvsCaivs commented 9 years ago

#11 Nothing wrong with me... Fact is, also less known, that these guys have a pretty great life down there, as they all are involved in illegal drug trafficking operations.
So, I couldn't give a f*ck about them because they chose to live there, noy that they couldn't afford anything better. Earlier this year, the police searched and arrested many of them. The place was searched and thousands of euros worth of TV-s, jewelries, AC and HiFi systems have been seized. Also thousand of euros have been wound hidden in the walls of one of his 'homes'!
Now knowing all of that, should I pity them? I think no.
Picture of thundersnow58 achievements

-1 13. thundersnow commented 9 years ago

Fair enough, #12..there are always many aspects to a problem..and I believe you saw what you stated there, and I figured they have to steal to purchase drugs, food...that's why my comparison to a modern Oliver Twist....still to me it's heartbreaking the thought of those people who once were orphaned children and never felt love, warmth and affection growing up.
Picture of sux2bu67 achievements

+1 14. sux2bu commented 9 years ago

#11 Disagreeing with the truth does not make you right, but it does show you to be "left".