Because in the 1960’s during JKF’s presidency, the community mental health system was born. The idea was that the people being held in the state hospitals had civil rights, that they were being held without having committed any crimes. The idea was that they should be moved back into the communities where they would be taken care of by mental health centers. A lot of government money was given to communities to train psychiatrists to treat the mentally ill where they lived. The effect was that a lot of mentally ill people ended up living on the streets not getting the care they needed.
Really? I find this extraordinary, as the Kennedy family, JFK’s sister, was mentally ill. In fact, she was institutionalized at a young age and eventually was lobotomized. She was an unfortunate and secret part of the Kennedy legacy. So did the JFK presidency atone for the horrific treatment of a sibling by allowing mentally ill persons to permeate our society so the Kennedy’s could feel good. Sounds like a true liberal to me.
In Kerrville, TX the VA Hospital used to be an Asylum for the Troops returning from WWI that had “Shell Shock” now called PTSD.
There was a Monument Plaque out front.