Hey CalCoastNews, Stop Exploiting Depression and Suicide
This is the column I was going to write last week but didn’t.
Someone I personally knew attempted suicide last month. Luckily, they survived.
The circumstances surrounding SLO County Supervisor Adam Hill’s attempted suicide are murky. The Tribune did confirm Hill’s office at the County Government Center was searched by the FBI merely hours before he attempted to take his own life. We don’t know much else. It’s not my place to speculate like others have on certain websites.
Some have said, “Of course he tried to kill himself. He’s guilty.” They’re not sure what he’s guilty of, but they believe he’s guilty because he attempted suicide — as if to say that suicidal people are inherently guilty by default. Some have even made light of it because they believe he’s so guilty of whatever they think he did, there’s no reason to show empathy. Others have pointed to his admitted mental health struggles as a reason he should immediately resign — as if to say people with mental health struggles should not serve in public positions.
If Hill did something that’s criminal in nature, he should face justice. If he’s guilty of even half the accusations they’ve levied against him for nearly a decade, then Hill should do the honorable thing and resign. But that opinion should remain…
