Blazzy's Smack and Crack Houses

 

NY Post

Smoking crack cocaine is officially sanctioned at the “safe injection sites” Mayor Bill de Blasio brought to Manhattan this week in a move that’s infuriated the centers’ neighbors — and has at least one business owner packing his bags.

“People are allowed to bring the substance that they prefer to use here and they are permitted to consume the substance in the manner of their choice,” East Harlem site director Kailin See confirmed.

“We are there to make sure that no medical emergency occurs and to connect them into care if they need that,” she said, adding that many of her clients use drugs laced with fentanyl including heroin, cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, amphetamine and K2.

The nonprofit is one of two in Upper Manhattan that became the country’s first legal shooting galleries when they opened Tuesday.

And they have had an immediate effect — but maybe not the one de Blasio, who has just four weeks left in office, was hoping for as business owners still left standing try and dig out from the pandemic.

One merchant near the second center, in Washington Heights, said the junkie haven is forcing him to move his retail shop out of the neighborhood.

“Now they’re going to promote the drugs and people don’t have to worry if they get sick or they’re going to die because they’re gonna have medical people that are gonna take care of them so that they don’t overdose and die so that they can do their drugs again tomorrow?” the shop owner said.

de Blasio needle exchange and sanitation program in the South Bronx is an abysmal failure

PIX News

  If we’ve learned nothing else about the heroin epidemic in the South Bronx, it’s that there’s a seemingly endless supply of the opiate on the street, especially near the bustling intersection known officially as “The Hub” and unofficially as “The Hub of Heroin”.

That means plenty of temptation for recovering addicts like 53-year-old Enrique Santiago.

"They throw the needles on the floor and stuff like that," said Santiago. Santiago's spent the better part of the last two decades trying to stay clean. "I've been on methadone for a year."

He takes the synthetic drug once a day, six days a week to help ward off cravings for the real thing. And he admits that seventh day without any help  is hard.

It was just last month PIX11’s reporting forced the de Blasio Administration to address residents’ concerns over hundreds of dirty needles found in city garbage cans, and on the street, tossed by the heroin addicts who are getting their fix in broad daylight.

"They be in the buildings, sleeping, urinating, feces and also, they just have so many needles. It's everywhere," said Bronx building porter Michael Dawson.

But in the wake of our reports, residents like building porter Michael Dawson and former heroin addict Vincent Almojera both question whether one of the city’s solutions — needle exchange programs — have only made the addiction crisis worse.

Vincent believes a neighborhood already playing host to a number of methadone clinics could use a few more without the bad rap that comes with visiting them.

"The methadone clinic is not the problem, the methadone clinic is one of the solutions," said Almojera. "The problem is handing out free needles, handing out free needles and the stigma that comes with treatment. People look down on you when you go into treatment and that's the problem."

More needles on the streets

From the Daily News:

There's been a sharp increase in used syringes littering New York’s streets — at a time when the rate of fatal heroin overdoses is skyrocketing.

The number of complaints about loose needles lying around this year has jumped to 213 — about a 25% increase compared to the same period last year, city Department of Health records show.

Needles found on Rockaway Beach

From NBC 4:

The city Parks Department cleaned up a stretch of Rockaway Beach in Queens Monday after NBC 4 New York contacted the agency about medical waste, including syringes, littering the shore.

There were multiple syringes, including one with an exposed needle, lying across the sand near Beach 116th Street Monday night. NBC 4 New York found three, and another beach stroller found one more.

It's not clear if the needles were washing up on shore as medical waste or if they were left behind by beachgoers who used them.

Reality injection

Hello Queens Crap, I always find out many news articles here first. You are one of the best sources of local and sometimes national news.

Here is something awfully amazing but not surprising:

I sent this to Mayor Bloomberg, Assemblyman Lancman, Senator Schumer, Congressman Meeks. I also left a message on Commuity Board 9's machine. I called the Richmond Hill Block association today and got an answering machine that said mailbox was full, so I could not leave them a message.
Do you have any suggestions?

On February 02, 2011, I observed Syringes (Hypodermic Needles) on the corner of 116 street and Atlantic Avenue in Richmond Hill Queens, Zip 11418. It is only a few blocks from Richmond Hill High School and students pass by all day. First reported Feb 02, 2011 to 311. I was transferred to sanitation complaint specialist.

I was given complaint number 2011MLTX01084.

Friday Feb 04 at 4PM syringes are still there. Called 311 at 4:07 pm, talked to Alicia who gave me telephone number for sanitation community liaison-646 885 3769. I called at 4:20 PM. Machine answered and I left a message with detailed information and my contact number.

The next day, February 05, at 9:48 AM the syringes are still there. I called 311 and talked to Amber. She said connected me to DEP. A man named Nelson said that it was a Sanitation matter and referred me back to 311. A man named Tunie checked on the complaint number and said Sanitation responds in 3 to 7 days. This is really unacceptable. At 1:35 Pm the Syringes are still there.

I called the 102 police precinct and talked to community affairs officer Sheridan. He said that he would send some one out there to remove the syringes, but they did not have the proper containers to put them in and would throw them in the sewer. I know this is not the proper way to dispose of syringes either, but it is better than them being on the sidewalk. There has to be a better way to have this type of hazard removed immediately and properly.

311 complaint number 2011MLTX01084. Some syringes already in sewer:


Sincerely,

Joe

Follow up:

Hi Crapper.

The syringes were still there at 10 am today. I showed them to someone on the block who got gloves and a grabber and placed them in a plastic container. They also lifted up the grate and removed syringes from there. 7 in all. Police or EMT is supposed to pick them up.

Let me know if you need further information.

Sincerely,

Joe