((PKG)) OPIOIDS / PHILADELPHIA – PART 3
((Banner:
Living America’s Opioid Nightmare))
((Popup Banner
More than 40,000 Americans die each year from opioid overdoses.
VOA looks at three stories from the epidemic))
((Banner: The Unwanted: Part 3))
((Producers: Jeff Swicord, Chris Simkins, Jacquelyn De Phillips))
((Camera: Jeff Swicord, Chris Simkins, Mike Burke, Marcus Harton))
((Map: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania))
((Banner: After police close two addict encampments, others become overcrowded.
Overdoses skyrocket in the aftermath of Kensington’s mass evictions. Meantime, Eric emerges from rehab transformed.))
((NATS))
Britt: Hey, buddy. Hey, are you with me? Are you with me? Hey, buddy. Are you with me?
((Britt Carpenter, Philly Unknown Project))
Since the evictions of the first two encampments down in Kensington, the overdoses have skyrocketed.
((NATS))
Driver: ***** what a shame!
Man: How do I know this guy?
Driver: Don’t waste that ***** on him.
Britt: What do you think, man. Your buddy says he’s fine. I’m telling you what I am thinking. He’s not fine at all.
((Britt Carpenter, Philly Unknown Project))
My main concern right now when I go out there is to make sure that nobody is overdosing, because that's all you see.
((NATS))
Man: Where’s the needle?
Britt: In his hand, in his hand. Right there. Ready….
Britt: Oh, there he is! There he is! There you go buddy. Hey, welcome back!
((Britt Carpenter, Philly Unknown Project))
It's becoming what most people were afraid it was going to become. It's becoming a zone that people might consider to be a war zone.
*****
((Britt Carpenter, Philly Unknown Project))
The community here in Philadelphia rallied behind the mission of Philly Unknown. Now there’s an advisory committee with the nonprofit.
((NATS))
Britt: Can we do some separate female bags with some female products?
((Britt Carpenter, Philly Unknown Project))
They have now taken on certain roles within the nonprofit that now there is an event coordinator. Now there is an inventory supply person. They show up and they prepare compassion bags. What we try to do is take whatever supplies we have, get them out on the streets so the outreach is never ending.
((NATS))
Britt: Alright, let’s get everything together.
((Britt Carpenter, Philly Unknown Project))
Since the evictions have taken place in Kensington, the atmosphere has become a lot more tense. There are more and more overdoses. There are more and more people. There are more and more hostilities. It's become a more violent area. I'm seeing younger, when I say younger, you know 24, 23, 20, 19 years of age. There’re some that I probably think are younger but they won't say it.
((NATS))
Britt: Do you have any Narcan?
User: No.
Britt: No?
((Britt Carpenter, Philly Unknown Project))
Educating those out there in addiction about harm reduction, where they can go to get help, explaining the concept of Narcan and traveling in pairs, explaining the concept of getting off the streets. It's become a very daunting task. But when you see a group like my team, you see a group of people who are fighters, and they're out there and they're fighting a battle that needs to be won. And in Kensington currently, we're losing still.
*****
((NATS))
((Britt Carpenter, Philly Unknown Project)) and ((Kelly, Addicted to Heroin))
Britt: How's it going, Kel?
Kelly: It's going.
Britt: It's going?
Kelly: Pathways came out to offer housing. I'm, now, I think ten years later, at the top of the list.
Britt: That's amazing. How do you feel about that?
Kelly: It’s exciting. I know that it's still a process. It's still going to be a little while before I'm actually in a place.
Britt: Okay. So, you need to also get yourself in touch with the occupational rehab and the transitional therapy that you need. How about some steps towards that? Are they going to help you with that? Or is it something you need to go elsewhere for?
Kelly: That's a good question. Very good question. I don't really know too much, yet.
Britt: OK.
Kelly: I should probably look into it a little bit more.
Britt: Well that's what you are going to do on Monday, right?
Kelly: Yes. I’m not totally closed to things that we've talked about before despite an earlier statement of mine. Like the detox process just sounds torturous.
Britt: Oh, so you're talking about a detox going....
Kelly: Right, right.
Britt: So, you aren't opposed to that at this point.
Kelly: No, not totally.
Britt: What's changed in these days that we've talked?
Kelly: You know, there's no way around that. But there's just more comfortable ways than others to do it.
Britt: Absolutely. You know, do you think that after you got through that detox, that you could handle what was coming down the line after that.
Kelly: Yeah. Only because at this point like the things have lined up in a way that if I take the initiative and do what I have to do, it will work out for the better. Like my disability gets back on and the housing goes through. I can get back into school as long as I'm off the drugs.
Britt: So, there's a series of events that can happen there. But there's that one huge event that has to happen.
Kelly: Right.
Britt: It's getting off the drugs.
Kelly: Right.
Britt: And this is the same thing we've spoken about each time.
Kelly: Yes.
Britt: I’ve seen you on some of your lowest days. I’ve seen you on some of your highest days and those are the good days. I've seen you somewhere in between. I like to see on Monday. You take those three, combine them, and find it inside of you to make it work and get the hell off the streets. Because in 30 days, I'm afraid that if we have this conversation again, we're only going to be right back where we started. Then we're just talking in circles.
Kelly: Yes.
Britt: Monday is that stepping stone. You need to do this.
Kelly: Right.
Britt: This is so critical. So, you know.
Kelly: Absolutely.
Britt: Well then I'll tell you what. I'm going to check back with you next week.
Kelly: OK.
Britt: If you need anything at all, as always, let me know.
Kelly: I will.
Britt: I want a hug. I brought you a pair of my 50 days. Look at these.
Kelly: Nice. Sweet.
Britt: So, we can be twins.
Kelly: Sweet.
Britt: There you go.
Kelly: Sweet.
Britt: Looking good.
*****
((Eric, Recovering Addict))
Today is ninety days of sobriety. I feel good. I'm setting up to do some, some major things. I got a sponsor. I got a home group. I go to meetings regularly. I do what they asked from me at the program. I want to get a T-shirt ‘Business Started’. There's a man in my program. He says this: ‘You got to make your actions line up with your speech.’ You know what I mean? If you're going to ‘talk it, walk it.’ I got some stuff today, artwork stuff, to work on my projects. Coloring and drawing helps me deal with issues. I got some food, you know, because you need food, right. And then, I grabbed a book, a book to help me excel at yoga because that's a big part of my story. That's my spiritual belief. When you do yoga, it's mind, body and spirit, and you get it all lined up. You get your chakras all lined up and your body feels good and your fit and, you know, you go through the day calm, calm. I've been working on my health. I got my teeth today.
((NATS))
Eric: In the chair?
Dentist: Yeah.
((Eric, Recovering Addict))
My teeth stems from drug use and, you know, not taking care of them and everything else, and little by little they were breaking.
Eric: This is awesome. I’m so excited right now. This is great.
((Eric, Recovering Addict))
I had to have 26 of them removed because they were all rotting from the inside.
Dentist: Smile nice and big.
((Eric, Recovering Addict))
It was hurting my self-esteem so bad that I was walking around with no teeth, you know what I mean?
Dentist: Congratulations.
Eric: Thank you so much. You’re the best.
((Eric, Recovering Addict))
I came out of that office and I felt like a new man. You know what I mean? Every step I take in this process, I feel better and better. Every day I feel better and better. The path that I’m on now, is the right one, you know. I’m on the right side of things in the end, you know what I mean?
*****
((Michael Worthy, Recovery Specialist))
Mike: This will be my first goal, to restore this whole place.
((Britt Carpenter, Philly Unknown Project))
Mike is one of those guys that wants to go and make a difference. He has spent the last ten years of his life in recovery basically and he is clean, he is sober and he wants to help and lead others and believes that this is his calling, that this is his mission. Mike's a warrior.
((NATS))
Britt: So. you've seen Kensington change over the last nine and a half years.
Mike: Oh, yes I have.
Britt: Great changes and it grew from a culture of the cocaine into the opiates.
Mike: Yeah.
Britt: Where it just took over the streets and the neighborhoods.
Mike: Yeah, definitely. Can I share something with you that I haven't told anybody?
Britt: Please.
((Michael Worthy, Recovery Specialist))
I noticed a trend that on every corner, people are standing on them selling pills, opiates, outright and nobody notice this. There's no police presence to disband it or discourage it. Who's trying to get a handle on the opiate crisis? I don't think anyone is. I think everybody's becoming content and being, the attention is being diverted by the little things that the city is doing that's causing no real help, like the encampment dispersion.
I happened to be going to go to the store one day. There was these young kids sitting out there, got to be about 9 or 10 years old, rolling laced blunts. If they’re sitting on a school step when they should be in school, rolling a blunt, then what does that say?
Remember we're talking about children whose minds are consistently being developed and they are mimickers. They are easily influenced and impressed. I don't know where this is going to end up. I can't even begin to see what the next five years is going to be like under these circumstances. Unless we get a hold of this crises. Unless we find suitable, proven grounds for treatment. Unless the communities become a community and get engaged in what's going on in that community. Unless the politicians decide to stop making this about money and fame. I don't know where Kensington is going to go. I can’t see a direction for it.
((NATS))
*****
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Living America’s Opioid Nightmare
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