One year ago, there was a “heroin village” in McPherson
Square Park where drug users from the suburbs and out of state had taken over
the park. They were so entrenched that
they even had pets living with them.
There was a tension between the users and the neighborhood. Rock throwing battles erupted several
times. A library staff member witnessed
a mother and her young child being robbed by one of the users.
Because of strong support from library administration, the
drug problem was mostly under control inside the library. We had extra security guards on board, and
the bathroom was closely watched by Project Home bathroom monitors. We had not had an overdose inside the building
in over six months.
Outside was a different story. Overdoses in the park were daily
occurrences. On one particularly bad day
the Recreation Department employee cleaning the park had to call 911 five
times. Our security guard kept watch
over the park, and would yell in the door to bring the Narcan when he saw
somebody was down.
But, life went on in the neighborhood and in the
library. We were preparing an outdoor
festival to celebrate the 100th anniversary of McPherson Square
Library. That is when Mike Newall and
his Inquirer column came into our lives and changed everything. We had been writing emails and complaining
about the users taking over the park and getting no help, except from Free
Library administration. Mike Newall came
out to write a pleasant column about our anniversary, but instead wrote his
column about the users on the lawn and the Narcan trained librarian saving
lives. It went viral. The media descended. We learned a lot about how the news media
works—mostly about how much they copy one another. We were covered by CNN, NBC, the Washington
Post, The Atlantic, Library Journal, People, Readers Digest, and so many more.
So, how have things changed post- media invasion? Once the spotlight was shining, things
improved. The heroin village was cleared
out. Bike police were stationed in the
park. It was decided that McPherson Park
would be made into a safe haven for the neighborhood children. With that in mind, individuals and groups who
wanted to offer assistance to the opioid users were encouraged to provide those
services someplace other than the park. The
police designated a location outside the park for feeding the users. The media blitz also attracted help for the
children. A group called CADEKids
volunteered to do support programs with the children so they could air their
feelings about seeing drug use and overdoses.
Eagles player Torey Smith asked to come for a visit to read to children
and give out free books. Other Eagles
players brought gifts at Christmas.
The park is looking much better without the trash and
discarded needles from the heroin village residents. Before the media discovered us our volunteer
was picking up over 100 needles per day in the park. Now it’s around ten. The police are a presence in the park and in
the library. We have created a coffee
station for them, and they use the library for breaks, shelter in bad weather,
and as a place to write reports. We have
bike repair equipment that is part of our Maker Jawn program. We share that equipment with bike officers.
Does this mean the drug problem is gone? Unfortunately, no. The neighborhood is still victimized by the
opioid epidemic. The out-of-towners now
hang out at the Allegheny el station, riding up and down all day on the
elevator. You cannot walk anywhere in
the neighborhood without being solicited to buy “works” and “loosies.” It’s a rare day when I walk to the el and
don’t see an ambulance. I don’t know
what the solution to this crisis is, but at least things are better in the
library and in the park.
