Drug/Rehab Centre to move to Brighton Terrace

[Orang Utan]

Seems a reasonable concern was expressed and that you've been all too eager to make a negative judgment about someone yet again.

 

[Orang Utan]

Anyone who thinks this plan will make things worse is ignorant, full stop. Owning property seems to make people lose all grasp of logic.

And here, you're getting on your high horse about property ownership, ignoring the fact that the people in the residents' association who objexcte to this were council tenants worried about the perceived danger to their kids.

 

[lang rabbie]

I was probably over harsh in my earlier post describing residents safety concerns as "groundless". Parents do have a right to expect the playground to be kept safe, but many will have heard horror stories of sharps being found in so many other open spaces in Brixton.

Unfortunately as a sometime regular of the Trinity in days gone by, I just have too many recollections of the killjoy nimbyism of some residents of the square and surrounding streets in their attitude to one of the area's quieter pubs.

Reading it again, although the project team's Briefing Paper is nowhere near as jargon-laden as most documents that come out of the local health bodies, it still contains bureaucratic language, some quite euphimistic, and it therefore may not have done a lot to reassure concerned parents.

 

[Gramsci]

Concerns by residents about these centres are also raised in central London.They may think a centre just confirms their area as a "problem" area.This wont solve the problem as drug treatment at best is just a patch up exercise before users are let back on the streets.

So in a way drug treatment centres arent going to improve the problem(as its perceived by some residents).Personally Id support a rehab centre.However thinking about it Im under no illusions its going to have much effect.

 

[Gramsci]

Looking at one of the reports LR linked up seems the rationale behind situating the centre is that clients are more likely to finish treatment if the centre ia within a mile from them and accessible by transport.This implies that the majority of the Boroughs almost 3000 alcohol/crack/heroin abusers are in the Brixton/Stockwell area.

Notice they are still going to use the methadone model for heroin treatment.Cant see why herion cant be used on site(the old British system).Stops them going to dealers and is more effective at stabalising an existing heroin population.

 

[Louloubelle]

Notice they are still going to use the methadone model for heroin treatment.Cant see why herion cant be used on site(the old British system).Stops them going to dealers and is more effective at stabalising an existing heroin population.

Unless they are prescribing heroin I would anticipate there being some effect that local people will find challenging, nothing like that predicted in some quarters, but there will be addicts hanging around nearby and there might be an increase in theft from cars. I don't know the area well enough to know if this would represent an improvement or not.

I used to work at a project affiliated with a DDU and needle exhange, both of which had premises within a 2 minute walk of my office in a hospital.

Everyone in the hospital was extremely careful about leaving stuff in their car as there were lots of break ins. Perhaps it's the same everywhere, but to us it felt like an area where many of the addicts couldn't resist stealing stuff if it was there, so people were extra vigilant.

Certainly many of the addicts were on methadone, but they didn't want methadone, they wanted heroin and there was a lot of dealing going on just outside the DDU and the needle exchange (much more so at the needle exchange).

In Camden, the Hari Krishna people set up a free food cafe a couple of years back and petty soon the place was packed with local addicts, many of them needed the food, but they also liked having a place where they could hang out and not be judged.

A local pharmacist (a hindu businessman who I know quite well) made a large donation of his own money to go to the cafe and was very pleased that the addicts were being taken care of and fed. Like me he supports the idea of heroin prescribing and shooting galleries for addicts.

When I last spoke to him he had joined the list of people campaigning to have the place closed down. He felt very sad about it, but his pharmacy had had several armed (knives) robberies since the addicts started to meet there, loads of local people's cars have been broken into, people had started dealing crack in broad daylight in the street just a few yards from the cafe.

I don't know what will happen re this drug treatment centre. I know they have to exist, but I feel they should be prescribing heroin and providing supportive services including specialist and primary care services.

I hope I'm wrong but I think that some people may be being a bit optimistic about the effects of this centre on the local community.

 

[Gramsci]

Unless they are prescribing heroin I would anticipate there being some effect that local people will find challenging, nothing like that predicted in some quarters, but there will be addicts hanging around nearby and there might be an increase in methadone, they wanted heroin and there was a lot of dealing going on just outside the DDU and the needle exchange (much more so at the needle exchange).

I don't know what will happen re this drug treatment centre. I know they have to exist, but I feel they should be prescribing heroin and providing supportive services including specialist and primary care services.

I hope I'm wrong but I think that some people may be being a bit optimistic about the effects of this centre on the local community.

Thanks for that reply.This is what Ive read.That addicts dont like Methadone.It would be better to prescribe Heroin but this isnt allowed now.I remember seeing the Hari Krishna place in Camden.I wondered what happened to it.

 

[Louloubelle]

Thanks for that reply.This is what Ive read.That addicts dont like Methadone.It would be better to prescribe Heroin but this isnt allowed now.I remember seeing the Hari Krishna place in Camden.I wondered what happened to it.

IMMIC, there was a lot more trouble, dealing etc outside the needle exchange than the DDU. This was because the users didn't want to be seen using by the DDU staff (and risk getting their scripts stopped) , whereas the needle exhange staff weren't so bothered about whether they used or not as long as they did it safely.

It may be that the areas visible from the DDU are relatively safe, but that the surrounding streets end up with a problem.

edited to say that my local off licence, a 5 minute walk away from the hare krishna cafe, closed a few months back after they had 6 armed robberies in as many months.

Local businesses have put up tall spiked metal railings so that their staff and visitors can park in a safe area without having the windows smashed. The street most affected by the car crime was Agar Grove, especially where it met with Royal College street. I used to walk down the road regularly and often every car parked there would have the windonws broken.

 

[Andy the Don]

Thanks for that reply.This is what Ive read.That addicts dont like Methadone.It would be better to prescribe Heroin but this isnt allowed now.I remember seeing the Hari Krishna place in Camden.I wondered what happened to it.

Its still there on Royal College Street. The local druggie problem is not as bad as it was in Camden since they blocked off access to the tow path behind the office block on the corner of Camden Road/Camden Street.

 

[pooka]

Planning knock-back

I've heard that the proposal for Brighton Tce got knocked back at Tuesday's Planning Committee. Anyone know the details?

 

[dogmatique]

Really? I thought I read in the SLP on Saturday that it had been passed...

 

[lang rabbie]

It was definitely on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting - with a recommendation from council officers to approve.

But the planning committee can be independent minded, particularly if faced with large numbers of objectors...

I thought there was going to be £50,000 of new/improved lighting around the area, much of which would be paid for by the PCT as "planning gain" with the rest coughed up from Brixton Area Committee's pot of money.

 

[pooka]

The version I heard is that there were quite a number of objectors and even that considerations of next year's elections are coming into play. That was from a partisan source, however.

 

[Bob]

The version I heard is that there were quite a number of objectors and even that considerations of next year's elections are coming into play. That was from a partisan source, however.

Politicians being effected by what the electorate thinks! I'm shocked.

<jaw drops>

 

[lang rabbie]

The version I heard is that there were quite a number of objectors and even that considerations of next year's elections are coming into play. That was from a partisan source, however.

But isn't Ferndale the second safest Labour ward in the Borough

 

[pooka]

I believe so although also with one with the lowest turnout, together with Coldharbour, if I remember rightly. Like I say, the source was partisan.