Tag: drug treatment

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Frankford Civic Association Meeting

A good crowd once again attend the Frankford Civic Association tonight.  The meeting ran a bit over an hour and fifteen minutes.

  • In addition to the concerned residents of Frankford, some representatives of Frankford drug services were present.  A good deal of discussion was spent on the issue of the perception of the Frankford Civic as unfriendly to these types of businesses.  It seems fair to say that the folks who attended the meeting from the drug services arena are likely to be the best of the lot and expressed a desire to see the undesirable elements weeded out.  That position seems to line up nicely with the goals of the Frankford Civic and most other folks.
  • Zoning issues were updated and the Civic is dealing with them promptly as they come up for approval.
  • Officer katz of the 15th District was at the meeting to listen to citizen complaints and dealt with several with advice on how they should be handled.
  • Complaints from several residents of Salem Street about the clients at the Wedge building on Frankford Avenue centered on loitering by clients waiting for a van to pick them up for the return trip to wherever they live.  They clearly do not live in Frankford.  This is what residents were afraid would happen and now it has happened.  What will our representatives do to straighten this out.  They gave them the green light to move in here and set up shop.  No opposition.  When the same thing was about to happen in Bustleton, red light.  What a surprise.
  • 1522 and 24 Church Street have been purchased and the new owner plans to open a recovery house 120 feet from the door to St. Joachim church and 250 feet from the Northwood Academy Charter school.  Why does that sound like such a bad idea.  Because drug dealers like to go where the business is so they will also be on the church and school doorsteps.  Call your councilperson.  Express your restrained but vehement opposition.  See if we can make this go away permanently.  215-686-3448, 3449.


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Northeast Times Says Stick it Elsewhere

The Northeast Times in their editorial this week notes that the NorthEast Treatment Centers plans to open a methadone treatment facility at Roosevelt Boulevard and Grant Avenue.  We sympathize with their concerns.  Treating people with drug addiction can be a challenge.

Addicts have no constitutional right to get their fix in the middle of a stable and decent neighborhood in a stable and decent section of Philadelphia. The rights of immediate neighbors as well as those in the entire Northeast to live without an influx of drug addicts far outweighs the right of those addicts to get treatment in a neighborhood that does not want them.

I have to commend those folks in Bustleton for somehow having managed to exist without having any drug addicts living among them.  It is truly an amazing story that I have referred to Matt Drudge for investigation.  You have a good population up there and not even one druggy.

Or could it be there there are folks up there who are drug addicts and maybe you would rather have them treated elsewhere.  You know, send them to some down and out section of the city, send them to Frankford?

Certain sections of Philadelphia may be down and out, but dragging the Northeast down with them would be patently unfair. It won’t happen if Bustleton residents have their say – and if the politicians back them up.

It might be more unfair if other sections of the city have to bear the burden of your drug addicts.  So let’s get to the bottom of this, once and for all.  If the clients who will use the facility come from your neighborhood, they are yours.  Keep them.  We have enough of them now.  And if we find we have some of them down here with us, in the “down and outs”, we’re sending them back.

Read the entire editorial here.

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We Are Saturated

A town hall meeting was held in Frankford Tuesday night at St. Joachims in the parish hall.  You will find many opinions from those in attendance at to the success of the meeting.  Some folks were at the meeting with the belief that it was to discuss the conversion of the old Frankford Day Nursery into another half way house.  This was not the case and that misunderstanding should fall on the organizers of the meeting.

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The meeting appeared to have been hastily organized but that impression may have come from incorrect or little information available before hand.  However the outcome of the meeting was an acknowledgment by councilperson Maria Quinonez-Sanchez that yes Frankford has a serious problem and it is going to take some work to fix it.

Sounds like a commitment to me.  There is no magic wand that will solve the kind of problem we have in Frankford.  The decision to actually adddress it will do for me. Drugs are a part of modern life and several folks at the meeting spoke out that we are not against the services being offered to the poor souls hooked on drugs.  We are opposed to being the main location for all these services.  That has to end.

Next we need to enforce the existing laws and regulations to shut down those services that are not run properly.  And finally we have to go after those flop houses that exploit these folks, take their money and do nothing for them. They are sucking the sould out of the community and deserve to be run out of town.

How can you help?  Report every flop house you know to the councilperson’s office and let them find out if they are licensed.  215-686-3448 or 3449.

Now thanks to Maria Quinones-Sanchez and Tony Payton.  Also, as I was listening to the tape tonight I think I heard that a representative from Senator Specter’s office was in attendance.  If so, thanks Arlen.  If I missed anybody, let me know pols.