Pubdate: Thu, 07 Sep 2006
Source: News Tribune, The (Tacoma, WA)
Copyright: 2006 Tacoma News Inc.
Contact:  http://www.thenewstribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/442
Author: Joseph Montes; The News Tribune
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)

NEEDLE VAN SITE SPARKS MORE DEBATE

Speakers Disagree On Where It Should Park

The Point Defiance AIDS Project's needle exchange van  is a good 
thing, Tacoma residents agreed Wednesday  night.

Where that free service should operate, however, is a  matter of 
intense debate.

About 15 community members aired impassioned opinions  about the 
program during a meeting of the Tacoma-Pierce  County Board of Health.

Among those who spoke were a police officer, a  businessman, a City 
Council member, a religious leader,  a college student, a former 
heroin junkie and a parent  -- all with a stake in the van that often 
sits at South  14th and South G streets.

Opponents of the van's current location repeatedly  spoke of its 
detrimental effects on the neighborhood's  efforts to become a 
thriving part of the city. They  complained of finding needles on the 
street, having to  keep children hidden from preying drug dealers and 
that  it scares customers away from local businesses.

They said 14 years of carrying the burden of the van  was enough.

"Twelve years ago, the needle exchange program was  probably in the 
perfect place," said Jenny Jacobson, a  security officer for Bates 
Technical College. "The  neighborhood has changed."

Supporters of the location, which numbered about the  same as 
opponents, argued that the current site is  where the most people can 
be reached. Several who live  near the van said they are proud to be 
part of a  neighborhood that welcomes those in need. Petra Boston,  a 
former junkie, said the van was the starting point of  her recovery.

"The van is in the perfect place for homeless people,"  she said. "I 
want to thank the city of Tacoma."

Behind the issue is more than a year of discussion and  meetings 
among citizens, community groups and the Board  of Health. 
Wednesday's debate was but a step in the  process toward a solution.

No official decisions were made, but the issue will  continue be 
examined at future community and Board of  Health meetings.

One factor in the debate is the frequency of people  visiting the van 
has dropped from an average of 681 a  month last year to 470 a month 
during the first seven  months of 2006, according to the Point 
Defiance AIDS  Project.

Some say this is evidence that drug users are using the  other 
methods of acquiring needles. Others say it's a  sign the van is in 
the wrong place.

Regardless, the Board of Health says it's concerned  with finding the 
best way to serve the public.

"There really is nothing magic about South 14th and  South G 
streets," said Nigel Turner, a spokesman for  the board. "It's just 
the most efficient place we've  found. If a better location can be 
identified, we'll  move."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom