Pubdate: Sun, 28 Dec 2008
Source: Vicksburg Post (MS)
Copyright: 2008, The Vicksburg Post
Contact:  http://www.vicksburgpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3076
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

HIGH COST: BIG MONEY BEING SPENT IN LOCAL DRUG FIGHT

It can truthfully be said that the cost of drug abuse  in terms of 
wrecked lives and misery cannot be  calculated. This type of damage 
is both tragic and  irreparable.

But dollars and cents costs are also borne by a  community - 
sometimes needlessly.

Consider that Vicksburg has only one gated residential  area with 
24-hour security and key-card access. It's  not for the super-rich. 
It's Waltersville estates, an  apartment complex on North Washington 
Street owned and  operated by the Vicksburg Housing Authority.

Through the years we've written countless stories on  more and more 
layers of protection being purchased for  residents of the complex. A 
most telling reality was  reflected in a report in the spring when 
the VHA said  it had a waiting list of people needing public 
housing  and 24 vacancies at Waltersville. But none of 
the  prospective clients would move in at Waltersville.  Things had 
to be pretty bad for people to prefer  homelessness.

Now we learn it's altogether possible that while  hundreds of 
thousands of dollars were being spent  trying to keep drugs out of 
Waltersville Estates, a key  manager of the Vicksburg Housing 
Authority might have  been using the enclave to house the clientele 
of his  personal narcotics business.

Charles Jones Jr., facing charges related to taking  delivery of a 
2.2-pound package of cocaine worth  $100,000 mailed to him at the VHA 
office, is an  innocent man unless or until a jury says otherwise. 
But if the 45-year-old Jones, a 25-year VHA employee in  charge of 
maintenance, purchasing and receiving, is  also a drug dealer, it 
would explain a lot.

Multiple agencies participated in the investigation  that led to 
Jones' being charged. Police Chief Tommy  Moffett said informants had 
been offering information  about Jones for five years, but the case 
was difficult  to make. James Stirgus Sr., the VHA executive director 
who has said in the past he didn't think local law  enforcement was 
doing enough to help keep drugs out of  public housing, was both 
shocked and chagrined and made  a personal apology to Moffett.

Stirgus also said he fears an elevated stigma will  attach to 
clients, specifically that all who live in  public housing are 
druggies. They're not. Most are just  like everybody else - trying to 
work, raise families,  pay bills and pay taxes.

How wasteful the spending of tax dollars on security at  Waltersville 
will prove to have been if it's shown the  main person trafficking 
drugs was a person with  unlimited and unquestioned access.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom