32 • July 7, 2022 - July 13, 2022
THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
Jersey
datory racial and ethnic ly detained in county jails, impact statement before accounting for 42% of all Continued from page 4 considering signing this jailed individuals. bill,” the letter reads. Even though Black people disproportionately impact The letter also points out are only 15% of the populacommunities of color. disparities that may worsen tion, Black people account “In keeping with your if A2426 becomes law. Black for 61% of individuals in commitment to racial people in the Garden State Department of Corrections justice within our state, are three times more likely custody. Black adults are we urge you to condi- to have the police use force also 12 times more likely to tionally veto A2426 and against them compared to be incarcerated than white require that the Legisla- white people. Black people adults—the highest dispar2 ture • May 26, 2022 - June the 1, 2022man- are also disproportionateTHE NEW YORK NEWS perform ity AMSTERDAM rate in the nation.
Prevention Continued from page 4
society that often abandons and fails them. “We are the voice of people who use drugs,” said Asia Betancourt, one of the union’s long-time leaders. “There has to be someone to speak up because so many people
stay ‘safe’—stay hush-hush about it and we do advocate around people who use drugs.” Betancourt began injecting at the age of 13. During her time in the criminal justice system, she quit cold turkey and today serves as the executive director of Never Use Alone, a national overdose pre-
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vention hotline. But not every user is ready to quit, and the union is there for them regardless. A New Yorker dies from an overdose every three hours according to OnPoint NYC, the nonprofit operating the city’s overdose prevention centers. Yet there’s pushback for such programs due to public safety concerns of existing residents. User Union member Armando Ortiz thinks these sites benefit the local communities around them. “I was one of those people that you would walk around and feel unsafe from—you would see me sitting in a corner and doing drugs, and you would bump into my garbage in the streets,” said Ortiz. “Because of the OPC, I am not one of them any longer…I think that’s a very, very much a win-win situation, because I’m sure nobody wants to walk with a kid and see needles and people in the streets injecting or ODing.” On the city-level, Mayor Eric Adams recently delineated plans for a $150 million opioid settlement fund that includes upkeeping existing needle exchanges for the two overdose prevention centers. On the state-level, the User’s Union is confident in support from Hochul, who lost her nephew Michael to an opioid overdose in 2017. But for now, they’re still waiting. “I don’t know what’s taking her so long to lift that pen up,” said Betancourt. “But I do believe that once she does that, there’s going [to be change.]” Drug users can call Never Use Alone for support at 800-484-3731.
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Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member and writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a taxdeductible gift today by visiting: https://tinyurl. com/fcszwj8w
