Saturday, July 23, 2016

Solidarity Meetup: Organizing of Resources

Today we got together for a Solidarity Meeting at 109 E. Martin St. in Martinsburg, WV. Mr. James Boyd led the meeting in which only a few attended.

The purpose and the hope of this gathering was to bring the groups together with all of the resources for treatment and recovery as well as an organizing of those resources and educating those outside of the groups who attended.

We know that there is still a lot of work to do in educating the public about this heroin epidemic as well as our local leaders in the hope that they too will listen to our concerns and act on those concerns we have. Or to answer our questions about concerns. The stigma of this addiction is still a big issue.

We know that heroin in fact does not discriminate which family will be torn to shreds. Heroin doesn't discriminate based on the job one has, gender, race, political party nor who is rich or poor. Heroin doesn't care who lives in the biggest of homes or in a trailer park. Heroin in fact knows no bounds as to the lives it claims. It will take them all.

One attending voiced some concern for a family member who is soon to be released from prison and coming back home to Martinsburg. Her concerns are for a job for him as well as coming back here to Martinsburg and Berkeley County amid this heroin epidemic.

What resources are available?
What programs is out there to help those like her family member?

One MPD Officer, Corporal Garcia stopped by to offer some words and to listen to the concerns of the family member of the person who will soon be coming back to this area. Many thanks to Officer Garcia for listening and speaking.

Another in attendance is a mother of young children with many concerns about raising her children here in Martinsburg and what the future will be for her children in this heroin epidemic.

We need more churches involved.

James spoke about the Addiction Recovery Movements all over the United States. Each day doing nothing is another day that others will try heroin (or other drugs) for the first time. Families are tired. We are tired. In general people are tired. People are tired of staying silent in the stigma of this addiction and afraid to speak out.

In case you haven't realized this we all have a lot of work to do. The fact that we continue to say the same things, speak the same words, continue to have a high number of overdose and death means that we have a long way to go in this. More organization here is needed. The fact is that as long as we continue having people overdose and we have people dying here we know that we have a long way to go and more work to do.

People are tired of hearing open ended promises without seeing the real action. People are tired of the long waiting lists for treatment. People are tired of all of the overdoses, of all of the overdose deaths around here. As long as we hear of the high number of overdoses and as long as we hear about another life taken from this drug and disease we know there is a lot of work to do here.

© 2016 Gossip Girl

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