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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1988)
April 13, 1988, Portland Observer, Page 7 Still Life With Drughouse Part One The August evening is cool, a little too cool to be outside without a sweater. I put one on, pick up a pen and some paper, pour myself a glass of wine and go out on the front porch. I need a lit tle fresh air after too many cigaret tes. I also want to relax afteralong day’s work, perhaps jot down a let ter or poem. Settling down on the porch, I notice that the air has a foul smell. Must be smog, I think to myself. As I begin to write, my attention is distracted by a car which has just pulled up in front of my neighbors house, a late model Jaguar coupe. One of the two pas sengers gets out and walks quick ly across the street. Moments later, he emerges from the house and trots back to his car, giving me a w orried glance before speeding away. Almost before I can finish w ritin g down the license plate number, another car p u lls up and the scene is repeated. No wonder the air is smoggy. In the course of the next hour, the traffic is incest, the kind of traffic you would expect at lunch time if you lived near a fast food joint. So much for fresh air and poetry. Other things are on my mind how, like why are these peo ple looking in my direction as they get back in their cars? Have the dealers across the street been warning them that they're being watched? Or is their anxiety the typical paranoia of people who Duy illicit drugs? Although the curtains are usually drawn at the drughouse, sometimes I’ve notic ed someone gazing out the win dow in the direction of our house. Are they watching us watching them watch us . . . ? My hands are shaking a little too much to write anymore. A little chilly tonight, I tell m y s e lf. . . time to go back in side. It's been about two years since we moved to this street, and we don't regret it. Gradually we've come to know a few of the curious mix of professionals, artists, musicians and blue-collar work ers who live here. One neigh borhood resident is an official in the mayor's office, another is a local entertainer whose near legendary status wins him an an nual spot in the Rose Parade. That is n ’t to say it ’s an upscale neighborhood, however. Along with the middle-class people are broad mix of working and non working poor; a couple of young women who work for a recycling company for $4.00 per hour, elder ly people living on social security and others eking out a living on part-tim e jobs. My next-door neighbor can often be seen out in her driveway chopping up pallets for firewood because her landlord refuses to fix the furnace. A welfare recipient, she is afraid that if she complains to the Hous ing Authority she w ill lose her Section 8 status. A walk around the neigh borhood is a pleasant experience, and in structive. Most of the houses here are older but well- made and well-kept, although se veral are in various phases of re modeling. Bright new paint jobs are common, as are garden plots and manicured lawns. If you come down the street from Union Ave nue, however, you begin to notice trash and wine and beer bottles littering the parking strip and gut ter. As you reach the middle of this block, litter is ever-present and severe. M o s tly b o ttle s , sometimes hypodermic syringes. In the summer, the presence of these spikes could constitute a health menace to children. (In travenous drug users are fre quently carriers of AIDS.) Part of the reason for the litter here is farily obvious. The side walk in front of the street's several empty lots is not attended to by any homeowner, so trash left behind tends to remain. Another reason, however, is not so ob vious. As my next door neighbor explained, addicts park their cars in front of the lots after making their buy, “ get high and then drink a bottle of wine," leaving both the syringe and the bottle behind. “ It’s that drughouse," she said. Concern about the drughouse has been a common bond among the neighborhood's diverse resi dents. A meeting of the neigh borhood crime watch committee late last summer drew 30 people, many of whom had been burglariz ed. Since the drughouse became known about two years ago, numerous residents have called police to complain about the thefts or have filed a drughouse form with the drugs and vice department of the Police Bureau. Their concern is easily under stood. Many have lived here for a number or years and own their own homes.Others, like us, have moved here recently because of the relative inexpense of living in inner northeast. To be sure, the area’s reputation as a high crime district worried us a little at first, but the lure of low rent for a large house, combined with the evident charm of the neighborhood, con vinced us it was worth the risk. Sometimes we have to wonder, however. It’s 1 a.m. on an autumn night and my wife and I are soundly asleep in our upstairs room when the unmistakeable roar of gunfire splits the night. A dozen or more shots fired in rapid succession explode somewhere in the im mediate neighborhood. Each shot sounds like a cannon. Scrambling to pull on a pair of pants, I run down to the phone to call 911. After reporing the gunfire, I go out to look around. The shooting has stopped and I can’t find anyone or anything on our street. At the drughouse, the lights are on but nothing unusual is happening, ex cept that there are no customers waiting at this particular moment. The next day I scan the papers for a report of a murder or shootout. Nothing. Calls to the police for in formation are also fruitless. A few weeks later we heargunfire again, and again I can learn nothing about it. When it happens a third time, I make no further effort to in vestigate its source. January 22, 1988, 1 a m. Ex hausted after spending the even ing working, I am about to go to bed when I hear the sound of men’s voices shouting and a loud slamming noise. As I rush outside onto my porch, two police officers with flashlights are forcing their way into the drughouse. “ It’s a raid!” I tell my wife. “ They’re final ly raiding the drughouse!" We watch as the bright police flash lights continue flashing out of the windows as they search the house. After a couple of minutes, another uniformed officer comes walking up beside the drughouse from the backyard and enters through the front door. Mean while, people in cars — apparent ly would-be customers unaware that the raid is going on — con tinue to park in the neighborhood. By this time, my next-door neigh bor is watching from her own front porch. One of the would-be customers parks his car in front of her house and gets out. “ Don't go in there,” she warns him firmly. He gets the message and quickly leaves. The next day and several days thereafter, I make several at tempts to get more detail about the raid. I finally learn from an of ficer who had been on the raid that cocaine was found in the house. He refused to provide any further details, however. January 23, Saturday, the night following the raid. Midnight. I am again up late working. On a break, I watch the drughouse for a few minutes from my living room win dow. Their television is on. its blue-gray glow lapping like a tide at the curtained windows. The lights in the house go on for a mo ment, then off again. Someone com es out. O utside, another customer pulls up. They're at it again. POSTCRIPT: A ccording to police, three drug houses and one meth lab have been discovered in the neighborhood portrayed above. At this writing, one of the drug houses, the one described above, continues to draw traffic. Whether or not drugs are still be ing sold there is, however not known. With the approach of warm weather, neighborhood re sidents, here as elsewhere in North and Northeast Portland, are worried that the drug activity and related crime may again rise to the fered pitch of previous summers. What You Should Know About Crack! Editor's Note: The following is an article written by Joseph Wallace, the African-American author of “ The Crack Busters W orkbook” , a new publication of North Ameri can Publications, a solely Black- owned and operated publishing house. It is estimated that more than a m illio n Americans have tried crack. Crack is prepared by con verting powdered cocaine into a smokeable base. Smoking cocaine base pro vides a more intensified high because it is absorbed more ra pidly through the blood vessels in the lungs, as opposed to snorting cocaine powder which is ab sorbed more slowly through the blood vessels in the nose. According to users, the high is intense but last only a few min utes. Another dose is required to continue the high. A $10 dose or "rock" may provide three "tokes” or inhalations, each delivering a 5 to 10 minute high. Once the crack user finishes using the drug, within minutes he ex periences a devastating “ com e-dow n” called “ the crash” . Intense craving tor this drug is what makes it so addictive. Once a person starts fortheevening, he or she will continue to use the drug until either their money runs to cause addition after the first oc casion of use. After two to six weeks of use addiction is almost certain. Crack is a devastating problem is our society. Because it is so ad dictive the addict will continue to use the drug regardless of the damage they do to themselves and those around them. Crack de stroys families, careers, creates major financial disruptions. The crack addict will definitely be a majordisruptive force in his or her family. Heads of households can not possibly fulfill their respon sibilities, marriages are strained to the breaking point. But perhaps worst of all, young people, many of them with tremendous poten tial, are ruined by their addiction to this drug and the way it unavoidably drags them into the drug subculture. Crack abuse because of the cravings and the need for cash has caused a major increase in crime. From the point of medical risks, crack is extremely dangerous and often fatal. Hospital emergency rooms report that crack usually kills in one of three ways: 1) Heart failure: crack can cause irregular heart rhythms or increased blood pressure to the point of total heart failure. 2) Complete respiratory failure results when cocaine in terferes with the center in the brain that controls breathing. 3) Fatal brain seizures. Persons suf fering from epilepsy or other seizure problems are especially at risk. Crack can also cause fatal seizures in persons with no his- terns. Crack addicts after a ses sion of use find it almost impossi ble to get to sleep. 3) The in dividual is constantly broke, crack users w ill spend all of their available cash on the drug. Watch for extreme financial problems for unexplained reasons. Watch for the disappearance of money or valuables from the home. 4) Major changes or disruptions in the per sons life; loosing jobs, failing in school, chronic lying, major mood swings for unexplained reasons, association with persons known to be part of the drug culture. 5) Some persons high on crack tend to be nervous, talkative, overanx ious to say the right thing. 6) The presence of crack related drug paraphernalia. Crack is smoked in a small glass water pipe. The pipe is heated with a butane torch that looks like the butane canister us ed to refill cigarette lighters. Rehabilitation Programs Once an individual is hooked on crack, it is very d ifficu lt to over come the addiction. But it can be done. In almost all cases it is necessary to get professional help. That is, to enter into some kind of drug rehabilitation pro gram. Basically drug rehabilita tion programs fall into three categories. 1) Inpatient detoxification and rehabilitation 2) Outpatient rehabilitation 3) The support group Inpatient detoxification and rehab involves confining the in dividual in a hospital setting usually fora period of 30days. The person is physically removed from the drug environment, re ceives medical attention, indivi dual counseling and attends group meetings. Inpatient detox must be followed by long term outpatient rehabilitation. Outpatient programs are a good a lte r n a tiv e because sessions may be attended after work and do not interrupt the productive side of the ad dicts l i f e . ____________ out or it is impossible to obtain more of the drug. Once the crack userfinishes using thedrug, with in minutes he experiences a de vastating "com e-down" called “ the crash” . It is characterized by a state of severe paranoia or fear that can last for several hours. Crack use results in the expen diture of huge sums of money. Be cause of the overpowering ora vings and trying to avoid the crash, a person who begins a ses sion of crack use, will be unable to stop until all of their cash is gone. For example, a crack user may have $200 in cash and decide to buy two $10 vials of crack. But because of the craving for more and fear of the crash, that person w ill be compelled to keep going out to buy more crack until the $200 is gone. It doesn't matter that the money may have intend ed to pay rent or buy food for children. Once the crack session starts all cash will be spent. A day or a week later the peson has more cash, the craving asserts itself, resulting in another ses sion of crack use. This kind of pat tern can go on for years. Scientist today tell us that co caine is one of the most addictive substances known to man. WARNING: Do not experiment with crack. Crack has been known tory of seizure problems at all. Note that these kinds of deaths are occurring in young people in their 20's and 30's. H eadaches, vom iting and stomach pains, may be symptoms of a co caine overdose. Headache, vomiting and sto mach pains, may be symptoms of a cocaine overdose. Persons with these symptoms should cease using the drug immediately and get medical attention. Chronic use of crack can lead to inflamma tion of the lungs and chest infec tions severe enough to require hospitalization. Diabetics are at h ig h ris k beca use c o c a in e elevates blood sugar levels. From a psychological point of view, continued crack use can cause hallucinations and such high of fear, anxiety, paranoia and depression that hospitaliza tion is required. While it is impossible to tell for sure, there are certain patterns that may indicate crack use. 1) Weight loss. People who use crack tend to loose a great deal of weight. 2) Change is sleeping pat An outpatient rehabilitation program involves an individual’s agreement to attend counseling and group therapy sessions w ith out the confinement of the inpa tient hospital setting. These meetings may be attended after work for example. O utpatient rehab continues until the addic tive behavior is completely rooted out. This may take anywhere from a few months to several years. Support Groups . . . Cocaine Anonymous is an example of a support group. This is a group of people who have come together to give each other support in over coming their addictive behavior. The philosophy of cocaine anony mous is that the ex-addict is best able to understand the problems of the recovering addict. Other support groups are formed by church and community organiza tions. There are drug prevention organizations that w ill give advice on how to set up a support group in your community. Crack addiction is very difficult to overcome. Determining which type of program w ill help an ad dict depends upon the individual and how much the addiction has taken control of his or her life. An inpatient program is indicated if: 1) The individual is using large amounts of the drug and is ab solutely unable to stop. 2) Severe emotional and behavioral pro blems such as a tendency to wards violence, or the develop ment of severe paranoia or de pression. 3) The presence of me dical com plications such as heart problems, lung infections, etc. 4) The addict has been unsuccess ful in other outpatient programs. Outpatient programs can be successful for those highly m oti vated to overcome their addic tion. Outpatient programs are a good alternative to in patient detox for many because meetings and counseling sessions may be attended after work and do not in terrupt the productive side of the addicts life. Support groups such as co caine anonymous are usually free of charge. The requirements are simple, walk in, attend the meet ings with sincerity. Business Says Yes to “ Get Drugs Off School Grounds” Contest As covered in USA Today, stu dents hoping to win one of three $5,000 first prizes from the na tional SET A GOOD EXAMPLE contest are doing projects to in fluence their own peers in a positive way — away from drugs. While some youth are suc cumbing to drugs such as co caine, crack, POP and other dead ly substances, a massive grass roots campaign sponsored by private sector business people and professionals has over two and a half m illion students from all states committed to getting drugs off school groudns in the next five years. WHAT IS VOURCHU UKMG IN SCHOOL IMS YEAR? Business sponsors of the na tional SET A GOOD EXAMPLE Contest are concerned about the future workforce and the fact that drug and alcohol abuse reduce the desire to learn and inhibit the d e ve lo p m e n t of e m p lo ya b le skills. The contest encourages build ing self-esteem and setting good examples for one another. To do this student are adopting a com mon sense moral code booklet entitled "The Way to Happiness” . “ The Way to Happiness’ book forwards time honored values such as “ being temperate and not using harmful drugs, being com petent, industrious, honest, wor thy of trust, and fulfilling obliga tions. B usiness sponsors donate c o p ie s o f " T h e W ay to H appiness" book to schools. Some also give gift copies of the book to patients, clients, custo mers and employees to help children. The concept behind the con test and overall campaign pro gram is that a child experiencing an inability to deal with stress, cope with daily problems related to school, relationships, life, or just being happy — have a tenden cy to fall prey to drug use as an easy solution. "The Way to Happiness" book supplies practical know how to deal with these areas of life. It of fers common sense guidelines that are workable and practical, and lead to better survival. The SET A GOOD EXAMPLE Contest is part of a grassroots campaign, started in 1981 by the Concerned Businessmen’s Asso ciation of America. Already the campaign has over 20,000,000 c o p ie s o f " T h e W ay to Happiness" book that have been handed on as gifts from person to person. For more information about the SET A GOOD EXAMPLE CON TEST and "The Way to Happi ness" book, call 1-800-782-6767. FOR HELP 1-800-554-KIDS 1-800-241-9746 1-8090-COCAINE 1-800-662-HELP * s