Pubdate: Tue, 31 Dec 2002
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2002 San Jose Mercury News
Contact:  http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390
Author: Jessie Seyfer

DRUG BUSINESS BRISK FOR DEALERS ON STREETS

Though East Palo Alto's crime levels and drug scene are nothing like they 
were in 1992, police and many residents say dealers still do brisk business 
on the streets.

"It's still there. There's no doubt," said Sgt. Leo Capovilla of the San 
Mateo County Narcotics Task Force. "Officers still handle a call volume 
that would blow anyone else in this county out of the water."

Users from up and down the Peninsula still come to the conveniently located 
city because dealers selling a variety of drugs can be found in several 
parts of town, police say. The business sometimes explodes into violent crime.

So far this year, there have been six homicides, averaging 0.19 killings 
per 1,000 people, a rate that's not far behind Oakland's current, 
headline-grabbing 113 homicides, or 0.28 killings per 1,000 residents. 
Investigators have linked at least one of East Palo Alto's killings with 
drug activity.

In 1992, police say crack -- a concoction of cocaine, baking soda and water 
- -- was responsible for the bulk of East Palo Alto's 39 homicides -- a rate 
of 1.60 per 1,000 people.

Though East Palo Alto is no longer deluged with crack and its resultant 
violence, the drug still dominates sales on the street level, said longtime 
narcotics detective Lt. Tom Alipio. East Palo Alto also is one of the top 
Peninsula cities where methamphetamine is sold in bulk, he said.

The city's police still have their hands full when it comes to catching 
drug dealers, but other agencies continue to assist, and the department 
just received funding for a few new officers. Ten San Mateo County 
sheriff's deputies and two sergeants help investigate crimes, and the 
county's Narcotics Task Force and Street Crimes division have a regular 
presence.

But that brings little relief to Robert Hartley, 65, a longtime resident 
who has been active in numerous community anti-addiction groups.

In 1991, the evangelical minister kept a constant protest vigil eating only 
bread and water for nearly 20 days on a street where a man was shot. These 
days, he's most worried about Ecstasy, the hallucinogen otherwise known as 
MDMA, which is gaining a foothold among users in Northern California.

"It's coming, and it's frightening," Hartley said. "There are waves of drug 
activity in this city. . . . We'll never get rid of drugs. I really believe 
that now. Because I put everything I had into it."
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