Pubdate: Mon, 15 Sep 2003
Source: Herald-Dispatch, The (WV)
Copyright: 2003 The Herald-Dispatch
Contact: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/hdinfo/letters.html
Website: http://www.hdonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1454

MORE POLICE ARE NEEDED TO FIGHT CRACK EPIDEMIC

There's A Crack Cocaine Epidemic In Huntington, And The City's Artisan 
Avenue Is Its Epicenter.

Police say an outsized share of their recent drug busts have taken place in 
the 1600 block of Artisan or just around the corner from it.

Artisan once was a nice neighborhood. That was before crack arrived on the 
local scene. Now, the out-of-town drug dealers and their local stooges have 
taken over.

"Nobody wants to live here," complains one Artisan resident, surely 
speaking for many.

There are those who argue that drug abuse is a "victimless crime." They 
couldn't be more wrong. Police say that since 1999, nearly half of the 
city's 21 murders have been connected to drugs and that "nearly every 
burglary in town can be attributed to crack."

At the top of the food chain in the city's crack trade are the out-of-town 
dealers who come here because there's less competition than in big cities 
like Detroit. With less competition, dealers can price their crack higher 
here. Moreover, here there's less chance of getting shot by a rival dealer.

For years, the Artisan drug trade flourished under cover of darkness. But 
today it's so widespread that it's not unusual to see a deal going down in 
broad daylight.

That's what happens when a city lays off many of its police officers and 
closes down its drug unit.

Fortunately, that's changing. Today, the city's drug unit is back in 
business and is making progress in attacking the drug trade. But the bottom 
line is that Huntington needs more police officers -- and they're needed, 
not shuffling papers at headquarters, but out working the streets.

No community can simply allow the drug dealers to take over a neighborhood. 
Yet, this is exactly what has happened on Artisan Avenue. That can't be 
allowed to continue.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom