Pubdate: Thu, 14 Sep 2006
Source: London Free Press (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 The London Free Press
Contact:  http://www.lfpress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/243
Author: Joe Belanger, Free Press City Hall Reporter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?228 (Paraphernalia)

NEEDLES, CONDOMS FOUND AT SCHOOL ENTRANCE

Parents were outraged and police and school officials were scrambling  
to investigate and clean up needles and condoms found in an east-end  
London schoolyard yesterday.

The drug- and sex-trade paraphernalia were found at a rear entrance  
to Lorne Avenue elementary school.

"We're thinking about pulling our kids out of there. I've had enough  
of this," said one parent who declined to give his name.

The man and a friend were visiting the school when they found needles  
and condoms in an entranceway pupils use daily.

By the time the media arrived, needles in the sunken entranceway  
hidden from street view had been removed.

But a condom was still on the cement walkway and a reporter found a  
cache of at least a dozen used needles inside a slotted drain beside  
the doorway. The lid was easily removed.

Principal Gregg Bereznick said police were contacted.

"Unfortunately, we have people using the school grounds for  
inappropriate activities," Bereznick said.

Bereznick, who started at the school this month, was at a loss to  
explain why the debris, some of which had clearly been on the grounds  
a long time, was in the yard.

But he said it would be cleaned up. "This is a continuous problem  
we're trying to resolve," he said.

"Our custodial staff do a sweep of the grounds when they arrive every  
day to ensure it's a clean, safe environment for the students."

A London police spokes-person said police are aware of the issue and  
the force's community-oriented response unit is investigating.

"It's certainly not a new problem," said Const. Amanda Pfeffer. "This  
is a great concern to police that this type of paraphernalia is being  
left for children to trip over. We will address this issue."

Greg Thompson, past president of the Old East Village Community  
Association, said it's possible the schoolyard has become  
an"injection site" after residents cleaned up a site closer to Dundas  
Street recently.

"Maybe because that other site is gone, they've been using the school  
instead," said Thompson, who lives less than a block from the school.

"We've always had this issue in the community, but this is  
disturbing. And in the last six months, the drug use has become a  
real concern in the area."

As well, Thompson said, prostitutes frequenting the area "aren't the  
women we know. I see new faces now all the time."
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MAP posted-by: Jackl