‘The whole street is infested’
They say the city is sticking it to them.
A city-sponsored needle exchange program outside a children’s library in the Bronx is drawing heat from one Big Apple pol — and a slew of local residents taking a jab at the “unacceptable” location.
“The whole street is infested,” local resident John Martinez told The Post. “There is kids around. I’ve seen them shooting up out in the open. One guy putting the syringe to another guy. It’s a major disturbance.”
Another neighbor said it’s gotten to the point where you have to watch where you walk.
“I’m seeing a lot of needles. They do it and they just leave it there,” said Patricia Flores, a local pharmacy clerk walking by the Bronx Library Center on Kingsbridge Road with her 8-year-old daughter.
“You got to watch where you’re stepping. It’s crazy,” Flores said. “I would love to see them out of here and have them do it somewhere else. It would be a good thing if they could place it in some different area. Especially not in front of a library. We go to the library all the time.”
Bronx Councilman Oswald Feliz blew the whistle on the needle exchange site earlier this month in a letter to the city Health Department, saying his constituents were “frustrated and outraged” by it.
“The syringe distribution program in front of the children’s library has created unsafe
conditions, including illicit drug use and the discarding of used syringes in the library’s
restrooms,” Feliz wrote in the Dec. 3 letter
“In some instances, individuals under the influence have displayed erratic behavior inside the library, leaving visitors shaken,” he added. “The distribution of needles in front of a children’s library is outrageous, irresponsible, and difficult to comprehend, especially when coming from health professionals, and from an administration who says safety is a top priority.”
Felix, like the neighborhood residents interviewed by The Post, said they largely understand the practice of supplying addicts with clean syringes to avoid the spread of disease — but not in front of the kids.
The van, which has the words “BOOM! Health” emblazoned on the side, was parked across the street from the library — part of the New York Public Library system — on Friday.
Occasionally people walked up and knocked on the door and were presumably given fresh needles.
The van is part of the health department’s “Syringe Service Programs” initiative, which provides drug users with safer supplies, access to naloxone, hepatitis and HIV testing, counseling and referrals.
Officials at City Hall did not immediately respond to a request for comment — but residents had plenty to say about the decision to place the van outside the library.
“It is out in the open in front of the library,” New Yorker Regina Duran said. “Children might feel like it’s normal if they see people doing drugs. There are no consequences, I can just go across the street, get a needle, and do drugs.”
“It is concerning,” added local Mel Angel. “A lot of children and elderly come to the library. You never know whether the said needles may end up on the bathroom floor. While the library is a resource for everyone, there are those few bad apples that restrict everyone’s use of the library.”
