There's been a lot of good reporting about the individual failures in the Drug Market Initiative, where so far seven of the original eighteen people have been arrested on drug offenses as part of the city's new program to clean up the open-air drug market along 23rd Avenue in the Central District. The program was designed to offer low-level drug users a choice: accept help and clean up, or else face serious jail time.
This morning I sat down with Kay Godefroy, Executive Director of the Seattle Neighborhood Group, to get the details on how the other program participants are doing. Her non-profit group is in charge of the social service side of the DMI program, hooking up program participants with whatever help they need to stay out of the drug business.
Overall, eleven participants are still in the program and have avoided further issues with law enforcement. Here's how they break out:
- Two are currently in drug treatment to work on addiction issues that they previously supported through drug dealing
- One has agreed to enter the GOTS program, which will give them housing stability, group support, and further drug treatment if they need it
- One man is now enrolled in Bellevue Community College
- One man wanted to go into fashion design, so a case worker found him a sewing machine to help him get started
A case worker checks in with each member at least once a week to see if they need anything to help stay clean. Each case is different, so she starts with "How are you doing?" and goes from there.
Some areas of available help haven't been used as much as program organizers thought they would be. For example, they haven't seen much interest so far in educational opportunities or job apprenticeships. But we're only six weeks into the program, and those options will still be available whenever people need them.
Kay says that family support is crucial for the program, and keeping in touch with family members has also been a key task for case workers. Families are no longer in the dark about the person's activity, and are now a force to push them to accept help when they need it.
Community support has also been heartening to the program organizers. They've had lots of offers for things like tutoring and cash contributions for specific needs. And the way the community has started to take back the intersection of 23rd & Union is also a positive sign. Last weekend's cleanup and BBQ, which included three families with strollers, was cited as a welcome development.
Seattle Neighborhood Group considers the program a success if there's no arrest activity and if the recent calm around 23rd & Union continues long-term. And Kay also downplays the toothpaste effect, where people have assumed that the dealers would just go find other locations. She points out that these dealers sold at 23rd & Union because it was near their homes. "It's not like they're going to open up business in Kent. They're still living in the neighborhood, just not dealing."
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What have people done in the past with activity near their homes? I've called the cops before only to have them show up 30 minutes later and report that "There's nothing going on here" (no shit pal, thanks.). I know they can't be on top of every transaction all the time, so I'm not blaming the cops, but calling it in has been less than helpful. Do you take down license plates? Take pictures? Anybody have any luck with these approaches?