Crack in Paris: users and residents want lower risk consumption rooms
Audio 02:52
A crack user, in the gardens of Éole, in Paris.
© AFP / Geoffroy Van der Hasselt
By: Laurence Théault
7 mins
North of Paris, Place Stalingrad, a former place of consumption of crack cocaine, is guarded by the police and users have been moved to part of the Eole gardens.
But the problem remains unresolved and the result is not satisfactory.
Publicity
For Rosa Lopez, the habit is taken, she comes down from her building and distributes leaflets in front of the entrance of the park to say no to the presence of the users of cracks in the gardens of Éole.
“
Our children, the youth, are still insecure.
The children, in the morning, who go to school, because of the presence of drug addicts on the sidewalk, are forced to go down on the road, so there is a risk of accident.
We, the residents, can't take it anymore…
”said Rosa, exasperated.
He is seated on a low wall, Majid has a precise gaze that never drifts, father of a family and consumer of crack, he understands the exasperation of local residents.
“
Honestly, I pity them, but it's not our fault: we go where there is the product,
” he says.
Where the crack rock is, the drug dealers are and it's a vicious cycle.
► Also to listen: Paris confronted with crack traffic in the metro
"It's a terrible hell ..."
The crack galette, an extremely addictive smokable derivative of cocaine, sells for 10 euros.
Kelly, who wears a coat despite the strong heat, her legs are skeletal, is a user.
“
It's terrible hell.
You no longer live in peace, you no longer sleep in peace, you no longer eat in peace.
When you have money, you no longer have peace,
”she blurted out.
If Majid says he controls his consumption, some drug addicts in the extreme precariousness are desperate to get hold of the stone, the women prostitute themselves.
“
This is not prostitution, they are outright raped.
They know what will happen when they leave with two, three ... But it's stronger than they: crack, crack ...
”, he insists.
The song of the birds which brightens the trees of the garden contrasts with the knocked out bodies of the crackers which mix all the drugs.
“
They have to ignore sleeping next to the rats.
Seriously, there are people who sleep next to rats,
”exclaims Majid.
Do not lock consumers into their addiction
The white van
of the Gaïa association
comes to park on the forecourt of the Eole garden, the small team distributes sterile pipes, wipes and condoms ... José Matos is the head of the department, according to him tirelessly moving users of cracking from one place to another in order to park them in a garden amounts to locking them up in their addiction.
“
What we are proposing is that there be consumption rooms and rest areas.
Very often, these people consume all night and during the day there are no emergency shelters open,
”he said, before continuing:“
What we are proposing is that there are six rest areas in the north-east of Paris, which they can consume in these spaces which would take a large part of consumption off the street and create even more links and support these people.
"
► Also to listen: Opening of the shoot room in Paris, one year later
The City of Paris promises to return the garden at the end of June to residents.
It is favorable to consumption rooms, which goes in the direction of the association and of the users themselves.
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