The mix of supporters gathered in front of the Stanislaus County Courthouse on February 1 were from all walks of life. More than thirty nurses, teachers, students, social service providers, outreach workers, volunteers, and other community members showed up ready to raise awareness about the importance of harm reduction in the valley. Each had their own reasons for being there, but one thing was constant. They care about progress and efficient solutions. They care about people. The rally and outreach event was organized in an effort to draw attention to the critical issue of syringe access in Stanislaus County. It also served to gather supporters in unity with two volunteers arrested at a high risk area syringe exchange program in April 2009. The volunteers were back in court to hear Judge Ricardo Cordova's ruling on the use of a medical necessity defense in their upcoming trial. 
New York Times Magazine, November 17, 2009 - Needle exchange is AIDS prevention that works. While no one wants to have to put on a condom, every drug user prefers injecting with a clean needle. In 2003, an academic review of 99 cities around the world found:
Contrary to popular fears, needle exchange has not led to more drug use or higher crime rates. Studies have also found that drug addicts participating in needle exchanges are more likely to enter rehabilitation programs. Using needle exchange as part of a comprehensive attack on H.I.V. is endorsed by virtually every relevant United Nations and United States-government agency.
Drug injectors don’t pass infection only among themselves. Through their sex partners, H.I.V. is spread into the general population. In many countries, the H.I.V. epidemic began among drug injectors. In Russia in 2000, for example, needle-sharing was directly responsible for more than 95 percent of all cases of H.I.V. infection. So virtually all those with H.I.V. in Russia can trace their infection to a shared needle not many generations back. Though it has been scorned as special treatment for a despised population, AIDS prevention for drug users is in fact crucial to preventing a wider epidemic.
Read the complete story in The New York Times Magazine here.
NEW YORK-A study published in the Journal of Urban Health (Sept. 2, 2004) indicates that rates of injection drug use in California’s Central Valley are among the nation’s highest. Researchers concluded that Fresno has the highest number of users of illegal injection drugs per capita of any large U.S. metropolitan area, above second-place Baltimore. To read the complete article on the Drug Policy Alliance Network website, click here.
If former Modesto Mayor and local businessman Carmen Sabatino is talkin' about you on the Morning Mayor Radio Show then something must really be going on. I accidentally found this online digging around late last night on the Hive (the ridiculously frustrating and far too often abusive Modesto Bee blog). It was unexpectedly entertaining to listen to Carmen and his guests talking about the situation with which we at Off the Streets are all so familiar. The original airdate of this episode was October 26, 2009 on 106.1, the day after the first Modesto Bee article. The syringe exchange case and the Modesto Bee write up are basically discussed the whole first part of the show and it is a pretty good chunk of time! I mean, I can't tell you who really listens to the show, but let me tell you what, Carmen was all over this!!
I don't know why it matters that Carmen is proud of the volunteers, but for some reason it does. An ally is an ally is an ally. Not only that, but the feedback on the show, the questions posed, and their reactions to the article were actually kinda refreshing. And Carmen gets it. He may not be the most well-versed radio host but, for the most part, he really does get it. Thanks Carmen, Mike, and Jenni. We need as many voices as possible speaking for not only the volunteers as defendants, but for authorization in Stanislaus County. Check out the Oct. 26th show here from their archives on the Morning Mayor website. Gotta appreciate any kind of alternative media that takes interest in what we've got going on.
I am the kind of person that doesn't always believe what I read. Especially in the newspaper. Even more especially online. I have a keen awareness of the fact that a news article, a special report at 6, or an online news brief can only offer so much of the truth. It's all about perception and spin - and some situations are spun more than others.
When 2 volunteers of the Modesto Needle Exchange were busted in an elaborate undercover sting operation by the Sheriff in April, the blogging world started to buzz. Some thought they knew the whole story (even though they didn't), independent publications were sharing their piece. People were talking, the word started to spread. The "Mono Park 2" was born. Surreal.
It's hard to sit back and accept some of the things being spit out there in the cyberworld. The volunteers have been judged, labeled, lied about, and called names. The truth has been skewed, important facts left out, and biases have been painfully evident - on both sides of the issue. At one point during the past 6 months they had to stop paying attention. It hurt. It was frustrating. It was stressful. And it didn't seem fair.
More recently, the Modesto Bee has joined in telling the Bee's version of the story. Merrill Balassone is great and has been very supportive. And having the Bee want to put a piece on the front page is a pretty big deal right now. Some think it was a decent article, others thoght is was weak, abd others still thought that it painted the volunteers in the wrong light. Even though we did have some problems with the article - how things were worded, the weak title, and all of the important stuff that was missing - the Bee did the right thing by deciding to run the piece front and center. It was a good start for raising some awareness and stirring some debate. The Bee will do follow-up on the volunteers' legal struggles and will also watch what Off the Streets does in the future. Some of the facts were slightly incorrect, but the Drug War Chronicle also did a write-up. It was a pretty good piece - and really, every ally and every bit of media we can get counts for something. The more people who know about the issue the better.
Click on the links below to read some of what has recently been written about syringe exchange in Stanislaus County.
The Modesto Bee - October 25, 2009
Drug War Chronicle - October 23, 2009
With more media attention coming up, Off the Streets will post the links for you here as they are released.
