Church Street drug addicts need love, not criticism, according to residents

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

The last straw for Derryll Anderson was when she saw a drug deal go down on Church Street while a group of school children were getting off the bus in the afternoon.

So she invited community members and law enforcement officials to a meeting Wednesday night to discuss the problem of illegal drugs in the neighborhood.

Instead, Anderson got an earful about how drug "junkies" need help and love, not criticism from others.

Church Street resident Wesley Starr, who admitted to having a drug problem, said he was entering a treatment program Thursday. But he felt the drug activity on Church Street didn't cause a problem for the community.

"We don't make noise, we don't fight, we don't shoot," Starr said. "... I made a choice to do what I do but I do it to myself."

Starr also chastised Anderson for getting on his case about his drug problem during a recent confrontation between the two.

Anderson apologized to Starr and any others she has offended, but she explained she wants to see the Church Street area improve by curbing drug activity and replacing dilapidated homes with new structures to lure young families there.

Thomas Stephens, whose mother owns one of the houses on Church Street, said Anderson's crusading efforts will result in the house being torn down; it would be too expensive to bring it up to code although improvements have been made to the house, Stephens said.

"Because of you, two people are gonna be put out on the street," Stephens said, noting that he "grew up with" the guys renting the house. "... The police went inside the house as a result of your work and found nothing."

"If I have to be blamed for it, so be it," Anderson replied.

One resident said it is important to treat drug addicts with respect: "Sometimes these drug addicts are the smartest people."

Another resident echoed that sentiment: "If I'm gonna be what I say I am, I've gotta love them."

Yet another said he was more worried about vehicles running the stop sign near the park on Church Street than drug activity in the community.

Fayetteville Police Chief Johnny Roberts said the department has had undercover officers in the neighborhood recently but of 114 incidents on Church Street since 1993, only 13 arrests were made for drug violations.

"I think we have responded pretty well to any complaints from you and other residents," Roberts said, also lauding the cooperation the police department has with the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, which operates a drug task force.

Roberts said the community's assistance is vital to keeping the neighborhood safe.

Phillip Cherry, the officer in charge of Fayette County's state probation office, said it can be difficult to get drug treatment for those who want to try and break the habit. The judicial circuit does have access to a fairly intensive program in Griffin, however, and judges can order offenders into the program if necessary, Cherry said.

Local judges are also good about dealing with probationers who are on probation for drug charges but fail their court-required drug tests, officials said.

"The judge will back us up and they routinely put them in jail," Cherry said.