Needle Exchange Meeting Report
March 11, 2003

Meeting held at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood

t was a full house - we expected 15 and got over twice that many interested individuals. Three neighborhood watch programs were represented as well as the Hollywood Free Clinic, Children's Hospital, Terry Hair from Clean Needles Now, the senior lead officer, Captain Mike Downing, Josh Kamensky from Councilman Garcetti's office, Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association, Hollywood Vine Association, Church of Scientology, Hollywood PAC, United Streets of Hollywood, Eastwood Coalition, local businesses owners, and members of the Action Team of Franklin-Hollywood Hills Community Council. 

FHHCC got to chair this sometimes-energetic meeting. Terry from Clean Needles Now was given the opportunity to give an overview of her program and answer questions. The consensus in the room was an overwhelming opposition to having the program located at the Hollywood Free Clinic. There were comments from neighborhood watch leaders and local businesses that they are even now finding needles and condoms in their morning walks. Several expressed that there are too many social services concentrated in this area already and asked that not one more be added.  

Survey of Neighborhood - Outline of Concerns:

The obvious concern is the fact that there is a PALs (Police Activities League) program at Weingart Youth Center a few feet to the east of the clinic where 100 kids a day are taught computer and other skills. The Salvation Army's Way In is right there as a homeless youth drop-in center. Q-topia (a rave club open till 4am) and Florentine Gardens (a nightclub open till 2am) are a few doors away. Right next door is a sound studio whose owner was present to give his testimony about the needles that he is finding often in the lot where his clients park. He is very much opposed to this program next door to his facility. Around the corner from the clinic - on the Gower side is L.A. Youth Network's Teen Canteen as well as some night time businesses such as IKE Sushi. East of the clinic and on the other side of the courthouse is a massage parlor and liquor store across from Tommy's all night hamburger house - which is across the street from My Friend's Place, another homeless youth drop-in center. The First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood has a pre-school program and opposes the needle exchange program's location at the free clinic. St. Stephen's Episcopal has a Head Start Program a few doors away and Cheremoya Ave. Elementary is a long block north of the proposed location of the program. 

Graffiti is now on the rise in the area with at-risk and gang youth gathering every day and evening above the 7/11 store in the mall next to the clinic. After the meeting, one of our Action Team was taking down posters and cleaning stickers from the bus kiosk right on that corner. He was up on his ladder doing this work and found two needles. They have been delivered to Captain Mike Downing. We are suggesting that the neighboring businesses and residents do that now on a regular basis so that the police department can see the impact having so many at-risk youth concentrated in a small area is having on the neighborhood at present.

Action Plan Created:

The discussion lead to an action plan: First a letter needs to be written from individuals opposing this plan and sent/faxed/e-mailed directly to Eric Garcetti and cc to the Hollywood Independent and to Captain Mike Downing.  

Council Garcetti - garcetti@council.lacity.org   fax:  213-613-0819  

H-Independent - Kbutler@laindependent.com   fax:  213-932-8285

Captain Mike Downing – cmdrhwd@aol.com  fax: 323-957-6489

Individual accountability and action is more powerful than anything else since this program is paid for by L.A. City Taxes!  

Second, the Franklin-Hollywood Hills Community Council needs to draft a document outlining the concerns of the community and present that document to the mayor, city council members and finally send a copy to HUNC. The council rep suggested that this issue get on the agenda of HUNC for their next meeting.  

The third plan is to spread the word to even more businesses and residents and make an impressive presence at the HUNC meeting when that finally takes place.  

And fourth, the neighborhood must show up at city hall when and if there is a hearing on this issue. The city must SEE the community that opposes this operation in their area and hear from them directly as opposed to reading their concerns in a "community impact statement".  

The good news is that the Hollywood Free Clinic, always an excellent neighbor to this community, has pledged their commitment to continuing that relationship and will not make any concrete plans with Clean Needles Now until they have gone through the HUNC meeting and have gotten the community support that they are hoping for.  

This meeting was an excellent opportunity to experience discussion and negotiation BEFORE a plan is implemented in an area. Our thanks go out to Franklin-Hollywood Hills Community Council's own version of the Early Notification System (ENS) - a tireless activist named Ruth Goulet. Her vigilance caused us to become aware and active about this plan and her work to organize the meeting paid off. Rather than a neighborhood reacting as victims of a plan that was laid upon us, we have had the rare opportunity to be proactive and reasonable for our neighborhood.

An Active Search for Solutions:

There were several in attendance committed to helping locate a place for the needle exchange program. Captain Downing has already approached hospitals in the area feeling that this program would work best in that environment but their grants are structured in such a way to prevent them from having contact with or embracing the needle exchange concept. FHHCC has contacted Children's Hospital with similar results.  

Jordan from Q-topia offered some great ideas. He will work with the other interested folks to explore options. This approach of solution building will set our community apart from most as creative, compassionate, understanding neighbors committed to the good of all.

Fran Reichenbach, President of FHHCC's Action Team

323-462-1514

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