Junkies on O'Connell St and sorrounding area *READ MOD NOTE POST #1 AND #11*

corner of hells

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

yeah cedar house is the one to which i refer,they do kick out early,but they have a day centre.sancta Maria on Charlemont st.kicks out at 8 am and has no daycentre,nor does morning star.

I work for the agency that runs. Cedar house , it doesn't kick out early ,IT's a 24 hour hostel, with pilot scheme beds , there's no day centre/drop in centre. in it with different types of support staff , Charlemont is closed its now run from North Frederick Street , which one in morning star avenue are you talking about there's three up there.

porsche959

KungPao wrote: »

I saw an incredible amount of the living dead yesterday at midday around Tara street DART station...openly dealing near the O'Reilly's pub. But funny enough Abbey street was very quiet last night.

There is a great song by Suede called The Living Dead:

harry Bailey esq

I've had experience in cedar house.There is a canteen you can drop into during the day.if it was 24hour why so many addicts hanging round the top of the lane?

corner of hells

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

I've had experience in cedar house.There is a canteen you can drop into during the day.if it was 24hour why so many addicts hanging round the top of the lane?

24 hour means you can live there without having to leave in the morning , its always occupied , by staff and residents , it was One night only , CWI and had pilot scheme beds.

Addicts hanging around , I suppose goes with the territory .I work in hostels.

the_syco

GrayFox208 wrote: »

Will they travel for it though?

Although some junkies will forever be junkies, you'll see a fair amount of suits in the clinics getting their fix, to allow them to function.

corner of hells wrote: »

A lot of the support services for addicts are located in and close to the city centre not just their methadone clinics.Logistically moving these services may be almost impossible particularly if they are homeless addicts.

There some clinics located in suburbs examples are GlenAbbey on the Belgard road are the two in Finglas ,Wellmount and Tolka Valley ?.

A lot of the pharmacy clinics stopped distributing it, due to violence towards staff, so mainly only the dedicated ones do it now, I think?

Steve012 wrote: »

Since USA occupation ??? Boggles the mind really ?? under the Taliban it was falling every year.. Stats on Wiki.. I think over 90% of worlds Heroin comes from there now..

IMO, the USA want the local farmers to give them info on the Taliban, so often turn a blind eye to the heroin. Long term plan is to eradicate the terrorists, then get rid of the drugs. If you get rid of the drugs first, the farmers will just help the terrorists get rid of the US troops.

corner of hells

the_syco wrote: »

Although some junkies will forever be junkies, you'll see a fair amount of suits in the clinics getting their fix, to allow them to function.


A lot of the pharmacy clinics stopped distributing it, due to violence towards staff, so mainly only the dedicated ones do it now, I think?


IMO, the USA want the local farmers to give them info on the Taliban, so often turn a blind eye to the heroin. Long term plan is to eradicate the terrorists, then get rid of the drugs. If you get rid of the drugs first, the farmers will just help the terrorists get rid of the US troops.

Most maintained on methadone won't act the maggot in a pharmacy , because allowing you use a pharmacy means an element of trust has been built up with you around your behaviour if you,re on takeaways and trustworthy enough not to sell your script.I've never heard of any violence in a pharmacy by anyone collecting or taking their prescription there.

The idea behind pharmacy dispensing is often to allow you access methadone without going to the bigger clinics letting avoid the craziness .It may also be a chemist in your local area.

Aard

Once property values increase around Marlboro St, there'll be less incentive to use a building as a hostel and great incentive to convert to proper hotel or offices, maybe even residences.

corner of hells

Aard wrote: »

Once property values increase around Marlboro St, there'll be less incentive to use a building as a hostel and great incentive to convert to proper hotel or offices, maybe even residences.

I think most are DCC properties run by charities or by DCC themselves.You are placed in them through Parkgate street / freephone and you pay rent like any other council tenant , one night only beds and CWI being the exception.

Nulty

Ben D Bus wrote: »

The 101 Talbot
The Italian Connection
Le Bon Crubeen (I think it's reopened after the fire!)
The Roasted Bean coffee shop
Halls Cameras
Real butchers shops
Big pharmacy with a huge selection of smellies (fragrences, not the customers ).
The old tea time express shop is still a proper cake shop
Proper DIY shops
SuperValu & Tesco
Molloys lounge isn't a bad boozer
3 hotels and a Carrolls tourist shop

That's just off the top of my head.

Edit: Just seen AsianDubs similar post. I wasn't cogging

You mean The Earl? I was in there a couple of weeks back, haven't been in a place that progress left behind so badly in many years. I doubt it's changed in 30 years. Still can't pay with a card - but the cakes are great and the breakfasts are great value

Kermit.de.frog

New Rosie Hackett bridge has been surrendered to the junkies and associated scum by virtue of the fact the council saw fit to put lovely seating on the bridge.

They say madness is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.

Anyone who thinks this junkie/scum problem in the city center is getting anything but worse is seriously mistaken. It is a huge threat now to Dublin tourism. That is the magnitude of this problem.

Solution to this is simple. Close the clinics and move them to random, preferably old mostly abandoned, industrial estates.

Centralised clinics and bus passes as a combination is a recipe for disaster as we see.

SimonTemplar

I posted this a year ago but I think it's worth repeating because it illustrates the level of apathy in the Gardai:

I was walking home from the cinema through Henry St yesterday evening. At the bottom of the street near Pennys was a group of junkies. As I passed them, one of them started walking up towards O'Connell St holding a can of beer. This guy looked like death and the look of horror from the passers-by approaching him was obvious. As I passed Arnotts, I saw two Guards walking towards him.

According to http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en...d_the_law.html, "under the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994, it is an offence for you to be so drunk in a public place that you could reasonably be presumed to be a danger to yourself or to anyone around you." This guy could barely stand upright, he was using walls and windows to prop himself up but occasionally tried to move zombie-like toward members of the public (presumably to ask for change etc...). He also had the awful semi-closed swollen eye look of someone completely off their face on alcohol and/or drugs. I'm pretty sure that meets the criteria under that 1994 act.

So, when I saw the two Guards, I naturally assumed they would at least confiscate the alcohol he had, which I understand they have the right to do. Instead, the two Guards stopped in the middle of the street, watched the guy stumble past them, while pointing and smirking with a "look at the state of this guy" type of smile. They then went over to the Arnott's window for some window shopping while the guy made his way to O'Connell St.

I mean what the hell! Firstly, I pretty sure that guy would be at least spoken to, if not taken off the street, by most other police force in the western world. Secondly, it's one thing for the Guards to ignore the problem but for the Guards to actively derive amusement from the state of the junkie is entirely different.

What a shambles.

corner of hells

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

New Rosie Hackett bridge has been surrendered to the junkies and associated scum by virtue of the fact the council saw fit to put lovely seating on the bridge.

They say madness is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.

Anyone who thinks this junkie/scum problem in the city center is getting anything but worse is seriously mistaken. It is a huge threat now to Dublin tourism. That is the magnitude of this problem.

Solution to this is simple. Close the clinics and move them to random, preferably old mostly abandoned, industrial estates.

Centralised clinics and bus passes as a combination is a recipe for disaster as we see.

Maybe the staff who work in these clinics mightnt want to relocate to random old abandoned
industrial estates.

Kermit.de.frog

corner of hells wrote: »

Maybe the staff who work in these clinics mightnt want to relocate to random old abandoned
industrial estates.

I don't care. Get rid of them. The city center is increasingly unsafe, menacing and filled with junkies. Everyone is going to pay the price for this.

It's only a matter of time before some international travel magazine singles Dublin out as a disgusting junkie hell hole. That is obviously what it will take to get something done. The clinics have to go or else we are pissing in the wind. Because nothing will change otherwise.

Why has large portions of our city center been completely surrendered to junkies and scumbags? No other capital city in Europe would tolerate this for one second.

Kermit.de.frog

And the thing that riles me most is that it is the council's own stupidity and fecklessness that has allowed this really devastating situation for residents and business and tourism to breed and fester gradually in the last 15 years.

No 1 - let's build clinics right in the middle of town - loads of them.

No 2 - let's put a luas line mostly through junkie hot spots out to Tallaght and provide the junkies with free bus passes.

What did they honestly think the consequences would be? We see it now. The funny thing is a lot of us saw this coming over 10 years a go except our planners. One of our tram lines is now a no go junkie train for most Dubliners (except the terrified unwitting tourists that stumble on to it unaware of it's true usefulness).

chopper6

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

And the thing that riles me most is that it is the council's own stupidity and fecklessness that has allowed this really devastating situation for residents and business and tourism to breed and fester gradually in the last 15 years.

No 1 - let's build clinics right in the middle of town - loads of them.

No 2 - let's put a luas line mostly through junkie hot spots out to Tallaght and provide the junkies with free bus passes.

What did they honestly think the consequences would be? We see it now. The funny thing is a lot of us saw this coming over 10 years a go except our planners. One of our tram lines is now a no go junkie train for most Dubliners (except the terrified unwitting tourists that stumble on to it unaware of it's true usefulness).

They've been allowed to form thier own subculture whereby they dont pay for anything and they dont respect anything.

They flash photocopied passes at the bus drivers,drink and smokle openly on the luas and hang around dealing outside the so-called "treatment centres".

Thier talk is full of zimmos,prescriptions,suspended sentences and court appearances...they're heading off to score pills while other people are heading off to work to support them.

They shoplift openly and with impunity,they breed recklessly and treatthier children like domestic pets.

All funded by the taxpayer and the Govt..almost as if this feral lifestyle is a right...the mind boggles.

corner of hells

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I don't care. Get rid of them. The city center is increasingly unsafe, menacing and filled with junkies. Everyone is going to pay the price for this.

It's only a matter of time before some international travel magazine singles Dublin out as a disgusting junkie hell hole. That is obviously what it will take to get something done. The clinics have to go or else we are pissing in the wind. Because nothing will change otherwise.

Why has large portions of our city center been completely surrendered to junkies and scumbags? No other capital city in Europe would tolerate this for one second.

Its very difficult to engage with a poster who leads with " I don't care " , but anyway each tothier own .

I agree with you around the tourist issue , but as the OP stated there does seem a shift in the dynamic of addicts in particular around parts of the city , whether its a concerted Garda drive going back to March 17 festival or something else , who knows .Even from talking to addicts I know , who are saying Gardai seem to be more busy around hotspots.

Anyways we talked about closing and moving clinics , might be difficult to move because a huge amount of the services used by addicts and homeless are in the city , everything from drop in centres , medical and psychiatric support , food services , DSP , stabilisation ,drug free etc, the list is endless.Do we move the all ? If we do hundreds of different staff move too .

One or two posters commented on our methadone provision and that's what needs to be addressed , in Ireland methadone is dispensed primarily to stabilise a heroin addict and decrease vulnerability to blood bourne disease and damage caused by IV use , abbcesses ulcers etc. , there no longterm plan as such to detox people off methadone , often the detox is iniated by staff working in charities or drug services .

Another poster mentioned tablet use , one issues maybe to be looked is why are so many tablets being prescribed , in Ireland you can as far as I know get a six month script and there's nothing to stop you visiting more than one doctor and multiple chemists .Lots of tablets are internet imported legally as far as I know and a few enterprising individuals are making and packaging tablets .

A comment was made about people dealing outside centres , I've no doubt it happens but everywhere I've worked either has an outreach team which will be out side their building to stop this or actively challenge anyone dealing , believe me ,I've done it myself .
I've also been out and still go out to recover usd paraphernalia early morning and through the day.

Don't get me wrong ,I don't condone drug use or criminality related to it , but sometimes a look at the wider picture gives a different view.

Boldberry

I get the red line Luas a few times a week, it is by no means just filled with tourists and junkies. There is obviously a problem but the handwringing and pure bull**** on this thread isn't helping anything.

mcmoustache

old hippy wrote: »

Are cocaine users a more socially acceptable form of addict?

I personally don't care what drugs people take in private. But when an addict ends up begging, thieving and intimidating people on the street, then they have crossed a line, in my opinion, and I would view them as a scumbag.

When rich cocaine addicts start begging, stealing and harassing people on the street, I'll have no sympathy for them and I'll happily look down my nose at them as I do any other junkie.

This isn't about class - it's about behaviour.

Kermit.de.frog

I was told by someone I know that O'Connell street itself has improved in recent weeks in terms of the addicts hanging around and that there are more gardai in the area generally.

Is this the case?

arybvtcw0eolkf

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I was told by someone I know that O'Connell street itself has improved in recent weeks in terms of the addicts hanging around and that there are more gardai in the area generally.

Is this the case?

Don't know about O'Connell St but O'Connell Bridge/Westmoreland St & Aston Quay were particularly bad with scumbags last night.

But I often find that after a sunny day, the heat & sun get the scum out in their droves.

clairek6

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I was told by someone I know that O'Connell street itself has improved in recent weeks in terms of the addicts hanging around and that there are more gardai in the area generally.

Is this the case?

definitely not, just home from a few hours spent around o connell street, witnessed a young girls purse being stolen from her in burgerking and was asked harassed for change twice, all in the space of about 3 hours....Oh and didnt see one Garda.

Garzard

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I was told by someone I know that O'Connell street itself has improved in recent weeks in terms of the addicts hanging around and that there are more gardai in the area generally.

Is this the case?

Neither O'Connell Street or the surrounding area has from what I've seen. I've to walk through the city centre most weekdays, usually from College Green through to DIT Bolton Street. The likes of Moore Street and the Londis off Aston Quay are infested with them some evenings. From experience, other areas like Parnell Street, O'Connell Street and College Green tend to have more of a problem with chuggers and aggressive beggars.

Kintarō Hattori

I was walking across the city on Friday to Connolly station to get the train home. Walking across O'Connell Street bridge I cast my eyes over to the monument and saw an addict absolutely out of his mind lying on the flat area at the base of the monument. I'm not sure I've ever seen someone that out of their mind. His missus sitting beside him, climbed over him to take his headphones and presumably listen to some tunes. She propped him so as not to fall off the ledge and then went back to doing her own thing.

I stood there for several minutes watching, seeing if anything would happen but he was so out of it nothing did. There wasn't a guard to be seen on either side of the quays. I'd normally walk down the quays a bit, cut in by the theatre, up Marlborough street and down Talbot street but decided to walk up O'Connell street and see if there were any guards. Indeed there was, managing what looked like two separate protests but there were none on other duty.

Again, this was in the faces of people going about their business and any number of tourists. I'm not one to be dramatic but the city council really need to get their act together and reclaim the city. It's an unpleasant place to be and doesn't present a good image for anyone. I can't fathom that they've let things sink as low as they have.

superblu

mortarhate wrote: »

I've seen this bloke on the LUAS and that's him. He never bothered me, stinks something terrible, but I always felt sorry for him. Out of all the times I've seen him, once was him talking and acting perfectly normal at the Museum stop, I couldn't believe it. He can stay in character, I'll give him that!

I lived near the James Hospital Luas stop and have seen this lad numerous times moseying about the place. Never once was he acting anywhere even approaching normal. If this is some sort of act all I can say is Daniel Day Lewis has a new rival in the method acting department.

Kermit.de.frog

What I don't understand is that the politicians must see this, the businesses must see this, the guards see it so why isn't anything being done?

Do they not thinks it's worth it to have a clean, relatively crime free and safe city center? This is our capital city ffs.

Aard

City centre businesses identify this as a major issue, and act to clean up (literally as well as figuratively) after the junkies through the Dublin City Business Improvement District. They've effectively taken into their own hands an issue that the City Council has been dragging its heels on.

chopper6

Aard wrote: »

City centre businesses identify this as a major issue, and act to clean up (literally as well as figuratively) after the junkies through the Dublin City Business Improvement District. They've effectively taken into their own hands an issue that the City Council has been dragging its heels on.

It's not and never has been a matter for teh city council.

Drug dealing and anti social behaviour is a matter for the gardai...the current legislation and judicial process limits thier powers and indeed motivation.

City Centre busineses lobbied the gardai en masse for them to do something about the problem and the gardai (eventually) responded with a major clean up operation resulting in no fewer than three convictions.

Short of hiring private security firms to patrol the streets it's difficult to see what can actually be done.

Aard

When I say "cleaning up", I mean it literally: Dublin City BID have a dedicated team to clean up needles and other paraphernalia, as well as human waste. This is highly responsive to a request from a city centre business. The Council can't offer that level of service. This means that it's very unlikely that a member from the public will see such nasty things, which helps to improve the image.

Drug dealing is another matter entirely of course.

Kermit.de.frog

chopper6 wrote: »

Short of hiring private security firms to patrol the streets it's difficult to see what can actually be done.

It's not. Take the clinics out of the city center and that will change things massively. We should not be filtering every junkie in to the center of the city. This is the consequence of that.

chopper6

Mr.S wrote: »

Quite a few of said Junkies would be living in the innercity.

Correct.

Not only that but the ones that arent from the inner city as such usually have roots or relations there.

Junkies are also highly mobile..often moving from relative to relative or hostel to hostel across the whole of dublin.