Is there a drug problem in New Haven? It depends upon whom you ask.
Two recent drug busts in New Haven have exposed alarming amounts of heroin and cocaine in the area, yet opinions vary as to whether the city's drug problem is getting better or worse.
On Fri., Feb. 2, police seized approximately $88,000 in cash and an additional $3,000 worth of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana from Michael Oliver McDonald, a major drug supplier in the Dixwell area. The police also confiscated a .380 caliber semi-automatiac handgun, a .22 caliber rifle, and a sawed-off .30 caliber rifle. McDonald, 36, was arrested on numerous charges, including possession of a narcotic substance with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school, operation of a drug factory, criminal use of a firearm, and theft of a firearm.
Less than two weeks later, on Mon., Feb. 12, the New Haven Police Narcotics Enforcement Unit arrested 19-year-old Aquarius Bowling of West Haven for possession of 220 bags of heroin with a street value of about $3,300. As in the McDonald case, the possession of a narcotic substance with the intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school was listed among the charges against Bowling.
Juditah Mongillo, spokesperson for the New Haven Police Department, said McDonald's arrest reflects the success of combining different levels of law enforcement. She described the enforcement of drug laws as "a unique and innovative combination of local [agencies] working with federal agencies." Mongillo said she believes that this combination of groups has attacked the drug problem more effectively. "The pooling of resources has definitely helped fight the drug problem in the city and allowed us to apply stiffer penalties to drug dealers," Mongillo said. In the Dixwell area bust, for example, the New Haven Police Narcotics Enforcement and Criminal Intelligence Units joined forces with the New Haven Gang Task Force and Hamden and state organizations to close the case.
Mongillo noted that police success in attacking gangs and major drug operation "hot spots" has remained relatively high in recent years. "We have made real inroads in stymieing drug activity, especially gang-related drug activity," Mongillo said. Most of the drug operations uncovered lately have been individual dealers, which, according to Mongillo, points to the achievements police have made in stifling the larger gang drug problem. She added that the scope of the drug problem in New Haven has been effectively limited from the larger scale group operation, which is often associated with violence, to the individual dealer.
One of the more worrisome aspects in the cases of McDonald and Bowling was that both men were charged with the intent to sell narcotics in a school zone. Area high schools seem to be only moderately affected by harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin, but marijuana is still very common within the school hallways. Students at Wilbur Cross High School are not hesitant about selling and smoking marijuana in school, according to classmates. "I only know them by name, but I have my suspicions [of some of the students]. They bring in a lot of money to school and exchange it in the hallway," Sharone Richardson, a freshman at Wilbur Cross, said. Richardson felt drug use among her peers has definitely been increasing over the past year. "It is on the rise. It is like a hobby now," Richardson said.
Richardson described two options for students with a drug problem at Wilbur Cross. For the first, the student is turned in by someone else to the principal. The student then suffers a 10-day suspension, is asked to appear at a hearing, and may be expelled. Richardson was not aware of anyone who had been "snitched on." The other, more attractive option is to seek out the school guidance counselor. This meeting ensures confidentiality and is less threatening than being turned in to a school administrator.
Zhuang Kang, a junior at Wilbur Cross, described the situation in school as being a definite problem. "Everyday at second period geometry we can smell something that reeks [of marijuana]. Those smells are not a secret." Kang also pointed out that while pot was the prevalent drug within the school, other drugs were certainly available. He knew of a friend who smoked crack outside of school and pointed out that students find LSD easy to obtain. When asked if he knew of any specific programs the school offered to help kids with drug problems, Kang said, "I don't think we have anything specific." He mentioned that the nurse's office would probably help but "people that use those things don't go there. They are not educated. They think that drugs are healthy for you. I have a friend who thinks that drugs help the body grow."
Kang mentioned that the school administration has cracked down on drug use in the school. "This year the principal is really tough. Students are afraid to bring other drugs in," Kang said. According to Kang, last year, there were several shootings in the school area, and a teacher was caught with marijuana in the school cafeteria. This year the installation of metal detectors and the principal's personal patrolling of school bathrooms has resulted in no shootings so far this academic year.
Both students emphasized that their peers who do drugs need to be better educated. They said the school should focus on preventative educational measures concerning drugs. Kang called for "more education to help them get away from those things." Richardson echoed these sentiments: "In school, they [the adminitrators] worry too much about what we wear instead of drug use. If I were an undercover cop, I would be able to catch a lot of people."
At Hillhouse High School, Principal Lonnie Garris described the drug situation as not being a problem at all. Although he admitted to smelling marijuana "from a remote corner of the building" once or twice a year, he emphasized that drug use has not been a factor at the school. "We have almost a non-existent drug problem here," he said. For this reason, there is no specific program the school offers to deal solely with drugs, but Garris said, "There is a program sponsored by a school-based health clinic that offers a series of educational programs that deal with AIDS, sex education, and drug abuse." He also pointed out that drug abuse counseling is a part of the school's development program and that the school has not found any students selling or using drugs.
Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo, the head of public information at the Mayor's office, said, "There hasn't been any specific policy measures recently" concerning drug abuse or prevention. She pointed to a new measure attempting to curb school truancy, but was unable to cite any initiative from the Mayor's office that dealt specifically with the drug problem in New Haven.
The recent local arrests have pointed to both improvements in and consistent problems with the drug situation in New Haven. While enforcement is stepping up its effectiveness in catching major drug groups and dealers, the preventative measures of educating the city's youth have not yet proven to be very effective.
Graphic by Joseph Ho.
Copyright 1995, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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