King County is moving forward with plans for two safe injection sites likely to open by the beginning of 2018.
Now a grassroots effort is fighting those plans by using the stories of families impacted by drug abuse.
Corri Durant joined the effort by Speak Out Seattle after her brother died from heroin abuse in March.
“He was totally against them,” said Durant.
“He said it's not going to bring the users out from the alleys.”
Durant said she first learned about the plans while visiting her brother, Eric Madsen, in the hospital.
“When I got there, he said, 'Can you believe King County is going to put these injection sites in?'” said Durant.
“'You need to get with Speak Out Seattle and put the voice out there that this is the totally wrong, bad idea to do.'”
Durant promised not to tell her brother's story while he was alive, but after he died, she met Jalair Box, who started this online petition.
“At Speak Out Seattle we felt we weren't being heard,” said Box, who says they’d reached out to the Heroin and Opiate Task Force and several county leaders.
In January the King County Board of Health unanimously approved the recommendations from the Task Force, which included the two safe injection sites.
The county calls them CHELs, Community Health Engagement Locations, which include safe consumption and access to treatment and other services.
KIRO 7 reached out to the county executive’s office on Friday and got this response from spokesman James Apa:
“No sites have been determined yet, and can’t give a specific timeline at this point for opening them up. We’ve been doing community outreach on the issue, speaking to a number of groups that have interest and questions. Once we have a potential site or sites, we’ll be doing more community outreach in those proposed areas.”
The Seattle City Council has expressed support for the sites and said they won’t have to vote on a location.
The council will go with the Task Force’s recommendation.
In the meantime, Durant hopes the efforts of Speak Out Seattle get some attention.
She says her brother supported the Task Force’s treatment plan, just not the injection sites.
“He said it's just a waste of money,” said Durant.
“And I agree the money could be spent more towards treatment.”
Cox Media Group
