Residents of the Ravenswood neighborhood in Indianapolis met for the second time this week to discuss their growing heroin problem.
They've dubbed themselves "Ravenswood Hope," and some of their members gathered in the Glendale Christian Church to figure out what to do next.
On Wednesday, friends and neighbors shared their experiences with the drug epidemic, ranging from their own battles with addiction, to parents taking care of their addicted children.
Family members recounted how they have enabled their addicted relatives. Ravenswood resident Kenny McRee has a daughter who is an addict. He has tried to get her help, but it has come with its share of hurdles.
"I want you guys to know that I had to get my daughter high to get her on the airplane. That's the damndest thing I've ever done in my life." That brought about a revelation. "And that's when it finally hit me," he said. "We're not in Kansas no more."
McRee's grandchildren are currently living with him and his wife.
"Don't get me wrong. I could be having the worst day and come home and I get a smile on my face. I don't mind that they're there. But they need their mother and father. I'm not Mom, and my wife is not Dad. We're grandparents! And we want to be grandparents," McRee says. "They need the energy that my daughter has. They need the energy that their father has. And that's what we're facing."
Attendees offered their thoughts on how to deal with the crisis. Some suggestions were to actively confront drug dealers to force them out of the neighborhood. Other suggestions dealt more with how addiction is handled, and community members suggested putting in sober houses in their community to prevent addicts from relapsing.
Brandon Drake, who organizes interventions for drug addicts and alcoholics, was asked to speak at the meeting. He says these meetings are integral in beginning the process of helping a community and its members, but treatment should be the ultimate end-goal.
"The bottom line is, we can raise all the awareness we want," he says, "but if there isn't treatment that's accessible for people who suffer from drug addiction, then we haven't really accomplished anything."
